Poblanos and Beef

I love to cook. I love to experiment in the kitchen too. In fact, to me a recipe is a mere suggestion. I take from or add to depending on ingredients I have on hand or what my family likes and dislikes. My dad is a lot like that. He’s always adding a little of this, a little of that. My mom prefers a recipe to follow exactly. That’s why she’s the baker in the family; she makes THE BEST sugar cookies ever!

Well, moving on to my point. I enjoy being in the kitchen and getting creative, so lately I’ve been trying to figure out some different recipes. At first I hesitated to share recipes because I don’t always have precise measurements, but I think everyone can gain confidence to cook this way. I hope to give you enough details that you’ll want to try them out and can even experiment a little yourselves!

We love fresh fruits and veggies around here. I would love a garden to grow my own; every year I think we’ll plant one, but alas I haven’t been to get that goal accomplished yet. Some day, but until then I’m happy to head down to the local farmer’s market to grab some fresh fruits and veggies during the summer and fall. During the other times of the year I have no problem buying fresh produce at the grocery store, but when the market is open, I love supporting the small family business in town.

I’ve cooked with peppers quite a bit—bell peppers that is. My family loves to eat them fresh or cooked in other dishes. But one pepper I’ve always wanted to try was Poblano peppers. Not that is hard to do or mysterious or anything, but something I just hadn’t tried. The other day when I was picking up produce, I decided to give them a try.

Roasted Poblano and Beef Burritos

First I washed the peppers. You know they are super fresh and straight from the plant when they are still covered in dirt! Then, I put them under the broiler for 6-8 minutes. I checked to see if they had roasted all over, then added additional minutes until there was a nice char on all sides. Next, I put them all in a brown paper bag to help them sweat. This loosens the skin so it’s easier to peel.

While the peppers were roasting and sweating, I browned ground beef with some garlic and chopped onion. No matter what leanness of hamburger I’m using, I always drain the meat. Now here’s where you get to experiment as you add other ingredients to your stuffing mixture. Variations I suggest include black beans, corn, shredded cheese, cream cheese, salt, pepper, chili powder, cumin, garlic salt, onion powder. Add what you or your family like in the desired amount and mix until heated through. Really, I promise, you can not mess this up. Start with a little and add to it as needed. I didn’t add in beans this time, but did add some red bell pepper.

Poblanos are a mild pepper, but they can have some heat to them. I used plastic gloves just to be safe. Nothing fun about pepper juice in the eye! After they had cooled some, I made a slice in each pepper. I stuff a couple peppers with the ground beef mixture and pulled the sides back around to hold in all the stuffing. I sprinkled them with cheese then put them under the broker again for a few minutes. I added a touch of fresh cilantro then served these to my hubby for lunch. He thought they were delicious! It would also be easy to dip them in an egg mixture then flour and fry them up for Chile Rellenos (think I’ll do that next time).

I had some leftover tortillas so I decided to wrap my chile (filled with the beef mixture) inside the tortilla. I put the burrito in a dry, non-stick skillet and browned it on all sides. I decided this is the way I like them best— no need to add extra fat or calories with oil, but giving them a nice crunch and texture.

I hope next time you’re at the farmer’s market or your grocery store, you’ll grab some peppers and give this recipe a try. Let us know what you came up with! Leave us a comment on this post or on our Facebook page. Enjoy!

~ Maggie

Maggie and her husband raise their four children and registered cattle on his family’s southwest Idaho ranch. As a family, they enjoy sports, showing cattle, 4-H, church and other activities when not working on the ranch. She likes to experiment with recipes in the kitchen, shares her love of sweets through baking with her children and has been known to start a DIY project every now and then. Sometimes she actually finishes one.