In honor of opening day of lobster season 2013, I give you: Lobster Stuffed Peppers.

Team Dream Catcher loves lobsters, but lobster is pretty heavy and so every once in a while we branch out and try to do something with the lobster meat without the tail. To start, go out and shoot a lobster or five. Take said lobster and remove the tail by twisting it over on itself once. Next take your fillet knife and remove the meat from inside the tail by gently slicing along the interior perimeter. Discard the tail.

We now join your regularly scheduled recipe, already in progress…

Ingredients:

• 1 cup rice, long grain
• 4 yellow or red sweet peppers
• 1 onions, finely chopped
• 1 stalk celery
• 1 tbsp butter, unsalted
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 cups shredded lobster
• 3/4 tsp paprika
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• salt to taste
• 1 tbsp Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 tbsp Italian parsley

Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Cook the rice.
• Veggie Preparation: Cut top of the peppers, then remove the seeds; finely chop the onion; cut the celery into small pieces. Dice the garlic as well.
• Heat half of the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion then saute 3-4 min until lightly colored and soft, paying attention not to let it burn. Add the celery and sauté 2 more min, then remove the vegetables from the skillet and set aside.
• Add the remaining butter and oil to the skillet, then add the lobster meat. Sear about 3 minutes over medium-high heat until the meat looses its red color, with stirring. When the meat is golden-colored, put the cooked onion and celery back into the pan. Add paprika and cayenne pepper (if desired). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the cooked rice and mix well.
• Fill the peppers with the meat-rice mixture, dividing and slightly mounding it equally among the halves. Arrange the stuffed peppers in a baking dish. Sprinkle the grated cheese over the top of the stuffed peppers. To keep the environment moist during baking, pour just a little water in the bottom of the dish (between ½ and 1 cup, depending on the dish size).
• Bake the peppers, uncovered, in the middle of the oven until the tops are browned, about 30 min.
• Top with parsley, serve immediately.