From Farmer John’s Cookbook
4 Quarts Water 4 Bell Peppers, any color, tops sliced off,
1 TBSP salt, plus more to taste seeds removed (reserve and chop the
¼ cup butter, divided flesh around the stems)
1 Lg. onion, minced, (about 1 cup), divided 1 ½ cups uncooked rice
½ lb. mushrooms, chopped 1 cup finely diced celery
¼ cup finely diced carrots ¼ cup fresh or frozen corn
1 Lg. Handful spinach or chard, chopped 1 tsp fresh minced ginger (optional)
2 cloves garlic, minced dash cayenne pepper
1 Lg. Tomato, peeled, seeded, diced ½ cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
fresh ground black pepper plus more to taste
Preheat oven to 350. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil in a large soup pot; add the peppers and 1 TBSP of salt. Cook the peppers until almost soft, 3-4 minutes. Remove the peppers from the water and set in a colander to drain (reserve the cooking water in the pot). Transfer the peppers to a rack, cut sides up and let cool.
Heat 2 TBSP of butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add half the onions, sauté until translucent and soft, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until the rice begins to turn golden, about 10 minutes. Add 3 cups of the peppers cooking water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until the liquid is completely absorbed, 12 to 15 minutes.
Melt the remaining butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped pepper tops, the remaining onions, mushrooms, celery, corn, spinach or chard, ginger if using, garlic, and cayenne; sauté until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add salt to taste.
Combine the rice and sautéed vegetables in a large bowl, stir in the tomato and half the Parmesan cheese. Season with pepper to taste. Fill each pepper case with the filling and arrange them in a 9-inch square baking dish. Garnish with the remaining cheese; add more if desired. Spread any extra filling around the peppers. Bake until heated through, about 20 minutes.