Bell Pepper Season!

One of the great things about August is that it's the in-between growing point where pretty much everything is in season. You can still get the tail end of July strawberries and corn and on top of it blueberries and bell peppers are coming in full swing. So my farmer's Saturday morning deliveries are now including the season's first baby bell peppers in a multitude of colours.

Peppers are very versatile and there's a multitude of ways to cook them. You can also preserve them, which is awesome. One of my favourite ways is to stuff them. There are a few ways you can do this. More traditionally they can be stuffed with a mixture of rice, meat, onions, garlic and whatever else you like and then stewed in a broth. If you're like me and like a crispier pepper that can stand on your plate, pre-cook your stuffings and roast them.

BRAD'S BISON-STUFFED PEPPERS

8-10 mini or 4-5 large local bell peppers (variety, but whatever you like); 1 lb free-range bison meat (or any rich ground meat like beef or venison); one yellow onion chopped; 7-8 cloves local garlic finely chopped; Kosher salt and fresh pepper; extra-virgin olive oil; 2 tbsp smoked paprika; 2 large handfulls of a variety of local mushrooms (whatever you can find); Parmesan to garnish.

Cut the bell peppers in half, seed and arrange on a baking sheet brushed lightly with olive oil. Preheat oven to 400. In a cast iron or steel skillet, sauté onions in olive oil until translucent, then add meat. Break down and sauté. Season generously. Add smoked paprika. When meat is about 2 minutes from done add garlic and mushrooms. Stuff peppers generously and bake for about 20 minutes. Garnish with fresh Parmesan to taste. This pairs amazingly with a rich sweet red like Syrah.

If you find small enough peppers they make for great finger foods too!