Rice-Stuffed Peppers

Pimientos rellenos

The rice to fill these stuffed peppers, which are typical of the mountain towns of Alcoy and Bocairent, cooks in the sweet juices from the tomato and pepper.

• Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 lb 2 oz short-grained Spanish Rice, such as Bomba or Calasparra
• 2-3 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 large red peppers
• 1 small red pepper, chopped
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1/2 tomato, skinned and chopped
• 5 oz minced / chopped pork or 3 oz salt cod
• Saffron
• Chopped fresh parsley
• Salt

Preparation

Cut off the stem ends of the peppers, keeping them as lids to replace later, and scrape out the inner membranes with a teaspoon.

Heat the oil, sauté the red pepper slowly until it is tender and remove. Fry the onion until tender, add the meat and brown it lightly, adding the tomato after a few minutes, then put back the cooked pepper, and stir in the raw rice, saffron and parsley. Salt to taste.

Fill the peppers carefully and lay them on their side in an ovenproof dish, being careful the filling doesn't fall out (you can wrap them in tinfoil to help hold them together). Cover the dish and put it in a hot oven for about 1 1/2 hours. The rice cooks in the juices from the tomato and pepper. If the peppers are thin-skinned, you may need to add a little stock towards the end of the cooking time.

See Also...

Bomba Paella Rice

Of the two types of classic short grain rice grown in Calasparra, Bomba is the supreme strain.

Until recently, many feared that the strain would become extinct. Bomba had all but disappeared from the land because it requires intensive care in order to flourish. Fortunately, alert gourmet chefs created a demand, so that today Bomba is once again available for the pleasure of discriminating food lovers.

The basic difference between Bomba rice and others is that Bomba expands in width like an accordion rather than longitudinally, as do other rice strains. It differs from Italian Arborio rice, which is bred to be creamy, and Asian rice, which is meant to be sticky. Bomba absorbs three times its volume in broth (rather than the normal two), yet the grains remain distinct.

If you plan to develop a rich and flavorful broth for your paella, Bomba rice will show your skill to its best advantage. It is totally free of all pesticides, herbicides, etc. No chemicals of any kind are added during processing

Bomba is an ancient strain of rice that matures very slowly. It is grown in fresh mountain water around the town of Calasparra in Murcia. Bomba rice produces an exceptionally dehydrated grain when it is harvested, because it has taken such a long time to mature. This enables it to absorb 50% more broth than is the case with the ordinary rices we are accustomed to.

When you are making paella, this is just what you want to bring uniform flavor to your creation. This is why Bomba is the correct choice when only the best of the best will do. Each bag is individually numbered by the producer.

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