Recipe - Iranian Stuffed Peppers

2 tablespoon Butter or margarine
1 lg Onion, chopped
One half pound Ground lean beef or lamb
1 cn Tomato sauce (8 oz.)
Salt & pepper to taste
One half teaspoon Sugar
Grated peel of 1 lemon
3 tablespoon Lemon juice
1 cup White rice
1 One half cup Beef or chicken broth
1 cup Parsley, fresh chopped
1 cup Green onions, chopped
2 tablespoon Dill weed, dried
1 teaspoon Tarragon, dried, crushed
1 teaspoon Mint, dried, crushed
6 lg Green or red bell peppers
1 cup Beef broth
2 tablespoon Butter or margarine

Melt 2 tb. butter or margarine in a large saucepan. Add onion and saute
until tender. Add meat and cook until browned and crumbly. Add half the
tomato sauce, salt and black pepper. Cook 1 minute. Add sugar, lemon peel,
lemon juice and rice. Cook and stir until rice glistens. Add 1 One half cups
broth and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cover. Simmer over low heat 10
minutes or until liquid is almost absorbed. Stir in parsley, green onions,
dill, tarragon and mint and cook for 5 minutes. Preheat oven to 350F. Cut a
thin slice from stem end of each pepper; reserve to use as lids. Remove
seeds and white membranes from peppers. Place peppers in a large baking
pan. Spoon meat mixture into peppers. Combine remaining ingredients,
including remaining tomato sauce, in a small saucepan. Heat until butter or
margarine melts. Pour over stuffed peppers and cover with reserved lids.
Cover baking pan with foil. Bake 1 hour or until peppers are tender and
filling is done. ** Stuffed Cabbage: Cook 1 whole medium cabbage in boiling
water 810 minutes, depending on size. Drain and cool. Separate leaves and
place 1 tbs. filling on each leaf. Roll up, tucking in edges. Place cabbage
rolls in a large baking pan, making a single layer. Continue with recipe.
** Stuffed Tomatoes: Substitute 8 large tomatoes for the green peppers. Cut
a thin slice from each stem end. Scoop out pulp and add to meat mixture.
Heat 5 minutes before stuffing tomatoes. Continue with recipe. ** Stuffed
Eggplant: Substitute 8 long Japanese eggplants for the green peppers. Slit
each eggplant lengthwise without cutting all the way through. Heat One half cup
vegetable oil in a large skillet. Cook each eggplant in hot oil until
blistered on all sides. Remove from skillet, drain on paper towels and let
cool. Stuff with meat mixture. Continue with recipe.

Source: Middle Eastern Cooking by Rose Dosti.

From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini