Wednesday, September 15, 2010

Stuffed Cubanelle Peppers w Jalapeno Jack Cheese Stuffing



I can't figure out how to use twitter, does that make me a twit?  I signed up, and basically just stare at the screen.  Jason at Ancient Fire Wines was kind enough to offer me a couple of tips about hash & tagging, but I'm not quite sure what he was referring to, I try and stay away from illegal activities.  So please any of my brilliant friends that are twitmasters could you please leave me a comment with your best tip? Maybe then I could crack the DaVinci code that is twitter.

***Just having a little fun with you all! Jason and his lovely wife Margot have a beautiful blog, you should stop by and pay them a visit, click Ancient Fire Wines, his last post with apples trees covered in snow made me swoon!***

Remember all the beautiful peppers I showed you from the farm stand the other day, well I went back, I couldn't help myself.  I scored some wonderful aromatic cubanelles, or banana peppers as I knew them growing up.  I love how they are flavorful, mild, and make a perfect vehicle for stuffing.  I used my mom's favorite bell pepper stuffing and gave it a little more heat, sorry mom here I am messing with your recipes again.

They are getting their suntan on, oblivious to what is going to happen next:


Ingredients:
8-10 cubanelle peppers
1 medium red bell pepper, diced
1 tbsp. canola oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. ground beef
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 cup long grain white rice
2 cups tomato puree (I had some fresh puree, but canned will work fine)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3/4 cup jalapeno jack cheese, shredded
1 - 1qt. jar marinara sauce 

First:  Cut tops off all cubanelles and pull out seeds, very easy to do since they are right on top, wash and set aside.


Next:  Chop onion, red bell pepper and garlic, set aside.


Here is a tip for you:  To peel garlic, all you have to do is lay your knife on top of the garlic and give it a whack with your fist, make sure and land on the backside, not the blade side.  I like this way for speed, but I also love a garlic press too and you don't have to worry.


Next:  Heat a skillet on medium heat, add oil, onion and bell pepper, cook for 5 minutes, till vegetables are starting to soften and get a little color, add garlic, cook for 3-4 minutes longer.  Add ground beef and cook till browned, drain off any excess fat.  Add rice to skillet, salt and pepper, cook for 1-2 minutes, add tomato puree and water, bring to a boil.  When boiling, turn heat down to simmer, cover and cook for 20 minutes.

Once skillet is off heat add Parmesan cheese and jalapeno jack cheese, stir to combine.  Stuff peppers as full as possible, with a spoon.

Remember how I said I was working on the measuring for you, I grated the cheese and guessed 1/2 a cup, till I tried to stuff it in the measuring cup, so I'm calling it 3/4 of a cup instead.  Cheese is so good, is measuring it really necessary, is there such a thing as too much?


Next:  In a heat proof casserole dish add jar of sauce and lay stuffed peppers on top.  Cover with foil and bake in 350 degree oven for 40-45 minutes.

If you are afraid of the jalapeno jack cheese being too spicy, you can substitute regular Monterey jack and it will taste great too.  I definitely didn't think these were too spicy, and the sweetness of the marinara helps balance it.  Matter of fact these were so good, I could eat them again, right about now!

Enjoy,

Gina

20 comments:

  1. I just had stuffed peppers last night! I love that you used Jalapeno Jack, I will have to try that next time I make them!

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  2. whoa..that looks mouthwatering!
    p.s Gina, I think the brisket could be used if you couldn't find the pork trotters.

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  3. Gina,

    That is too funny, and thanks for the shout out. The applesauce post came together in one of those weird fugue type moments and I was surprised at the visuals when I was done. Couldn't have planned it nearly that well.

    I thought the same thing when I was first using Twitter, what is all this stuff people are talking about? I am still figuring out the best way to use it.

    And you had me at Cubanelles with cheese. We eat just those two things together in the summer. Love it!!!

    Jason

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  4. Wow! These look just delicious! I love stuffing eggplants and peppers, so this will make its way into my rotation for sure. I'm terrible at Twitter too. I try to update, but I don't really get it, and I'm not sure that anyone reads what I write.

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  5. Mmm....spicy on spicy action! That looks great.

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  6. When I was young my mom would always make my dad stuffed peppers and I thought it was just plain "yucky". Now that I've grown up, my taste buds have matured, and your post actually made my mouth water! I'm not familiar with these peppers, but I know my local Farmer's Market has stands and stands of all sorts of peppers for me to play with. Nicely done!!

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  7. I am so used to stuffing bell peppers. I can't wait to try this.

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  8. Gina, great dish! I love the southwest twist with the jack cheese and the cubanelle peppers, it sounds awesome!

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  9. Yum! Stuffed peppers are my favorite but I've never had them with a southwest flare! I'd love to try these out.. And I'm with you on the twitter scene.. I'm slowly but surely finding my way around the site and what really to do with everything! ha let me know what you find :)

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  10. Thanks Angie!
    Jason it was the least I could do after seeing that lovely post!
    Kim, I didn't like them when I was little either!
    Thanks everyone you've made my day!

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  11. They look delicious. We also stuff tomatoes and peppers in Greece and call them "Gemista" which means stuffed.

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  12. These look great! Can't wait to give them a try- thanks for sharing!!

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  13. Great pictures, Gina, for a great recipe. My husband will love these. This recipe is a keeper for sure!

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  14. Cubanelles are so good, specially for stuffing. I actually made some stuffed with cheese like you last night :) I will have to try your recipe next time they look really good.

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  15. I can't get enough of peppers lately. I, too, have been picking some up at the farmer's market weekly. This dish looks perfect!

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  16. Wow this dish looks so good. And I was LOL about the "twit" haha. I hope you figure it out. (=

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  17. Those do look good :) Afraid I am not so good with twitter either...

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  18. Sorry, I didn't get any farther than staring at the first page for joining up and didn't even do that. I'm just not sure I want to get into that when I can hardly keep up with everything else in my life right now.

    Anyhow, your stuffed peppers look gorgeous. I wish I'd seen this before I pickled mine. :)

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