Baby boomers will remember when mom sent you to the neighborhood grocery to get three pounds of hamburger for $1.00. Remember when hamburgers were 19¢ at the drive-in with the cute car-hops. Every family in America seemed to exist on hamburger in those days. The power company sent hamburger recipes with the monthly bill, every magazine had hamburger recipes, and little booklets were published, appropriately entitled 101 Ways to Cook Hamburger.
Everyone had their own recipes for Mom’s Meatloaf, goulash, stuffed peppers, spaghetti and meatballs, chili, and SOS…you know, hamburger in white sauce on toast. We weren’t concerned about fats and cholesterol in those days and heaven knows why we didn’t drop dead from thawing hamburger in the sink all night. If you lived in a Latin community you probably grew up on, and still eat, tacos, burritos, tostadas, and tamale pie made with hamburger.
Certainly, we have evolved, demanding 80% lean ground beef, ultra sanitary practices in the butcher shop, humane treatment of cows, and only thawing meat in the refrigerator. The dishes have evolved also, so hungry are we for new recipes that there are contests for the best burger, the best chili recipe, the best meatloaf recipe… with insane amounts of money paid to the winners. The latest rendition of old favorites boils down to additives, not the chemical kind, but the herbs, spices, condiments, weird veggies, and cooking methods.
This recipe is a stew with all the ingredients of stuffed peppers in beef stock. It’s simple to make, hearty enough for supper, and easy on the pocketbook. If you like bell peppers you’ll love this recipe.
Hamburger Pepper Soup
Ingredients:
- 1 lb hamburger meat
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 2 large green bell peppers, seeded and chopped
- 1 mild green chili pepper, seeded and chopped fine
- Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
- 2cans (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with juice
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 1/3 cup white rice
- 1 1/4 cups beef stock
- ¼ cup dry red wine
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- 1 cup grated cheddar cheese for garnish
Method
- In a large stock pot, brown beef thoroughly
- Add onions and peppers, cook until tender, about 7 minutes
- Add salt and pepper to taste
- Add tomatoes and bring to a boil. Stir tomato paste into ¼ cup beef stock and stir into stew
- Add rice, and beef stock, return to boil.
- Simmer for 40 minutes and add thyme the last 10 minutes of cooking
- Ladle into bowls and top with cheddar cheese
