Pioneer Woman Poblano Peppers Food

MAC AND CHEESE STUFFED PEPPERS

Steps:

• For the stuffed peppers: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the macaroni and cook until al dente according to the package directions; drain.
• Heat the milk and butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the cheeses and cook, stirring, until melted. Stir in the kosher salt, seasoning salt and pepper. Add the macaroni and stir into the cheese sauce.
• Make a slit in each pepper and remove the seeds. Gently stuff a heaping 1/4 to 1/2 cup of the macaroni into each pepper, being careful not to overstuff. Use a toothpick to help seal the peppers and set aside.
• For the cilantro-lime cream: In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, cilantro, cumin, salt and lime zest and juice until well combined. Set aside.
• For the batter: In a large heavy-bottomed pot, add enough oil to fill the pot halfway and heat the oil to 375 degrees F.
• Whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and pepper. In a large measuring cup, mix together the beer and eggs. Whisk the liquid into the dry ingredients until well mixed.
• When the oil is ready, dip a pepper into the batter until fully coated. Carefully, slowly lower the pepper into the hot oil. Repeat with the remaining peppers. Fry until golden brown and crisp, about 2 minutes. Drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Serve immediately, drizzled with the cilantro-lime cream.

SIX PEPPER PASTA

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the pasta according to package instructions, then drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the butter and olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the mini sweet peppers, garlic, onion, red and orange bell peppers, poblano and jalapeno and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring, until the onions and peppers begin to darken, about 3 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a plate and set aside.
• Return the skillet to the heat and allow it to come back up to temperature. Turn off the heat and pour in the tequila. Turn the heat back on and let it cook for 1 minute while scraping the bottom of the skillet to loosen any browned bits. Add the broth, bring to a simmer and simmer until reduced slightly, 3 to 5 minutes.
• Reduce the heat to medium low and pour in the cream. Add the adobo sauce, stirring constantly. Cook until the sauce starts to thicken, another 4 to 5 minutes.
• When the sauce is thick, add the vegetables to the skillet, making sure to include all the juices that have drained onto the plate. Stir and cook until the mixture is bubbly and hot, 1 to 2 minutes. Taste and add salt, pepper and/or adobo sauce if needed.
• Add the drained pasta to the sauce and toss to combine. Transfer to bowls and garnish with fresh cilantro and a few reserved mini pepper rings.

BEST GRILLED CHEESE EVER

Steps:

• Begin by roasting the chiles over the flame on your stovetop (or under the broiler) until the skin is totally blackened (if using fresh). When the chiles are totally charred, throw them into a plastic bag. Seal and allow them to steam and cool.
• Next, pour the white vinegar over the sliced red onion and let them sit awhile. This'll take away a little of the crazy onion flavor and leave them with a nice sweetness.
• Finally, make the special sauce: equal amounts of mayonnaise and Dijon. It's the simple things in life!
• When you're ready to make the sandwiches, scrape the blackened skin off the chiles. Scrape out the seeds, too, so you'll wind up with big pieces of roasted green chiles.
• For each sandwich, generously spread 2 pieces of rye bread with the special sauce. Lay on 2 slices of provolone, 2 slices of tomato, 2 slices of Cheddar... a nice layer of roasted green chiles... a few red onion slices... and one more slice of provolone just to hold it all together.
• Top with the other slice of bread and spread the outsides with a good amount of butter.
• Toast the sandwich in a skillet over medium-low heat until the cheese is thoroughly melted inside. Be careful not to burn the bread!

STUFFED POBLANO PEPPERS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
• Place the tomato halves flesh-side up in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet. In a medium bowl, whisk together 4 tablespoons of the olive oil, the confectioners' sugar, red pepper flakes and 2 teaspoons salt. Spread the mixture evenly over the tomato halves. Roast the tomatoes until tender, 35 to 40 minutes.
• Heat a large skillet over high heat and add half of the canola oil. When it begins to smoke lightly, add half of the poblanos and cook to tenderize without making them mushy. Using a slotted spoon, remove the peppers to a baking sheet, cavity-side up. Repeat with the remaining poblanos and canola oil. Season with salt and set aside.
• In a large skillet, heat the 3 tablespoons of the olive oil and the thyme. As the oil heats, the thyme will fry and become crispy. Use a slotted spoon to remove the thyme sprigs, then season with salt and cool. Add the bell peppers to the same skillet and season with salt. Cook over high heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the peppers brown slightly but are still slightly firm, 3 to 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the peppers and transfer to a medium bowl. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil to the skillet, heat until it begins to smoke lightly, and add the garlic and onions. Reduce the heat to medium. Season with salt and cook until the onions are lightly brown and tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the onions to the bell peppers.
• Quarter the oven-dried tomatoes and add to the pepper and onion mix. Chop the basil leaves and stir into the filling along with the red wine vinegar and mozzarella. Pull the thyme leaves off the stems and add to the mixture. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.
• In a medium bowl, stir together the breadcrumbs, Parmesan and melted butter. Stuff each pepper halfway with the filling, and then top with the breadcrumb mixture.
• Heat the peppers in the oven to brown the tops, 10 to 12 minutes. Arrange on a platter and drizzle with the balsamic vinegar to serve.

