We had some leftover venison from our Swiss Shepherd’s Pie dinner, and we had some excess cauliflower from when we made Buffalo Chicken Casserole, so we decided to combine the two ingredients and make something different! In this case, we decided to cook them together as the filling in a roasted stuffed bell pepper dish. Once that was decided, we had to pick a sauce. We quite enjoy braising peppers like this in marinara sauce, but we wanted to try something a little different to complement the natural gaminess of the venison. So, we decided to use a creamy base for the sauce to help smooth the flavours and a black peppercorn component to play off some of the herbal notes of the venison.
We served our peppers over a bed of quinoa, but they would also go well with a side salad or roasted veggies….or just served on their own (especially if you use rice instead of cauliflower rice).
Time: 45 Minutes
Ingredients:
- Ground Venison
- Bell Peppers (colour of your choice)
- Cauliflower or Rice
- Onion
- Worcestershire Sauce
- For the Black Pepper Cream Sauce:
- Black Peppercorns (whole or cracked). We mashed some whole ones in a mortar and pestle.
- Cream or Half and Half
- 1/2 Tablespoon of Butter
- 1/2 Tablespoon of Flour
Method:
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F, cover a baking sheet with some foil, and give it a quick oil spray.
- Cut and rice your cauliflower. We used the shredding attachment of our food processor, but a box grater works too…or skip the work, and buy pre-riced cauliflower (frozen or fresh).
- Dice your onion and/or any surplus peppers that you have that you don’t plan to stuff, and start to sautee them in a heavy bottomed pan. A few minutes before they start to caramelize, add your ground venison (or beef/turkey/pork).
- A few minutes after, when your meat starts to brown, add in your cauliflower rice, a heavy pour of Worcestershire sauce, and any other seasonings you like.
- While your meat and veggies cook, wash and cut your peppers in half…then scoop out the innards, and remove the stems. Place the peppers on your oiled baking sheet for stuffing.
- When your veggies and meat are cooked, carefully, spoon the mixture into your peppers, and pack it in good. Then, cover everything with foil to form an encapsulated dome around the peppers, and put in the oven for about 30 minutes.
- Remove your peppers from the oven, and leave the foil dome on when you turn your attention to the sauce (otherwise, they will be scorching hot when you try to eat them):
- Melt some butter in a sauce pan. Then, when it’s hot, add in your cracked peppercorns, and let cook for about 30 seconds.
- Stir in your flour, and let cook for another 30 seconds or so.
- Whisk in your cream or half and half, and let everything simmer for a few minutes until it has thickened to your liking.
- Remove the foil cover from your peppers pan, plate, devour, and enjoy!
