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Cubanelle Pepper Recipes
Cubanelle Pepper:
A long slender banana-shaped pepper that is considered to be a sweet pepper, despite having a mild to moderate spicy heat. Ranging in color from green to yellow or red, this pepper has a glossy outer skin that is smooth and firm in texture. Also known as Italian frying pepper, this pepper is mildly hot and very similar to an Anaheim pepper. Cabanelle peppers are often used in casseroles, salads, pizzas, and as a pepper to be stuffed with a savory filling.
Chicken-Stuffed Cubanelle Pepper Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 Cubanelle peppers or mild banana peppers
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup salsa
- 3 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
- 3/4 cup soft bread crumbs
- 1/2 cup cooked long grain rice
- 2 cups meatless spaghetti sauce, divided
Directions
- Cut tops off peppers and remove seeds. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, salsa, chicken, bread crumbs and rice. Spoon into peppers.
- Coat a 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish and an 8-in. square baking dish with cooking spray. Spread 1 cup spaghetti sauce in larger pan and 1/2 cup sauce in smaller pan. Place peppers over sauce. Spoon remaining spaghetti sauce over peppers.
- Cover and bake at 350° for 55-60 minutes or until peppers are tender. Yield: 6 servings.
Other Delicious Cubanelle Recipes:
Cubanelle Peppers Stuffed with Italian Chicken Sausage
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Arroz Verde- Rice with Poblano Chile
Arroz Verde Recipe
1 ½ cups long grain rice
2 Tb oil
½ cup water
1 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped (about ¾ cup tightly packed)
2 poblano chiles, raw, roughly chopped
¼ cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic
1 med jalapeño chile
2 ½ cups chicken broth*
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
*May substitute water and chicken bouillon.
Rinse rice well and let drain. In a large, heavy duty skillet with a lid, heat oil to high heat and fry rice until lightly golden, stirring constantly (about 7-10 minutes). Place next 6 ingredients into blender jar and blend until smooth. Pour into frying rice and continue stirring until almost all liquid is absorbed (about 5-7 minutes). Add in chicken broth and salt and continue cooking with the lid off for 5 minutes more or until almost all liquid has been absorbed and rice is slightly underdone. Cover and remove from heat. Let sit undisturbed for 20-25 minutes to finish cooking. Once ready, fluff with a fork and check for salt if necessary.
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Poblano Chile Relleno
Chiles Rellenos Recipe
In Mexico the Chili Poblano, a dark green triangular shaped chile 3” to 4” in length that varies in hotness from mild to quite picante, is the chili of choice for this recipe.
Chiles Rellenos (stuffed roasted Poblano peppers) are one of the most easily recognizable dishes of all the wonderful foods that have been brought here by our neighbors from South of the border. This dish combines the spicy sweetness of the roasted Poblano chile with the creamy saltiness of the cheese filling and then gently bathes them in a flavorful sauce that perfectly marries the two.
Ingredients:
8 Poblano chiles, roasted and skins removed
1 (15 oz) pkg queso fresco cut into 8 equal pieces
6 eggs, separated
½ cup flour (optional)*
toothpicks for sealing chiles
oil for frying (corn, vegetable, or canola oil works best)
5 roma tomatoes
¼ cup finely chopped onion
2 garlic cloves
¼ tsp whole cumin seed
½ tsp dried mint
3/4 tsp chicken bouillon powder (Knorr Suiza brand is recommended)
salt to taste
Directions:
*Chiles may or may not be rolled in flour before being battered and fried. Use flour if a thicker coating is preferred. As a form of comparison, flour was omitted in the photo above.
Pour oil into a heavy-bottomed frying pan to a depth of about ½ inch and heat to medium-high heat. Meanwhile, take whole roasted chiles and carefully make a length-wise slit into each one and carefully remove the seed pod and any stray seeds. Place a thick slice of queso fresco into each chile and close the seam well using a toothpick (or two) to secure the edges. Next prepare the batter by whipping egg whites until stiff. Beat yolks and carefully fold into stiff whites. Check oil by dropping a little bit of egg batter into it. If oil bubbles immediately, then it is ready. Once the oil is ready begin battering chiles. If using flour step, roll chiles in flour and shake to remove any extra. Next dredge floured chiles through egg batter, making sure it is evenly coated. Immediately place chile in hot oil, seam side down. Fry until egg batter coating has set completely and has turned golden brown on all sides (about 2-3 minutes on each side depending on temperature of oil). Remove chile from oil and allow it to drain on paper toweling. Repeat process with all chiles, frying in small batches, being careful not to overcrowd the frying pan.
While chiles are draining, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Next, place tomatoes in a small saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil. Cook tomatoes until they have softened all the way through and the skins begin to fall off. Place onion, garlic, cumin seed, mint, and bouillon into blender jar. Remove tomatoes from cooking liquid, remove skins, and place in blender jar with other ingredients. Add in 1-2 cups cooking liquid and blend well. Salsa should be thin and watery but still well seasoned. Check for salt. Set salsa aside.
Place chiles in an oven-safe casserole dish, gently pour salsa over them and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Serve immediately. Yield: 4 portions for a main course (2 chiles each).
To serve place on large dish and serve with sour cream and lime wedges.
Note: Any cheese that melts nicely will do for the stuffing. The better the cheese, the better the end result, but even a supermarket Monterey Jack or Mozzarella works well. In Mexico, Panela (a fresh ricotta-like cheese) is often used. Oaxaca or Chihuahua cheese is very good as well.
Cut the cheese in thin strips approximately as long as the chili you are stuffing. Insert the cheese through the slit in the chili. Put in a good amount but don’t stuff it tightly as it expands when it melts. Seal the slit in the chili with thin wooden toothpicks. Roll in the flour again and set aside.
Chiles rellenos may be filled with many things but traditionally they are filled with either picadillo (a seasoned mixture of ground beef and/or pork) or cheese. If using anything other than cheese to fill chiles, there are a few basic rules to follow: filling should be pre-cooked, drier in nature (to avoid problems with the grease popping) and at room temperature. Also, chiles should be well sealed for the frying stage. If not, it can cause the dish to quickly spiral into an unsalvageable disaster.
Directions on how to Roast and Peel Poblano Peppers
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Lemon Grass Goodness
Cooking with Lemon Grass
Lemon Grass Beef w/chili Bo Xao Xa Ot
Ingredients:
2-3 pounds beef (or chicken)
4 cloves garlic
1 large yellow or white onion
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons minced lemon grass
1 teaspoon ground chilies (to taste)
4 tablespoon fish sauce (Nuoc Mam)
2-3 spring (green) onion stalks
2-3 tablespoons coarsely ground peanuts
1 tablespoon sugar
1 tablespoons honey
Directions:
Cut beef into small pieces (either “nuggets” or small strips).
Peel garlic and slice finely.
Cut onion into 1/2 inch strips.
Peel off the hard outer layers of lemon grass stalk and discard.
Peel off the medium layers of lemon grass stalk for stewing purposes
Mince the soft inner layers of the stalk.
Heat oil in large frying pan over medium heat.
Add salt, garlic and onion.
Fry over medium heat until onion is opaque.
Add lemon grass and chili.
Fry 1 – 2 minutes until fragrant.
Add beef and cook until lightly browned.
Mix in fish sauce, sugar and honey.
Cook until beef is the way you like it.
Stir occasionally and add water if necessary.
Remove the medium layers of lemon grass stalk before serving
Steamed Fish With Lemon Grass (Pla Neung Takrai)
Ingredients:
1 whole fish, about 500g (grouper, sea bass, pomfret or any lean, firm textured fish)
4 stalks lemon grass
Sauce:
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 Thai bird’s eye chili, finely sliced
3 tbsp Thai fish sauce (nam pla)
3½ tbsp lime juice
2 tsp sugar
Directions:
Make sure the fish has been scaled, gutted and cleaned. Score fish with 2 or 3 diagonal cuts on both sides.
