Stuffed Peppers (Beef, Lamb, Pork, Veal, or Ham)

Recipe No. 326 from the U.S. Army’s WWII cookbook — Meat. Quantities are exactly as printed, for 100 servings; a scaled-down 8-serving version is in the notes.

Ingredients

• Peppers, green, large — 100 peppers
• Salt — as needed
• Water, boiling — as needed
• Bread crumbs* — 8 pounds (8 No. 56 dippers)
• Onions, chopped — 2½ pounds (2½ No. 56 dippers)
• Salt — 2 ounces (4 mess kit spoons)
• Pepper — ¼ ounce (1 mess kit spoon)
• Meat, cooked, finely chopped — 18 pounds
• Meat stock** — 2 quarts (2 No. 56 dippers)

Directions

1. Wash peppers and cut in halves. Remove seeds and tough white portions.
2. Cover with boiling salted water. Heat to boiling point; reduce heat and simmer 3 to 5 minutes.
3. Mix bread crumbs, onions, salt, and pepper together.
4. Add chopped meat; moisten with meat stock. Fill halves of peppers with mixture.
5. Place in baking pans. Bake in moderate oven (350° F.) 20 to 30 minutes.

Notes

SCALED TO 8 SERVINGS (the original is ÷12.5): Peppers, green, large — 8 peppers Salt — to taste Water, boiling — to taste Bread crumbs — 10¼ oz Onions, chopped — 3¼ oz Salt — about 1 tsp Pepper — a pinch Meat, cooked, finely chopped — 1 lb 7 oz Meat stock — 10¼ tbsp

Rice, 4 pounds uncooked, may be used instead of bread crumbs. Add rice to 4 gallons (16 No. 56 dippers) rapidly boiling salted water. Use 4 ounces salt. Boil 15 to 20 minutes or until rice is tender. Drain well. The amount of meat stock needed to make the mixture pack will depend upon the dryness of the bread. Use only enough to moisten the bread.

— TM 10-412, Army Recipes (War Department, 15 August 1944), recipe No. 326, Meat. Army measures: 1 No. 56 dipper = 1 qt; 1 No. 55 dipper = 1¾ qt; 1 mess kit cup = 1½ pints.