With the influence on Cuban food that Spain and the rest of S. America has had, it should be no surprise that the Cuban stuffed pepper is up there as one of the best and most popular of main course dishes. To prepare your stuffed pepper you need to preheat your oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit. You then get yourself a pot in which you put two cups of water, some salt and the bay leaf. Leave this boil. Once you have this boiling, add your rice and cover the pot to reduce heat. Let this simmer for quarter of an hour and when the rice is hardly cooked put is to once side. Get a sauté pan and melt some butter with oil over a medium heat. Add onions and garlic to this and cook for 4 minutes. Put your tomatoes in the mixing bowl and add this to the sauté pan. Let any excess water strain away from the rice and add the tomato mixture. Brown a sausage over medium heat and mix the sausage into the tomato and rice. Put your peppers in a shallow baking dish and fill this with stuffing mixture. Mix in the remainder of your tomato paste and water. Pour this all around the outside of your peppers. Leave the contents to bake for three-quarters of an hour.
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