I’ve been buying up pepper varieties every week for awhile now, and in addition to enjoying sweet peppers raw in salads; I’ve been on a “stuffed pepper binge”. It’s fun changing up the flavor profiles from classic Americana, Chinese, Italian and my current favorite – this New Mexico riff.
At late summer all types of peppers are at their peak. Sweet bell peppers in rainbow hues are joined by poblano, Anaheim, Padrón peppers, and their fiery cousins too numerous to name. No surprise they are prolific at our markets, as they are a plant native to the Americas.
Peppers also enjoy sitting at the intersection of Tasty Lane and Healthy Avenue. In addition to having an herbaceous, earthy flavor; they are chock full of vitamins, especially Vitamin C, as well as minerals and fiber. The active chemical in peppers, capsaicin, is used for an array medical uses.
Botanically speaking peppers, technically capsicum, are a fruit in the nightshade family. It’s capsaicin that provides their spicy heat. The majority of capsaicin is found in the pith surrounding the seeds, followed by the internal membranes of the pepper. Contrary to what some may believe, the seeds actually contain very little if any of the chemical.
A well-chosen poblano is dark green, firm, glossy and blemish-free. It should feel heavy for its size, indicating a thick-walled pepper with plenty of flesh to stand up to the stuffing and baking for this dish.
A few preparation tips:
- Select poblano peppers that are fairly round and full. These will be easier to stuff, and with more filling!
- Even though poblano peppers are considered “mild”, Mother Nature can throw a curveball and turn up the heat on them occasionally. Wear rubber gloves when handling cut hot peppers to avoid discomfort on your skin from handling them. If you are preparing them without some protection, your skin will tingle and burn where it came into contact with pepper’s internal bits. Be sure to avoid touching your face or your eyes while working with hot peppers.
- If food-handling gloves are not available, smear some olive oil on the fingers that are handling the peppers. Capsaicin is fat soluble, so the oil will help break it down. Avoid oiling your knife-wielding hand to avoid it slipping out of your grasp! Please!
- To maximize the amount of meat in each pepper, begin stuffing the meat mixture firmly into the stem end before filling the body of the pepper. Stuff as fully as you’d like, taking care not to tear the pepper when handling and stuffing.
Pork Stuffed Poblano Peppers – A Taste of the Southwest
- 3 or 4 medium-sized poblano peppers
- 1/ 2 cup celery, finely chopped
- 1/ 2 cup yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1/ 2 cup tomato, finely chopped
- 2 large cloves garlic, minced
- 2 teaspoons dried Mexican oregano leaves, crushed slightly
- 1-1/ 2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/ 2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/ 2 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground
- 1/ 2 – 1 teaspoon ground green chile powder, to taste. Substitute ancho chile powder (dried poblano).
- 1 large egg, lightly beaten
- 1/ 2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, finely chopped; plus 1 tablespoon for garnish
- 1 pound ground pork
INSTRUCTIONS
Cut poblano peppers in half lengthwise and carefully remove the stems, seeds and interior membrane from each half. Set aside.
Combine the celery, onion, tomato, garlic, Mexican oregano, cumin, salt and black pepper in a large mixing bowl. Include the chile powder if using. Stir to mix thoroughly.
Add the ground pork to the mixed ingredients, and mix gently to evenly distribute the meat and vegetables. Stir in the beaten egg and cilantro; continue mixing altogether until ingredients are well combined. Divide into portions and pat a portion into each pepper half.
Adjust oven rack to the bottom third of the oven. Preheat the oven to 425˚; if you have a convection-roast setting all the better. Bake at 425˚ for 10 minutes, and then reduce the temperature to 350˚ for the remaining cooking time; approximately 25-35 minutes more, or until an instant-read, food thermometer registers 160 degrees when inserted midway into the pork filling. Baking time will vary based upon the amount of pork and the shape of the fully stuffed pepper.
Optional: if after baking to temperature the meat is not nicely browned, reset the oven to broil and give it another 5 minutes or so until desired browning is reached. CAUTION: Do no put a glass baking dish under the broiler, such as Pyrex, which could shatter under the intense heat of the broiler. Only broil if the peppers are in a ceramic or metal container that is broiler and flame proof.
