Stuffed Peppers, the Right Way

To most people, the mention of "stuffed peppers" evokes flashbacks of a Dutch oven or pressure cooker full of stewed tomatoes and greyish-green bell peppers. Usually, the peppers have been boiled down to a sulphuric vessel for rice mush, coated haphazardly with silky smear of tomato foam.

Umm...gross? Maybe this gives you a warm and fuzzy feeling, but it causes involuntary shuddering whenever someone unveils a pot of this mystery stew to me. Stuffed peppers are one of those universal dishes like stuffed dough or mashed potatoes - every culture has their own version. India has Barvan Mirch, Mexico has the Chile Rellano, and Norway has their Fylt Paprika (mmm..Jarlsberg-filled peppers). My pepper rules? They should be roasted or grilled until just tender, not mushy; be infused with as much flavour as the stuffing; and, if a bell pepper, any shade but green!

I made these as my husband recently demanded stuffed peppers. I think they were a satisfactory replacement for the stewed pot of peppers he was expecting.

Stuffed Peppers with Risotto
Risotto:
1/2 cup basmati rice
1 small onion, diced
3 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup Parmesan, grated
freshly cracked pepper and sea salt

Prepare the risotto:
Drizzle about 2 tb of olive oil into a tall saucepot and add basmati rice and diced onion. Bring rice and onions to a simmer, stirring occasionally, until rice turns opaque and onions become transluscent. Add 1/2 cup of chicken broth, giving the mixture a couple stirs a minute. Add another 1/2 cup of broth every time the rice appears to have absorbed most of the liquid, eventually stirring in 3 cups-worth. Season well with Parmesan, freshly cracked pepper and sea salt.

To make chile oil:
Note: If you plan on keeping the oil for longer than a couple days, you must refrigerate it to protect from bacteria and fungus. Obviously, dried chiles will keep longer than fresh chiles when stored at room temperature.
Method 1 (cold infusion): In a small, sterile glass flask with a stopper, add 5-6 fresh chiles to pure olive oil or grapeseed oil. Keep chiles in oil until reaching desired intensity - 2-3 days is ample for this recipe, but 2-4 weeks is more preferable for using as a finishing oil. Strain oil and rebottle for a finer oil and longer shelf life.
Method 2 (hot infusion): In a saucepan, heat pure olive oil or grapeseed oil with 3-4 dried arbol chiles for about 5 minutes; remove from heat, remove chiles and allow to cool.

Prepare the peppers by cutting open the top and gently removing the seed cavity, taking care not to split the side walls of the pepper. Brush the inside and skin with the chile-infused olive oil. Roast in the oven at 400F for 15 minutes. The skin of the pepper will have blistered after this time, which may be removed or kept on for a smoky note. Brush the skin and cavity of the pepper again with the chile oil, then fill the cavity of each pepper with the risotto. Place the peppers back into the oven and continue roasting for 25 minutes. Lightly drizzle with extra virgin olive oil prior to serving.