Stuffed

A couple of weeks ago I attended the Honest Weight Local Harvest Festival, which re-inspired me to shop at the co-op and experiment.  I've had a small obsession with spelt for about a year now, but I have had no idea what to do with it.  Feeling adventurous, I bought some anyway.

And then I saw this post on EatLiveRun about spelt and goat cheese stuffed gypsy peppers.  Mmmmm goat cheese.

Then I saw these at Gade's Farm Market...

Italian frying peppers.  At a market near you. 

...and all the pieces came together.  And I invented a recipe.  And it was darn tasty.

Unfortunately, I had to wait two days, because spelt is an ancient grain... and not instant.  So you have to soak those babies overnight. (Night #1)

And then boil them for a long time (an hour) until they get squishy. (Night #2)  SOOO much work.  But so worth it.  Because they're really healthy and full of protein.  And yummy.

But by Night #3, I was ready to stuff some peppers!!

Start by cleaning your peppers.  As in, take out the seeds.   

Then chop some swiss chard or spinach.  Be sure to discard the tough stems.  Then, saute the swiss chard in a pan of olive oil and garlic.  It will go from this:

 To this: 

Where'd it all go???

Mix in your swisschard with your goat cheese and cooked spelt.  I found local goat cheese at Hannaford by Nettle Meadow Farm (Warrensburg, NY).  VERY tasty!

If you like, toss in some sundried tomatoes (I did), but be careful, they can overpower everything else.

Then, stuff those peppers!

Maybe you could broil them.  But I had already waited three days... I was hungry.  So I plopped them in a pan with a little oil and butter.

Just cook on all sides, then enjoy!

Spelt-stuffed Peppers (Ingredients List)


4 Italian Frying Peppers (or another sweet pepper)
1 cup cooked spelt
small container of goat cheese (6 oz)
several stalks of swiss chard (about half a bunch)
a tablespoon of chopped sun-dried tomatoes (optional)
chopped garlic






P.S. if you come up with a good side dish to this one, please let me know!