Stuffed Peppers With Vegetable Farro and Turkey Recipes at My Table

Stuffed Peppers with Vegetable Farro and Turkey

Stuffed Peppers with Vegetable Farro and turkey

Stuffed Peppers with Vegetable Farro and Turkey are hearty and delicious.  Farro is a whole grain and I use it in the place of rice in my kitchen.  I fell in love with it in Italy;  the Farro risotto was nutty and absolutely heaven.  It is a good heart healthy choice for your kitchen and a great added grain for your family.  For  a quick healthy read go to: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/farro-benefits

These stuffed peppers will be a side for my barbecue on Saturday, but John and I eat this as a main with a salad.  The sweetness of the peppers combined with the creaminess of the Farro make this a very tasty dish.  It is good enough to entertain with and can be made ahead and reheated.

For this recipe I used a prepared packet of Farro bought at a specialty store from Italy.  It had zucchini, carrots, celery and onion already in it.  I also cook my own and the instructions are easy: for every cup of farro you need 2 cups of liquid.  You can use vegetable broth, chicken broth or just water.  Bring it to a boil with some salt and cover and cook on medium low for about 40 minutes.  The grains should absorb the liquid.  Now you can use this for anything.  You can add your own vegetables for stuffing.

To stuff my peppers today, I precooked and cooled the Farro and I am adding ground turkey.

The Farro cooked and cooling.

When the Farro Cools, I add chopped parsley and an egg.

The meat added next to the Farro.

Ready for the oven.

See how the peppers kept their shape.

 

Stuffed Peppers with Vegetable Farro and Turkey

These easy stuffed peppers are great as a main or side.  

Course Main Course
Cuisine Home Cooking in Canada, Italian
Keyword Stuffed Peppers with Vegetable Farro and Turkey
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 8
Author Renata Solski

Ingredients

  • 4 cups cooked farro with vegetables
  • 2 eggs
  • 1/4 cup parmesan cheese grated
  • 1 onion diced
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped parsley
  • l lb ground turkey
  • 2 cloves garlic minced
  • tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground pepper
  • 4 large assorted coloured peppers
  • 1 cup marinara sauce optional
  • 1 cup grated 4 cheese Italiano any grated cheese you like
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 2 tbsp Italian seasoning

Instructions

  1. Cook the farro and cool it.

    To the farro add the eggs, onion, parmesan cheese, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper.  Mix throughly with a spoon.

    Add the ground turkey and mix thoroughly again.  I like to use my hands for this part.

    Cut the peppers in half lengthwise. 

    Smother the peppers with some olive oil on the inside and outside. 

    Put the peppers into a large pan.

    Sprinkle generously with Italian seasoning. 

    Spoon mixture into the peppers until they are full. Divide equally amongst the peppers.

    Set oven to 375 F and cook the peppers uncovered for 45 minutes.

    Remove from oven and sprinkle with grated cheese. 

    Return to oven for another 15.

    Your peppers will keep their shape and not be soggy cooking them this way. 

    Warm up your marinara sauce and spoon over the peppers before serving, if desired.   



Recipe Notes

If you make your own farro use one zucchini, one carrot and one onion.

Soften vegetables first in one tablespoon of olive oil and then add the cooked farro to the pan.  Set aside and cool before mixing with the meat.  

Our marinara sauce recipe https://recipesatmytable.com/marinara-sauce-passata-making/

 

Drunken Turkey Meatballs Recipes at my Table

Drunken Turkey Meatballs

Drunken Turkey Meatballs

Drunken Turkey Meatballs can be served as a main or appetizer.  These delicious and healthy little meatballs are covered in a white wine gravy.  Served with a side of salad this makes a perfect meal for company.  They can also be served over noodles or rice for a heartier meal.

I have an obsession with meatballs and I try different meats, vegetables and spices. Being Italian, I think meatballs run through my blood stream.  LOL.  This recipe brings out my Sicilian side as I add some nutmeg.   Meatballs are my favourite to cook because the possibilities for sides are endless.  I also can control the amount I eat.  They freeze easily and make a super quick meal on those nights when you don’t know what to make.  Meatballs can be dropped in broth, sauce or gravy.  Discover your own way to create your favourite meatballs.

I use nutmeg in many recipes and it has many health benefits: https://www.naturalfoodseries.com/13-health-benefits-nutmeg/

The onions soften in some Olive Oil.

