Welcome to Eat the Farm

Each month starting in June we will showcase a local restaurant or farm or inn from the Mid-coast and how they use farmers’ markets to bring to you the freshest produce and food available.

We start with Mothers Day

My Mother, Grace is the best chef I’ve ever known. If that were her only title it would be impressive enough, but she was and continues to be so much more. She is a wife, mother a grandmother, she has been the activities director, referee, therapist, monster under the bed hunter and battlefield / playground surgeon. To remind her of this gets her simple yet elegant response…
I’m a mother.

She was born in Italy. In the Puglia region. Which of course doesn’t hurt when it comes to great cooking. Everything my sister and I ever ate was made fresh. We always had a garden with tomatoes and squash, and peppers and eggplant to name a few. More than that, we had her and her love of good fresh food.

She taught us how to eat, and how to cook with love. She taught us how to live.

One particular favorite for both my sister and I was Stuffed Peppers.
So without any further gilding the lily, here are my mom’s Stuffed Peppers:

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Stuffed Peppers (Makes 6)

INGREDIENTS: Almost all ingredients available from a Farmers’ Market

6 med. Red, yellow or orange bell peppers (Not Green, Never green)
1 whole Garlic (crushed)
3/4 cup Parsley chopped
7 lrg Eggs (I used organic from The Vegetable Shed in Lincolnville)
Olive Oil Best to use Extra Virgin first cold pressed.
1 can Whole tomatoes. Any will work. I used the Imported from Cento.
5 cups Breadcrumbs
1/4 cup Grated cheese. Either Reggiano Parmigiano, Pecorino Romano, Grana Padano or something a bit more exotic. I used Fiore Sardo di Sardinia. (An hard sheepsmilk cheese with ancient origins that predate the Roman conquest of Sardinia roughly 238-B.C.).
It’s available at Sage in Rockland and Camden.

METHOD:

Preheat oven to 400º

Wash and clean peppers. place upside down to drain. Keeping the tops intact.

In a baking pan one can of tomatoes crushed and Add oil and garlic pieces, Pepper and Parsley. Salt. Juice glass of water and a tablespoon of cheese mix it all. Add peppers.

STUFFING:

Beat eggs add oil and pepper , parsley and beat. Add about 5 handfuls of bread crumbs and 4 tablespoons of cheese to get thick. If necessary add more cheese.

Add to peppers one spoon at a time. Fill peppers add tomato and drop of oil and garlic, parsley and pepper and sprinkle cheese.

Cover peppers with their own tops.

Lower heat to 375-350
Cooking time varies by oven, usually 1-1:30 hrs. However when the tops start to burn, it’s ready. If all goes ok, it should look like the image below.

Enjoy, and Thanks Mom.