Lamb Stuffed Peppers

I wanted something to do with ground lamb... not burgers, not meatloaf... something that felt more like warm-weather food. I think we hit 90 today, so meatloaf just isn't... it isn't right.

That said, the stuffed peppers take a whole hour in the oven, so really not that different from meatloaf. But, the recipe I found called them "tropical" and, well... I admit to being easily swayed. Stick an umbrella in something and I instantly must have it. I know me.

I love it when a meal comes together... when the things in the fridge magically match the mood and the recipes that I accidentally trip over online. Because that's what it is... accident. Well, perhaps serendipity. I am not a skilled googler, and especially when trawling through the thousands and thousands of possibilities netted from "ground lamb recipe." Very vague. Tonight it worked. I had a couple of red bell peppers languishing in the crisper (snatched up several at 79-cents per pound, and I never bother with green peppers... they aren't ripe and are nutritionally-devoid.) I had the lamb. I happened to have a pint of leftover crushed tomatoes. I saw the word "tropical." It was perfect.

Ingredients:
1 pound ground lamb
2 red bell peppers (mine were huge, you'll want more if they're small)
3 tablespoons butter/bacon fat
1/2 onion, minced
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cilantro
1/2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Cut off the tops of the peppers and scoop out the seeds. (I cut mine lengthwise because they were really long and skinny.)
Heat the butter/bacon fat and brown the onion the onion lightly. Add the lamb, garlic, and all the rest. Simmer 5-8 minutes, until the lamb is pretty-much cooked.
Fill the peppers with the lamb mixture and put in a baking dish. You want a bit of space around them, for the sauce. Pour the sauce in, and if you have a bit extra like I did, put some on top of the peppers. Why not? Looks pretty.
Bake for about an hour, until the peppers are soft. Check on them every now and then, to make sure they aren't drying out.

The sauce: (I totally made this up, so it's vague)
about 1/4 onion, finely chopped and browned in ghee (or butter, oil, whatever)
2 cloves garlic, pressed
1 knob (inch or so) ginger, grated (works fab to use frozen, peeled ginger on a microplane grater)
About 2 cups crushed/diced tomatoes
Salt and paprika, to taste

Combine. Simmer a bit to meld flavors.

It ended up being a lot less spicy than I expected, but I used yellow curry powder instead of red. I highly suggest kicking it up a notch or two, with garlic Tabasco or whatever spicy goodness you prefer.