Hungarian Stuffed Red Bell Peppers

Ingredients

• •6 medium red bell peppers
• •2 tablespoons freshly rendered lard, or oil
• •3 cloves garlic, crushed
• •1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
• •1/2 cup chopped parsley
• •1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• •1 pound finely ground pork, veal or chicken
• •1 1/2 tablespoons Hungarian paprika
• •1 egg
• •Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• •2 cups paprika gravy

Directions

1. 1Cut off the very top part of the peppers. Chop the pepper tops finely, omitting the stems, and save for the filling. Seed and core the peppers; set aside.
2. 2Heat a large covered frying pan and add the lard or oil.
3. 3Sautee the garlic, onion and reserved chopped pepper tops until tender. Add the parsley and rice, and sauté for a few minutes. Add 1/2 cup of the chicken stock; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Allow to cool. In a large bowl combine the ground meat, paprika, egg, salt and pepper-rice mixture. Mix very well.
4. 4Fill the peppers just to the top, but don't pack too firmly because the rice will expand during cooking. Place the filled peppers in a Dutch oven and add the remaining 1 cup chicken stock to the bottom of the pot. Cover and simmer very gently for 45 minutes, keeping the temperature very low or the peppers will break. Move the peppers about the pot a few times during cooking to prevent sticking. Pour the paprika gravy over the peppers; cover and simmer for 20 more minutes.