Remove outer layer of lemon grass. Trim the top and bottom of the stalks to fit a heat proof dish. Bruise the lemon grass with the back of a knife and then halved each stalk length wise. Stuff a few pieces into the cuts on the fish. Layer the rest of the lemon grass on the dish.
Place fish on the bed of lemon grass and steam over medium to high heat for about 15 minutes or until cooked.
Put together the fish sauce, sugar and lime juice. Stir until the sugar has dissolved. Add chili and garlic to the sauce. Let stand for at least 30 minutes before use to allow the flavors to blend.
When the fish is cooked, remove it from the steamer straight away. There will be be some liquid in the dish due to moisture from the fish and the lemon grass. Spoon that liquid over the fish. Then pour the sauce over and around the fish. Garnish with coriander leaves. Serve immediately.
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Green Cleaning Baskets
This week Girls Gone Green distributed custom made Green Cleaning Baskets to a few lucky CSA members. The basket including some green cleaning basics such as a spray bottle, baking soda, lemon juice and vinegar. We also provided a handy list of green cleaning recipes!
“Green” cleaning means using products that are non-toxic and inexpensive. Did you know that there are health risk associated with many conventional cleaning products. These products can contain ingredients linked to asthma,cancer, reproductive toxicity, hormone disruption, neurotoxicity and other heath effects. People who use or are around cleaning products at home or at work may increase their risk of developing asthma or triggering asthma attacks. The EPA estimates that Americans spend 90% of their time indoors. Indoor air pollutants are 2-5 times higher than those of outdoor air, and most come from toxic cleaning products! Keep your home healthy, clean and safe; GO GREEN TODAY !
We welcome your feedback. Please share your green cleaning experiences with us!
BRITTNI
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Get Your Greens Today!
Healthy Garlic Greens Recipe
- 1 1/2 to 2 pounds collard greens, boiled or steamed until tender
- 3 to 4 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 to 3 tablespoons minced garlic (about 4 large cloves)
- salt and black pepper, to taste
- hot pepper sauce
Drain greens well. In a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat, cook garlic in the vegetable oil until it just begins to brown. Add the drained greens; season to taste with salt and pepper then add a few dashes of your favorite hot sauce.
Serves 4 to 6.
Less Healthy But Oh So Yummy, Southern-Style Greens
- 2 pounds of collard greens
- 1 ham hock or 6 slices of cooked bacon
- 1 medium onion, sliced or chopped
- 1 large garlic glove, minced
- 1 teaspoon of crushed red pepper
- 2 to 3 teaspoons Kosher salt
In large skillet sauté onion in some oil until transparent, a couple of mintues. Add garlic and and sauté until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Remove from heat. Clean and wash greens well; remove tough stems and ribs. Cut them up and place in a deep pot; add onion and garlic. Wash off ham hock and add to the pot. Add red pepper and salt. Add enough water to cover greens and cook until tender, about 1 hour. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve with freshly sliced tomato and corn bread. Serves 4 to 6.
Tips:
- Crushed red pepper, a few tablespoons of bacon grease, chopped onion, or other seasonings can be added to the pot for more flavorful greens.
- Serve with cornbread and pepper sauce or cider vinegar.
- If desired, serve with chopped hard boiled eggs, bacon pieces, or sliced green onion for garnish.
Here are more Recipes to spice up your greens!
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Simply Swiss Chard
Simply Sauteed Swiss Chard
Ingredients
Method
1 Rinse out the Swiss chard leaves thoroughly. Remove the toughest third of the stalk, discard. Roughly chop the leaves into inch-wide strips.
2 Heat a saucepan on a medium heat setting, add olive oil, a few small slices of garlic and the crushed red pepper. Sauté for about a minute. Add the chopped Swiss chard leaves. Cover. Check after about 5 minutes. If it looks dry, add a couple tablespoons of water. Flip the leaves over in the pan, so that what was on the bottom, is now on the top. Cover again. Check for doneness after another 5 minutes (remove a piece and taste it). Add salt to taste, and a small amount of butter. Remove the swiss chard to a serving dish.
Sauteed Swiss Chard with Parmesan Cheese
Ingredients
Directions