Give me a piece of red meat and I'll rub that sucker with loads of black pepper, garlic and a little kosher salt, and then I'll build a charcoal fire so big it will create its own microclimate. Next, I'll roast the meat until the red inside just starts turning pink, and then I'll wolf it down with a big, purple wine that will make your lips pucker and your heart sing!

Still, I do enjoy my veggies, particularly the ones from our own farmer's market in Charleston. For the next few weeks, we'll choose from a cornucopia of the region's most wonderful assortment of vegetables.

I am a fan of peppers! Green ones, red ones and especially hot ones. I have prepared peppers in more ways than the normal person can fathom. I roast them, stuff them, fry them, freeze them, can them and, above all, I consume them almost daily. One of my favorite ways to prepare red, sweet peppers combines stuffing, roasting and grilling.

I am sharing a recipe for a special summertime meal combining the best ingredients from my favorite food groups: red meat, vegetables and pasta. This recipe is for two people, so you can increase it depending upon the number you're serving.

A meaty note: I get most of my meat from Sandy Creek Farms in Ravenswood or Johnnies Fresh Meats at the Capitol Market. Sandy Creek Farms raises its own beef and pork, using only natural feeds such as corn, soybean meal, molasses and oats. It's about as organic as it gets and it is also terrific tasting. They deliver to Charleston once a week right to your door and you can contact them at (800) 487-2569 or wherestheb...@sandy

creekfarms.com.

Preparing the meat

Use a 1 1/2-inch ribeye steak. Put a few drops of olive oil on each side of the meat and then rub both sides with a mixture of 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt and minced garlic and 1 teaspoon of coarsely ground black pepper. Set aside for about 1 hour.

Cut 2 sweet red bell peppers lengthwise in half. Remove seeds and stems, rub inside and out with extra-virgin olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Place peppers on a roasting pan and cook in the oven at 350° for about 25 minutes until soft but still firm and set aside.

Preparing the pasta

Boil 1/2 pound of orzo (little pasta that looks like rice) in a combination of 1 quart water and 1 quart chicken broth, stirring constantly until the orzo absorbs the liquid and is al dente.

Add salt and pepper to taste and 1 cup of grated pecorino Romano cheese to the orzo. Spoon the orzo mixture into each of the roasted pepper halves and top each with a piece of provolone cheese.

The finish

Prepare your charcoal or gas grill and when ready, grill the steak and place the orzo-stuffed peppers on the grill, but not over the fire. When the meat is cooked to your satisfaction, let it rest for about 10 minutes and then cut it into 1/4-inch slices and plate it with the roasted and stuffed red peppers.

The wine

You'll have many choices to match with this meal, but let me suggest these two lovelies: 2004 Montevina Terre d'Oro Amador County Zinfandel ($22) and/or the 2005 Le Gagie Barbera D'Asti ($23). Both of these wines would make delicious accompaniments to this meal.

Enjoy!

For more on the art and craft of wine, visit John Brown's WineBoy blog at thegazz.com.