Spanish Style Stuffed Red Peppers

We've probably all grown up eating meat and rice stuffed green  peppers, often accompanied with a tomato based sauce. I'm a big fan of different types of stuffed peppers (eg. Southwest Stuffed Poblanos) and I like coming up with new recipes out of the blue. The end result is the following recipe. I had an excess of red peppers at home, and with some chorico sausage and Mexican cheese in the fridge, I created Spanish style stuffed, roasted red peppers.  Here's is how I make them.

Spanish Style Stuffed Roasted Red Peppers
Cook 6 servings of white, long grain rice according to package directions. For extra flavor, use half water and half chicken stock for the cooking liquid. While the rice cooks, prepare the peppers and the remaining stuffing ingredients.

Preheat oven to broil (or grill over a flame). Wash 6 large red bell peppers. Place on a baking tray, and drizzle with a little olive oil. Rub the peppers with your hands and broil until all sides have been charred. Move to a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let roasted peppers sweat for 5-10 minutes and remove the skins. Make one slit down the length of each pepper and remove the seeds. Arrange the slit peppers on a baking tray and reserve for stuffing. This can all be done while the rice is cooking, and you're making the other elements of the stuffing.

In a large saute pan, heat 1 Tbsp of olive oil and add:
8oz Spanish/Portuguese style chorico sausage, diced
Cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, until it renders a little fat and begins to brown, Remove from pan and reserve.

Add another tablespoon of of olive oil, and saute until softened
- 1 Spanish onion, diced
- 2-3 cloves of garlic
add:
- 1 large tomato, diced small
- return chorico to the pan
- 1 Tbsp paprika
- 1/2 tsp salt and pepper
- a few dashes of Tabasco sauce

- a few hakes of Worcestershire Sauce
- a few red pepper flakes (if desire)

Remove with heat and combine with the hot cooked rice.
Add:
- 1 large egg, beaten
- 1/4 cup, chopped fresh parsley

Using your hands, combine the mixture well, and spoon into the cavities of the peppers.
Top each pepper with a healthy portion of grated cheese. I used a Mexican cheese blend (pepper jack, queso, asiago, cheddar), but whatever you have, as long as it has some good bite. Then top with a little bread crumbs.

Since everything is cooked, these will not take long.

I baked mine at 350 for about 15 minutes, and browned the cheese at the end under the broiler.

These stuffed peppers make a great side dish to any meal, or are even good on their own, or as a first course.

I served mine with some lightly dressed salad greens and a lemon broiled salmon fillet.

Delicious.

Sunday Breakfast. Poached Eggs and Chorico Hash

This past weekend, my wife and I watched "Julie and Julia", the new hit movie about the life and times of famous American chef Julia Child and the birth of her revolutionary cookbook "Mastering the Art of French Cooking". But that's only half the story. The other side of the movie follows the modern true story of Julie, a bored government worker who takes on the daunting mission of cooking every recipe from Child's book in a single year, posting the whole thing on her blog.

The movie was quite enjoyable. For foodies I'm sure it was especially fun. I found myself laughing and craving butter throughout the film, long after I had devoured my popcorn. When I woke up Sunday morning I was ready to cook. For beakfast I whipped up a quick potato and Portuguese chorico hash with a poached egg and toasted French bread. The poached egg was inspired from a scene in the movie, plus my wife loves them.

Later that day I tackled Julia's "Boeuf Bourguignon, a delicious rich stew with carrots, pearl onions, mushrooms and a lot of red wine. First I share the eggs and hash with you, and the boeuf will follow soon.


In a large non-stick skillet or wok pan, heat:

1 Tbsp of olive oil
Dice 2 medium potatoes, and saute over medium heat.
When cooking hash browns like these from raw potato, I find that it is best to keep the heat on medium so the potatoes have a chance to cook through....about 10 minutes. Once they are nearly cooked (taste one), add
1 2-3 inch piece of Portuguese chorico sausage, diced.

Saute together for a couple of minutes, season with salt, pepper and a few shakes of paprika and a dash of cayenne if you like some extra heat. Keep the hash warm while cooking the eggs.

Poached Eggs
For the eggs, fill a flat bottom pan with two inches of water and bring to a simmer. Crack eggs individually into a small bowl, and slide one at a time into the simmering pot. It is important to use fresh eggs so they do not spread throughout the pan. Gently give the water a swoosh to create a slight whirlpool action and the eggs will begin to set and gather themselves. Some of the whites will escape, but don't worry. Using a spoon or spatula, gather the edges of each egg to encourage it staying in one place. Keep a gentle motion in the water so the eggs swim to doneness. In no time, you will have a delicate, runny egg. By all means cook longer for preferred doneness. Remove with a slotted spoon and pat let air dry for a few seconds. Season with salt and pepper.

Serve atop the hash with a nice slice of toasted bread and butter.

Bon appetit!