Southwest-inspired stuffed peppers

Robert Gonzal
Robert Gonzal @robert
Vancouver BC

This dish took a long time to put together. Three days, in fact (really). A combination of factors (a.k.a. life) severely limited my kitchen-time and forced me to cook in spurts, with the meat filling finished one night, the sauce another, etc. As a side-effect of having an idea gestate for so long, the recipe morphed into something else. Originally, the plan was to make just a basic stuffed pepper. But while cooking the meat, I impulsively threw in the last of my homemade fajita spice, which steered the dish in a new direction. The next day while making the sauce, it dawned on me that I needed something different to suit, so I cribbed the enchilada sauce from cookieandkate.com (with a tiny modification). Finally, while putting everything together, I decided to run with the Southwest theme and topped the peppers with cheese as well as a crema-like sauce. Also, because I like to maximize the meat quotient of the stuffing, I left the rice out and instead made a quick pilaf for the peppers to sit on (for which I'll post a separate recipe, since this one's already huge). And so finally, after 3 days, the dish was done. Was it worth the wait? Oh, definitely yes.

Southwest-inspired stuffed peppers

This dish took a long time to put together. Three days, in fact (really). A combination of factors (a.k.a. life) severely limited my kitchen-time and forced me to cook in spurts, with the meat filling finished one night, the sauce another, etc. As a side-effect of having an idea gestate for so long, the recipe morphed into something else. Originally, the plan was to make just a basic stuffed pepper. But while cooking the meat, I impulsively threw in the last of my homemade fajita spice, which steered the dish in a new direction. The next day while making the sauce, it dawned on me that I needed something different to suit, so I cribbed the enchilada sauce from cookieandkate.com (with a tiny modification). Finally, while putting everything together, I decided to run with the Southwest theme and topped the peppers with cheese as well as a crema-like sauce. Also, because I like to maximize the meat quotient of the stuffing, I left the rice out and instead made a quick pilaf for the peppers to sit on (for which I'll post a separate recipe, since this one's already huge). And so finally, after 3 days, the dish was done. Was it worth the wait? Oh, definitely yes.

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Ingredients

1 hr 30 minutes
4 to 6 servings
  1. Meat stuffing
  2. 1large onion, chopped small
  3. 1large stick celery, chopped small
  4. 4 clovesgarlic, minced
  5. 3 tbsptomato paste
  6. 450 gground pork
  7. Fajita spice blend
  8. 1 1/2 tbspsmoked paprika
  9. 1 tbspkosher salt
  10. 1 tbspground black pepper
  11. 1 tbspgarlic powder
  12. 1/2 tbsponion powder
  13. 1/2 tbspcayenne powder
  14. 1/2 tbspground thyme
  15. 1/2 tbspground oregano
  16. 1/2 tbspground cumin
  17. 1/2 tbspchipotle powder
  18. Sauce
  19. 3 tbspAP flour
  20. 1 1/2 tbspchili powder
  21. 1 tspground cumin
  22. 1/2 tspgarlic powder
  23. 1/2 tspsmoked paprika
  24. 1/4 tspground oregano
  25. 1/4 tspsalt
  26. 2 tbsptomato paste
  27. 2 cupschicken stock
  28. 1 tspapple cider vinegar
  29. Crema
  30. 1/2 cupfull fat sour cream
  31. 1/2 cup+ heavy cream
  32. Juice from 1/2 lime
  33. Finishing
  34. 1-400 mlcan diced tomatoes (preferably fire-roasted)
  35. 6large, sweet bell peppers
  36. 2 cupsgrated cheese of your choice (I used cheddar and jack)

Cooking Instructions

1 hr 30 minutes
  1. 1

    Add a good splash of veg oil to a large pan on medium-high heat. Add the onions and fry them for 6 to 8 minutes until they're soft and lightly browned. Next add the celery and garlic and fry another 1 minute until fragrant. Stir in the tomato paste and fry another 2 or 3 minutes until the tomato paste dries out a little and darkens in colour. Sprinkle in 2 tbsp of the fajita spice blend. If needed, add a little extra oil to moisten the spice and help it bloom. Fry another 1 minute.

  2. 2

    Add the pork to the pan. Mix it in and break up the meat into smaller pieces, about the size of peas. Season with salt and several grinds of black pepper, and fry until the meat is fully cooked and nicely browned, about 10 minutes. Odds are the meat will give off a lot of liquid during this time, so use a spoon to remove it and allow the meat to keep frying. Once the filling's done, remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

  3. 3

    Heat 3 tbsp olive oil in a medium pot on medium heat. Combine the first 7 sauce ingredients together and add them to the pot. Stir them quickly into the oil, and don't worry if it clumps (it did on me). After about 1 minute, add the tomato paste. Try your best to work it into the spice, um...ball. Seriously, it'll be like you have a lump of playdough, so just do your best. Do this for about 2 or 3 minutes.

  4. 4

    Start adding the chicken stock to the pot, a little at a time. Use a whisk to stir the sauce as the spice ball melts. Once everything's incorporated, turn the heat down to low and simmer the sauce for about 7 or 8 minutes. Turn off the heat and stir in the cider vinegar. Check the seasoning, and add freshly cracked black pepper and additional salt to taste.

  5. 5

    In a bowl, whisk together the sour cream and heavy cream. Keep adding heavy cream until you reach a consistency like runny yogurt. Squeeze in the lime juice, then taste. Add more lime juice if you want it sharper. Cover the bowl and refrigerate until you're ready to serve.

  6. 6

    Put your pan of fried pork back on medium-high heat and add half of the sauce (save the rest of the sauce in the fridge for enchiladas etc.). Add the diced tomatoes and stir to combine. Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes. You actually want the filling to be a little dry, as the peppers will release more liquid during cooking and your stuffed peppers may end up a little wet (like mine did, oops).

  7. 7

    Trim about a 1 cm cap off the stem end of each pepper. Remove the stems and any clingy seeds, then chop the caps and add them to the meat filling. As for the rest of the peppers, scoop out the seeds and the stringy white piths. Put the peppers in a high-sided baking dish big enough for them to stand upright but not tip over. Fill the peppers with the meat mixture, then cover the baking dish with foil and put it in an oven preheated to 400 F. Bake for about 30 to 35 minutes.

  8. 8

    Pull the dish out of the oven and remove the foil. Sprinkle the grated cheese on top of the peppers, then pop them back in the oven, uncovered. Broil on high for 2 or 3 minutes, until the cheese has melted and turned bubbly delicious. Pull the dish out a final time and carefully remove the peppers. They'll be quite soft and may collapse if you hurry. To serve, cut the peppers in half and drizzle with the crema.

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Robert Gonzal
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Vancouver BC
Married dad of 1. Food fanatic. Chef's Table addict. The kitchen is my happy place.
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