Cheesy Stuffed Poblano Peppers

I had an abundance of Poblano peppers this summer.  Most of them were fire-roasted and made into salsa.  I like chiles rellenos, but they seem more like an appetizer than an entree.  I was talking to a friend at work about it one night and she told me her mom stuffs the peppers with potatoes and ground meat.  Sounded like an entree to me!  This is what came out.

Here's what you'll need:
6 large poblano peppers
1 TBSP olive oil (or bacon grease)
1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 c onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 potatoes, peeled & cut into small dice
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 tsp Ancho chile powder
2 c shredded cheddar or cheddar-jack cheese

Lightly roast the peppers over a burner or grill, just until a little charred.  Remove from heat.

Use a sharp knife to cut off the stem end and remove the seeds from each pepper.  Set aside.

Preheat oven to 350.

Heat the oil in a medium skillet.  Add the ground meat and the onion.  Cook until the meat is browned and the onion softens.

Add the garlic, potatoes and seasonings.  Cook 3-5 minutes or until the potatoes begin to soften.
Remove from the heat and cool slightly.  Stir in the cheese.  Spread a shallow layer of the meat mixture in the bottom of the baking dish.  Use the remaining meat mixture to fill the peppers. Arrange the peppers in the dish.  Lay the remaining tops around the peppers.

Bake at 350 for 30-35 minutes, until the peppers are fork-tender and the potatoes are thoroughly cooked.  Serve with sour cream.

Enjoy!

Posole-inspired Stewed Chicken

The hubby and I have made several trips to Mexico, where we discovered some very tasty food.  I like to recreate many of the things we've eaten, and have never met a recipe I can't make, tho I often alter them to suit my family's tastes.

Posole is typically a chicken soup made with tomatillos, green chiles and hominy.  My husband's not a fan of hominy, so I substituted sweet corn I got at the farmer's market.  I also wanted it to be less of a soup and more like a thick sauce over the meat.  The result is thick, sweet and a bit spicy.

Here's what you'll need:
1 chicken, cut into 8 or 1 1/2 lbs chicken breasts
salt & pepper
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 lb tomatillos, quartered
4 poblano peppers, stems removed & cut in half
1 jalapeno, stem removed
1 bunch green onions, white and light green parts only
4 cloves garlic
1 bunch cilantro
1 - 1 1/2 c water or chicken stock
juice of 2 limes
1 tsp salt
2 ears sweet corn

Preheat oven to 400.

Arrange the tomatillos, peppers, onions and garlic on a baking sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake until the tomatillos break down, about 20 minutes.

Using a gas burner or grill, char the 2 ears of corn.

Turn when they show color, until evenly charred.  Remove from heat.

When cool enough to handle, slice the kernels from the ears with a sharp knife.  Set aside.

Heat about 1 TBSP olive oil in a large skillet.  Sprinkle the chicken with salt, pepper and cumin.  Quickly sear them in the skillet, about 1 minute on each side.  Remove from the heat.

When the vegetables are done transfer them to a blender or food processor.  Add the cilantro and 1 c water.

Pulse until the mixture is smooth, adding enough remaining water to make a sauce.  Stir in the lime juice and salt.

Pour the sauce over the chicken in the skillet.

Bring to a boil; reduce to a simmer.  Cover and let cook about an hour, until the sauce thickens and reduces.

Stir in the corn kernels.

Bring back to a boil.  Cook 1-2 minutes, until the corn is warmed through.

Serve with steamed rice or warmed tortillas.

Enjoy!

Salsa Verde

My salsa garden has been exploding this year!  I've been making all sorts of red tomato-based salsas, and they're all delicious.  But sometimes I like a change, and salsa Verde is the just  the thing.  I found some gorgeous poblano peppers at the local farm market this morning, so it was the perfect day for this.  It doesn't get much fresher than this.

Here's what you'll need:
2 lbs tomatillos, husk removed, quartered
3 qt poblano peppers (about 20)
5 jalapeno peppers
1 onion, roughly chopped
6-8 cloves garlic
olive oil
salt & pepper
1 LARGE bunch cilantro
1 can vegetable broth
juice of 5 limes
1 TBSP salt

Preheat oven to 400.
Arrange the cut tomatillos on a sheet pan.  Lightly drizzle with oil; sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Arrange the peppers, onion and garlic on another sheet tray.  Drizzle with olive oil' sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Bake the tomatillos until they are soft and begin to break down, about 20 minutes.

Roast the peppers until they are charred and soft.  Remove some of the charred skin and the seeds from the peppers.

Transfer the tomatillos to a blender.  Pulse until mostly smooth, adding lime juice as needed.

Repeat the blending process with the peppers, onion, garlic and cilantro adding vegetable stock, as needed, to process the peppers.

Pour all the blended into a large pot.  Stir in the salt.

 Bring to a boil over medium heat.  Reduce to a simmer and cook 5 minutes.

At this point, I used a hot water process to can my salsa.  It's also ready to eat, as is, or it freezes well in zip top bags.  Makes about 10 cups.

Enjoy!

Fresh Salsa-- Peach Poblano, to be specific

This being August, we're in the height of tomato season.  Whether you grow your own or get them from a local farm-stand, it's incredibly easy to turn them into a delicious fresh salsa in no time.  My family eats salsa like it's going out of style, so I can major amounts every year and am pretty much out by the following August.

This recipe is for Peach Poblano salsa, but you can substitute other tomatoes and peppers and omit the peaches to make your own version, to fit your tastes.  I used orange/yellow tomatoes in this recipe both for their low-acid and how their color matched the peaches.

Here's the ingredients:
6 c tomatoes, chopped and seeds removed
2 lg peaches, skinned and chopped
1 purple onion, chopped
1 TBLS chopped garlic
2 poblano peppers, chopped
1 small bunch cilantro, chopped
juice of 2 limes
1 TBLS vinegar
1 tsp salt

When you cut a tomato, always use a serrated (toothed) knife.  The skin of the tomato repels most knives, and the flesh ends up bruised and mushy one you actually get the knife to cut through.  The teeth of the serrated knife allow it to glide through the skin while preserving the flesh.

To prevent your salsa from being too thin, you want to remove the seeds from the tomatoes.  There are two methods for doing this.  One is to cut the tomato in half, then simply squeeze it.  The seeds will come right out.  This method also yields a mushy flesh. The second is to cut the tomato in slices, then using a knife to cut around the seed pockets.  I like this one better, and it also allows for a more even cutting of the flesh.

When your chopping the tomatoes, peppers, onions and peaches, it's important to cut them all as close to the same size as possible.  The makes for a prettier salsa, and makes it easier to get a little bit of everything in each bite.

Ok, combine all your ingredients in a large bowl.  Allow to sit about 30 minutes so the flavors can blend.  The longer it has to get acquainted, the tastier it is!  Stored in an air-tight container, this salsa will stay fresh for up to a week.  Enjoy!