Here's a little tidbit of info I feel compelled to share.
Last summer, I came across information in a couple of sources regarding the making of Stuffed Green Peppers that stated it was not necessary to blanch the pepper halves before stuffing them.
Great, I thought, that eliminates one step in the process of making and filling the freezer with our winter's supply of them.
The sources I came across for the non-blanched pepper method stated that the peppers might have a little firmer texture, but that was fine with me as I have never been particularly fond of the way the peppers turn (what I consider) too mushy when baked and served.
So I didn't blanch the peppers for my usual batch of Stuffed Green Peppers this year.
Bad idea.
To say the peppers come out "firmer" is an understatement. To my mind, they don't seem to have been cooked. At all. Truly.
The more objectionable characteristic, however, is that they are BITTER in flavor.
Last night, after consuming our second dinner of Stuffed Green Peppers, we made the decision that we may simply eat the "stuffing" part of the peppers and relegate the crunchy, bitter pepper part to the chicken bucket.
And if this morsel of hard-learned wisdom is of any use to any of you, you're welcome.
How true you need to blanch them a bit. Mine are delish when I blanch. They also hold up well.
ReplyDeletesuzanne dorries - May I ask how long you blanch your peppers for? I've always done mine for 3 minutes and then plunged them into ice water to stop the cooking.
ReplyDeleteI do about the same time if I leave them whole and just gut them it is about 5 min.Hope this helps. mine turn out good. But I must add when I cook I put in liquid like tomatoe sauce or diced tommies to give it a bit of flavor and cover tightly with aluminum foil to steam that softens them up.
ReplyDeleteMy understanding is that blanching them kills certain bacteria? that fouls them even when frozen- same with cauliflower and broccoli.
ReplyDeleteIf you all want great info go to Hickery Holler Farm blog. This particular woman has been doing all of it for nigh on 70 years. Vast knowledge and a wealth of info. Just for your info.
ReplyDeletesuzanne - I used to add some tomato sauce over the stuffed peppers when I cooked them, but for the past several years have just been putting grated cheese on top. And I don't put a cover on the pan. Both these ideas would help "soften" the crunchy peppers. Thank you very much for your feedback. Also I'll check out Hickery Holler Farm blog.
ReplyDeleteLady Locust - Yes, I know what you're saying, and now I'm wondering about those articles I read that said it was okay to NOT blanch the peppers before stuffing. Oh, gads, just goes to prove you can't believe everything you read! Or implement to take a shortcut. I feel like a dummy.
At the end of the pepper growing season, I've always chopped up a quantity of peppers to use during the year when a recipe ingredient is chopped green pepper and I don't have a fresh one on hand. I've never noticed a bitter taste with those pieces that are not blanched. Arrrgh. One can always learn new things, some good and some not so good!
Lady Locust you are not a dummy. Just go and read different blogs of Experienced gardeners. Like the lady I told you all about. The chopped peppers are different Than stuffed peppers. Just saying. I really dont want to be superior but I read a lot of info and learned over the years. My apologies if i offended anyone.
ReplyDeletesuzanne dorries - Ooops, it was my comment in which I was calling myself a dummy (me, Mama Pea )but I think you thought Lady Locust said that. Never the less, I appreciate your comments and yes! We can all always learn . . . so many things. No offenses taken, I'm sure.
ReplyDeleteI don’t blanch mine, but I add an entire jar of spaghetti sauce and cheese when I cook them up. Sometimes I put them in the croc pot with the spaghetti sauce over them, and cook them all day. Sorry you haven’t had better results.
ReplyDeleteSo sorry those beautiful peppers are becoming chicken food. But, good to know...thanks, MP.
ReplyDeleteI don't blanch, but I haven't had any issues like you describe. I wrap each pepper individually in foil, then bag them in groups of 4 or 6 and vacuum seal. When it's time to eat them, I thaw them out, then put them in a glass dish with the foil intact. I bake until the peppers are soft, then open the foil, add some ketchup or tomato sauce and some grated cheese, and put the dish back in the oven for about 15 minutes, until the cheese melts. They're delicious every time.
ReplyDeleteI like stuffed peppers, and I enjoy putting things in the freezer. Thus, I usually did the stuffed peppers myself. I'm also lazy sometimes. Wanting to avoid the blanching step one time, I consulted my Home Ec teacher wife about it. She replied, "You can do it that way if you want, but you won't like them." She was right. Blanching, she explained later, kills the enzyme action in the fruits and stops it from working on them - even in the deep freeze. Oh well.... Cheers!
ReplyDeletewyomingheart - For my next batch I'm going to pour sauce over ours, too. I'm thinking that will definitely allow the unblanched (!) peppers to cook more. Whether that will do anything to improve the bitter flavor remains to be seen!
ReplyDeleteRosalea - I'm not giving up on the stuffed green peppers yet. The chickens may not end up with all the pepper shells!
Granny Sue - Thanks for sharing your method/process. It's all appreciated.
Tim - Funny thing that those folks who said you didn't need to blanch the peppers never said anything about the blanching halting enzyme action. But I should have known that, too. :o( Thanks for your input, too.