Taste: Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Stuffing anything and covering it with cheese is not only easy but it's always GOOD. After going to the Grand Central Market in Downtown LA, which by the way is a must for any Foodzie out there, we found ourselves some fresh, big poblano peppers perfect for stuffing. You can really let your imagination go wild with stuffing ingredients, but we stuck to what we already had in the pantry and fridge: some rice, beans, cheese and onions. Covering the poblanos with cheese and topping it with the homemade roasted red pepper sauce was awesome.

FYI, this recipe was taken from Jenny's blog, Butter My Jammy, and since she wrote it up I will give her all the credit. As for the Roasted Red Pepper Sauce, you will find the recipe for that below. Enjoy!


Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Prep Time: 10 mins.
Cook Time: 20 mins.
Serves: 3

*Excerpted from J. Ahn (www.buttermyjammy.blogspot.com)

4 large poblano peppers
1/4 lb. cooked chicken, chopped (seasoned with salt & pepper, cumin and chili powder)
1 can of black beans, rinsed
1/2 an onion, diced
few cloves of garlic, minced
cilantro, chopped
Mexican blend cheese (cojita if you've got some)
S&P
extra virgin olive oil
fresh lime juice

Directions:

1) heat oven to 400 degrees. Combine EVOO, beans and garlic in a pot and begin to cook down on low heat. The beans should start to cook down a bit getting soft, feel free to mash it up a bit with a fork. Add in chicken, onions and cilantro and heat through for a few more minutes. Set aside
2) To prepare the peppers for stuffing, cut a cross down the belly of the pepper. Empty out seeds with your hands and give the peppers a rinse. Keep the stems on for presentation :)
3) Stuff the peppers with a small spoon with the bean/chicken mixture. Place in a casserole dish or on a cookie sheet lined with foil and bake for about 40 minutes. During the last 5-10 minutes of baking, top peppers with cheese.


Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

3 red peppers
1/2 white onion, diced
1 jalapeno
2 tbsp honey
salt and pepper
olive oil

Roast the red peppers and jalapeno until the outside is charred. Place in a plastic bag, seal and let sit for 5-10 minutes. Once cooled, peel the outside of the red peppers, cut in half and remove the seeds. Place the roasted red peppers, jalapeno, diced onion into the food processor and blend. While blending, add the honey, and olive oil to emulsify. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon the sauce over the poblanos and serve with Mexican rice. Enjoy with a glass of Spanish Rioja or, you guessed it, a glass of Guinness!

Taste: NY Strip Steak with Red Pepper Sauce and Mustard Greens

Ever since I got my food processor, I've been wanting to make sauces. This may be the only reason why I bought the food processor to begin with. Actually, no it's not. Anyways, I recently saw Bobby Flay make a red pepper sauce on one of his shows, so, I thought why not pair a spicy, red pepper sauce with a good steak as an alternative to the typical steak sauce and horseradish blend. I've also been a big advocate these days of keeping things simple when it comes to meat, so rather than doing my typical garlic crusted steak with steak seasoning, I went with liberal amounts of salt and pepper. Lastly, instead of grilling the steaks, I went with a less healthier, but certainly tastier cooking method - the good old cast iron skillet with some butter.


NY Strip Steak with Red Pepper Sauce and Mustard Greens

Prep Time: 10 mins.
Cook Time: 20 mins.
Serves: 3

3, 1/2 lb. NY Strip Steak
1/2 lb. mustard greens
3 tbsp butter
1 tbsp garlic, minced
2 tbsp shallot, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper


Bring the steaks to room temperature. Brush the steaks with the olive oil and season generously with salt and fresh cracked pepper. Heat the cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Once hot, place the steaks on the cast iron skillet. You definitely want to hear that roaring sizzle the second you place the steaks on the skillet. Cook for 4-5 minutes until blackened and then turn over and cook for another 4-5 minutes.

For the mustard greens, wash thoroughly and trim the ends. Heat a skillet and add 2 tbsp of olive oil. Once hot, add the shallots and garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the mustard greens and saute until cooked down. Season with salt and pepper.

For the last minute before the steaks are done, add the butter. While cooking, baste the steaks with the melted butter. When the steaks are done, let rest for 5 minutes.

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

3 red peppers
1/2 white onion, diced
1 jalapeno
2 tbsp honey
salt and pepper
olive oil

Roast the red peppers and jalapeno until the outside is charred. Place in a plastic bag, seal and let sit for 5-10 minutes. Once cooled, peel the outside of the red peppers, cut in half and remove the seeds. Place the roasted red peppers, jalapeno, diced onion into the food processor and blend. While blending, add the honey, and olive oil to emulsify. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Spoon the sauce onto the plate and place the steaks on top. Enjoy with a glass of red wine or Guinness!