Meanwhile, the bread crumbs soften with some milk.

In the other bowl the meat goes in with the parsley, garlic and spices.

Then it all comes together.

These meatballs are very soft and I dredge them in a bit of flour before frying.

Dredged in a bit of flour and rolled, They are ready for the pan.

Golden brown and ready for the gravy.

The onions in the wine gravy.

It bubbles away.

The meatballs meet the gravy.

Plated and delicious!!

 

Drunken Turkey Meatballs

Covered in white wine gravy, these are delcious!!

Course Main Course
Cuisine Home Cooking in Canada, Italian
Keyword Drunken Turkey Meatballs
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Author Renata Solski

Ingredients

The meatballs

  • 1 lb ground turkey or chicken
  • 1 clove garlic finely chopped
  • 2 tbsp parsley finely chopped
  • 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
  • 6 tbsp dried bread crumbs
  • 1/4 cup milk
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp black pepper
  • 1/4 cup canola oil for frying the meatballs
  • 1/4 cup flour to help roll meatballs

The Sauce

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 medium onions finely chopped
  • 2 cups white wine
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

The meatballs

  1. In one bowl place meat, garlic, parsley, salt and pepper.  Mix well.

    In another bowl soak the breadcrumbs in milk. Let this sit for 5 minutes.

    Add the crumbs to the meat and now add the eggs.

    Mix well.  If making this as a main course use about 2 tbsp of the mixture for each meatball.  If making an appetizer roll 1 tbsp of the mixture. 

    Put 1/4 cup of flour in a plate.  Drop your meatballs by the tablespoonful in the flour.

    Roll in your hands. 

    Heat the oil and cook the meatballs in batches.  Turn to brown.

    Transfer meatballs onto a paper towel to drain and then transfer into the sauce. 

    Cook in the sauce for 20 minutes over medium low heat.




The Sauce

  1. Heat the olive oil and add the onions.

    Cook the onions until soft.

    Sprinkle in the flour and cook for another minute.

    Pour in the wine and season with salt and pepper.

    Cook on medium/ low for 15 minutes.  

    The sauce should be reduced.  

Italian Pizza Dogs Recipes at My Table

Italian Barbecued Pizza Dogs

Italian Barbecued Pizza Dogs

Italian Barbecued Pizza Dogs is an easy way to bring sausage pizza to the table in the summer.  Italians eat a lot of sausages and pizza and this is the ultimate dish if you like both.

I was about ten years old before I ate a hot dog and that was at the grocery counter while my parents shopped.  Then they started to buy hot dogs, but weren’t sure of how to cook them.  At the grocery store they were on a grill.  My husband’s grandmother was Hungarian and she boiled them until they busted.  As immigrants we tried new foods and I always laugh at the way we tried to cook them.

My Italian Barbecued Pizza dogs start with sausages on the grill and then I have a pizza dough that I use strictly for grilling.  It fluffs up and is easily made in the food processor.  You don’t have to wait for the dough to rise, because there is no yeast in this and it actually makes a bun around the sausage.

For that perfect barbecued sausage I have included a good video. Rodney Bowers is a regular on the Marilyn Denis Show.  I like him because he is down to earth and honest.  His recipes are easy to follow and he gives good advice.

If you like these you can make an easier appetizer version.  Recipe right here on this website: https://recipesatmytable.com/spicy-sausage-bites/

This is the easiest dough to make and cooks up easily on the barbecue.  Everything goes into a food processor.

This dough isn’t sticky; it is pliable and smooth.  Knead it a few times and divide it into four pieces.

It stretches easily, but will be resilient when it meets the sausage.

The sausage grilled and ready.

Slice the sausage down the length without cutting through. Stuff it with the cheese.

Italian Pizza Dogs Recipes at My Table

Now pinch the dough together to form a bun around the sausage.

Put on a Pizza Pan and back into the barbecue they go.  I had the burners on low; it was between 350 F and 400F.

Cooked and plated.

Italian Pizza Dogs Recipes at My Table

The First Bite

Italian Pizza Dogs Recipes at My Table

Italian Pizza Dogs Recipes at My Table

Cooked with ease on the barbecue, these dogs do bite. 