TEX-MEX CHICKEN POT PIE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Melt the butter in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat. Add the jalapeño and poblano peppers, corn and onion. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook to soften the vegetables, 2 to 3 minutes.
• Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir until the flour has coated the vegetables, a minute or two (avoid letting the flour stick to the bottom of the skillet). Stirring constantly, slowly add the chicken broth. Stir in the cream, cilantro and chipotle peppers. Allow the sauce to come to the boil and thicken, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat, then taste and adjust the seasoning. Add the chicken and stir to combine.
• Roll out the Pie Crust on a lightly-floured surface to an 11-inch circle, large enough to hang over the skillet. Carefully lay the crust over the skillet, pressing gently into the sides to seal. Brush the top with the beaten egg and sprinkle over the pepper jack cheese. Cut 2 to 3 small slits in the top and bake until the crust is golden, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly before serving, 10 minutes or so.
• Combine the flour, salt, butter and shortening in a large bowl.
• Using a pastry cutter, gradually work it all together until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
• Beat the egg with a fork and add it to the mixture along with the vinegar.
• Add the cold water.
• Stir it all together until it comes together, adding another tablespoon or two of water if it needs the moisture.
• Form the mixture into 2 balls and wrap them in individual plastic bags. If using immediately, chill for 20 minutes in the refrigerator before rolling out. If freezing, remove them from the freezer 30 minutes before you are ready to use them.

CARNITAS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F.
• Put the poblano and onion slices in the bottom of a heavy pot. Mix the cayenne, cumin and a pinch of salt and pepper together in a bowl, then use the mixture to season the pork shoulder. Put the pork on top of the vegetables. Add the chicken broth, jalapeno slices, lime zest and juice and orange zest and juice. Cover and cook until tender, 4 to 5 hours.
• Turn the heat up to 450 degrees F, remove the lid and cook until the surface crisps slightly, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the pork to a board and let it rest until cool enough to handle, then remove the fat and shred the meat with 2 forks.
• Strain the vegetables from the sauce and set aside. Put the meat in serving dish, add the vegetables and pour over some of the sauce.
• Serve the shredded pork with warm corn tortillas, radishes, pickled jalapenos, pico de gallo, hot sauce, lime wedges and cilantro leaves.

GREEN CHILE CHICKEN

Steps:

• First, make the marinade for the chicken: Combine the olive oil, lime juice, cumin, salt, pepper, chipotle peppers and garlic in a blender and mix until totally pureed. Pour into a large resealable plastic bag with the chicken breasts. Seal the bag, smush it around to coat the chicken and place it in the fridge to marinate for at least 4 hours (overnight if possible).
• After the chicken has marinated, roast the poblano chiles one-by-one over the flame of your stovetop, using metal tongs to hold them, until the skin is totally charred. (If you don't have a gas stove, you can use an outdoor grill OR place them on a baking sheet directly under your oven's broiler.) When the skin is totally blackened, place the chiles in a large resealable plastic bag and seal the bag to allow the chiles to sweat for a good 20 minutes. Remove the chiles and use a knife to scrape off most of the blackened skin. Slice the chiles in half lengthwise, and scrape out the seeds and membranes. Lay out the chile halves so they'll be ready for the next step.
• Preheat a grill pan to medium-high heat (or use a skillet). Grill the chicken (or saute in the skillet) for 4 minutes on the first side. Turn the chicken over and lay 2 chile halves and a nice slice of cheese on the cooked side of each piece. Turn the heat to medium low and allow the chicken to finish cooking until it's totally done in the center, 4 to 5 minutes. The cheese should melt on its own; if it needs a little help, invert an iron skillet over it (or put the lid on the skillet, if using). Serve!