THE BEST STUFFED PEPPERS ON THE PLANET

My profession is that of a Personal Cook to a well-to-do family. Myself and the 'Lady' of the house work together to come up with just the right menus for each and every occasion. This being the end of my season with them, we wanted to serve something different than we had placed on the table so far. I suggested stuffed peppers and she seconded the motion and came up with this wonderful recipe from our 'Bible' of cookbooks (we both own a copy)~"Cooking With Class", published by 'The Parents' Council Charlotte Latin Schools, Inc.; Charlotte, North Carolina. It is a Cadillac cookbook and in our eyes even outshines 'The Joy of Cooking'. There...I said it, and it didn't hurt at all. The First Printing was in November of 1982. Her copy is falling apart and mine is running a close second.

The lady's name that submitted the recipe is Gensie. My boss lady always told me that if her name accompanied the dish that it was guaranteed to be wonderful. Gensie's addition of 1 cup of a dry white wine lends a depth of character to the finished product. Be sure and try this recipe. It is a real 'keeper'.

2 lbs. ground chuck
2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1 pkg. Italian salad dressing mix (I used Zesty)
1 cup raw rice
2 8-oz. cans tomato sauce
1 cup dry white dinner wine
6 large green peppers (I used 5 and they filled up our largest baking pan)
1/4 cup water
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Saute ground chuck in olive oil until well browned but not dry. Sprinkle with salt during browning.
*At this point I drained the grease off, yet I made sure that I cooked the beef only until the pink was gone from the meat.*
Stir in the onions and rice. Cook until onions are just limp. Blend in dry salad dressing mix. Add tomato sauce and wine. Cook on low heat for 10 minutes, remove from heat.
Cut peppers into halves, scoop out seeds and large membranes. Place peppers cut side up in a large baking dish or pan. Spoon filling into peppers, heaping up well. Pour water into bottom of pan. Cover and bake 55 to 60 minutes. Remove cover; sprinkle with grated cheese and return to oven 5 to 10 minutes longer until cheese is melted.
Can be prepared the night before and refrigerated until ready to bake.
Serves 6.
Gensie
"A recipe is only a reflection of the person preparing it."~Adele Forbes