Course Main Course
Cuisine Home Cooking in Canada, Italian
Keyword Italian Pizza Dogs Recipes at My Table
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Servings 4
Author Renata Solski

Ingredients

The dough

  • 2 cups flour
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 1 cup plain yogurt

The Sausages

  • 4 Italian Sausages one per person
  • 1 cup shredded 4 Italian Cheese Blend
  • 1 cup marinara sauce https://recipesatmytable.com/marinara-sauce-passata-making/

Instructions

The dough

  1. Place all the dry ingredients in a food processor and pulse.

    Put in the yogurt and sour cream and spin on high until the dough moves away from the sides.

    Turn onto the counter and knead for a few seconds.  The dough is pliable and you can easily roll and mold into a ball.  

    Let the dough rest while you barbecue the sausage.

    Divide into four.

The Sausage

  1. Barbecue your sausage on medium/low.  

    You want heat, but you don't want to burn your sausage.  

    Don't poke them or you release all the juices and don't pre-boil them.  

    This is an excellent video with the same advice:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mo455T-66UM

The Assembly

  1. When the sausages are barbecued, let them sit for a few minutes.

    Meanwhile take each of those dough ball and press it flat.  

    I used a small rolling pin to stretch it.  This dough is very easy to work with.

    Lightly brush a pizza pan with canola oil.  I like the pizza discs with holes.

    Place one sausage per pizza disc.

    Slice each sausage lengthwise and stuff 1/4 cup of grated cheese into each.

    Pinch the edges of the dough and pinch and then tuck around the ends.

    Place on a 300F -350F bbq.

    Turn after 15 minutes.

    These Italian Dogs should be golden brown.  



 

Italian Bocconcini Burgers recipes at my table

Italian Bocconcini Hamburgers

Italian Bocconcini Hamburgers

Italian Bocconcini Hamburgers are my twist on burgers with some favourite Italian ingredients.  I am using the burger-in-a-bag method which you may have seen on various blogs.  I got the idea from Ziploc bags: https://ziploc.com/recipes/dinner/gourmet-hamburger-patties-red-onion-burger

Using Ziploc Bags

Ziploc bags come in handy for many things and I find this method easy to use and not as messy.  The burgers are easy to remove from the freezer and you can put just about anything in them. Today I use lean ground beef, mushrooms and onion.  To add the Italian zing I put in basil and my mix of Italian seasoning which has fennel and red pepper flakes in it.

This Italian Hamburger is topped with bocconcini and served with a Pesto mayonnaise.  Fresh heirloom tomatoes from Leamington make this a burger that’s easy for entertaining and a crowd-pleaser.

View the video to watch the process.

Here the burgers come out of the freezer.  They hold together better and don’t fall apart on the grill, which can sometimes happen when using vegetables in the meat.

I love grill marks and after 4 minutes on one side these marks are perfect.

bruger grill marks recipes at my table

It’s all about the bun.  I went to our local bakery and bought these beauties.  I smother them with a pesto mayonnaise.  For a quick mayonnaise, I use store bought mayonnaise and add 1 tablespoon of my homemade pesto.

It’s a beautiful site to watch once the bocconcini hit the burgers.

Aww that first bite!!

the first bite recipes at my table

 

Italian Bocconcini Burgers

It's the little cheese balls that will make you smile!!

Course Main Course
Cuisine Home Cooking in Canada, Italian
Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Servings 4
Author Renata Solski

Ingredients

  • 2 lb lean ground beef
  • 1 container fresh mushrooms 300gr
  • 1 medium onion
  • 12 large leaves of fresh basil
  • 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1 tbsp salt
  • 2 tbsp Italian Seasoning
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs
  • 1 egg
  • 1/2 cup water

Instructions

  1. Dice the onion and mushroom into small pieces.  If your pieces are too large, the burgers will fall apart.

    Chiffonade the basil.  You can learn how to do this at:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88tztCqjAkY

    Combine everything together except the water.

    Mix thoroughly.  Now add the 1/2 cup water and mix again.

    Take a large Ziploc freezer bag and place the mixture in it. 

    Ensure that it is tightly sealed.

    Spread out the meat mixture.  I used my small rolling pin.

    Now use something to score the contents into 9 pieces.  I used my large chef's knife with the lid.  You can use a ruler or the handle of a large wooden spoon.

    Place the bag in the freezer for at least 3 hours.

    Remove and break the burgers apart and use as many as needed.

    This recipe makes 9 burgers.  I like to allow 2 burgers per person and that is generous.  🙂

    Heat the grill to 400 F.  Grill 4 minutes on each side.

    Turn again and lay the bocconcini on the burgers for 2 minutes.