Sausage-stuffed Red Peppers

Use any kind of sausage meat you like, such as spicy or sweet Italian sausage or a roll of breakfast sausage. If you’re using sausage in a casing, squeeze it out of the casings and discard the casings. Makes 6 servings.

1     pound uncooked sausage meat

1     cup cooked rice

¼    cup Parmesan

1     egg, beaten

1 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)

3     large red bell peppers

?  Preheat a gas grill with the lid down for 10 minutes over medium heat or prepare a medium charcoal fire.

?  Fry the sausage in a skillet until it’s no longer pink. Turn it out into a medium bowl and let it cool slightly. Mix in the rice, Parmesan, egg and smoked paprika, if using.

?  Halve the peppers from the stem down to the bottom and clean out the interior of seeds and membrane, discard the stem. Spoon the sausage mixture into the pepper halves, pressing it down firmly.

?  Put the peppers directly on the grill rack, filling side up, and cook, lid down, for 10 minutes, until the peppers soften.

?  Flip the peppers so they are meat side down, and not over a direct flame. At this point, the sausage filing will have firmed up so that it will stay intact inside the pepper. Cook for another 10 minutes or so, until the meat is cooked through and the peppers are soft. Serve hot or at room temperature.