Not Yo' Momma's Stuffed Foods

Growing up in the Midwest, foods like stuffed bell peppers and cabbage rolls were very common. The fillings were basically the same for both - ground beef, rice, probably some tomatoes or tomato sauce, and maybe some cheese. The recipes might vary from cook to cook but the basics were usually the same.

And I'll admit, sometimes I crave those foods from my childhood - but I also enjoy trying new variations on these classics.

So when I found the recipe for seafood stuffed cabbage rolls I knew I had to try it. Instead of rice it called for orzo. The cabbage leaves were stuffed with chopped shrimp, orzo, and some seasonings. Simple  



My only complaint was that the flavor of the filling sort of faded in the cooking process. I sampled the filling prior to stuffing the cabbage leaves and it had a lovely, spicy kick to it. The wine/fish stock cooking liquid seemed to leech the flavor out. I was kinda disappointed by that. However, Brent thought they were great so I think I was just biased from tasting it beforehand. If I made it again I would maybe spice up the cooking liquid a bit more to balance out the flavors so less would be lost or simply add more of the spices to the filling. The texture of the filling was nice - the orzo didn't get mushy and the shrimp wasn't tough or overcooked  

The next recipe we tried was a twist on the classic stuffed bell peppers. The Smoky Stuffed Peppers


Brent's never been all that excited about stuffed peppers when I've made them in the past. He loved these. There was one leftover after dinner. I secretely hoped it would still be there in the morning, especially since Brent also isn't big on leftovers. It wasn't. It was gone with no evidence left that it ever even existed. He liked these that much.



I'm already thinking of other "stuffed" foods to try. You never know what twist might make an old classic, a new favorite.