Friday, August 8, 2014

Your pick of peppers.

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 The Gourmandise School  
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 Sweets and Savories
    

Your pick of peppers.
Forget funnel cake, fried candy bars and popcorn. Peppers are here, and we're loving them roasted, toasted, broiled, fried, on a stick, in a cone and on the grill. They're a full meal kind of food, especially when they're stuffed. Don't believe us? Visit Alex Weiser's stand next Wednesday, where he'll be roasting them in his barrel, along with the best okra this side of the South (except maybe the fried ones from the Ace hotel downtown). 

Before you fill your bag with mystery peppers, be sure to ask which are mild, spicy and shoot-t0-kill. Pasillas are on the hot side of mild and easy to stuff, smaller and thinner than Poblanos, but you can use either for this recipe. If you're going to use a larger pepper, double the filling ingredients, and no matter which pepper you go with, be sure to wash your hands before rubbing your eyes after scraping the insides. Please.

Hadley's inspiration this week came from a unique dinner party being thrown by Dinner Lab on the 14th. Their take on Mexican cuisine, an ode to the Michoacan region and supporting Mexico Unido, will be presented by 6 local chefs, from Jason Fullilove to Francisco Guzman. Book your tickets now- have you seen the menu!?

Fresh Corn-stuffed Pasilla Peppers
Serves 2 as a main dish or 4 as an appetizer 

1 tbsp olive oil
2 ears corn, grated, with juices 
1/2 yellow onion, diced 
1 carrot, grated 
1 cup spinach 
2oz (1/2 cup) Jack Cheese 
1/2 tsp salt. 

2 pasilla peppers
 
1 oz Queso Fresco 
2 tbsps cilantro
 
1. Heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and saute for 5 minutes until tender and translucent. 
2. Add corn with juices and cook down for 1 minute until liquid evaporates. 
3. Add carrot, spinach and jack cheese and cook until spinach is wilted. Remove from heat and season with salt. 
4. Cut a slit lengthwise on the top of each pepper. Gently scrape out the seeds from the inside the peppers and discard. Stuff each pepper generously with the mixture, careful not to tear the pepper.
 5. Cover peppers with foil, parchment or another cookie sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes at 350. Remove from oven and turn oven up to a broil. 
6. Sprinkle peppers with queso and broil for 2-3 minutes. Garnish with cilantro.

Wishing you a delicious day, 
Clémence and Hadley 

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