These stuffed peppers are my kind of Mexican food: fresh and full of flavor, filling but not too heavy. They’re the first complete recipe I’ve cooked from Sara and Hugh Forte’s beautiful new cookbook, The Sprouted Kitchen
I feel pretty safe in assuming that most of you, as readers of this little whole foods blog, are familiar with Sprouted Kitchen. Sara’s recipes, which are photographed by her husband Hugh, are always vibrant, inspiring and feature fresh, seasonal produce at its finest.
Sara and her publisher, Ten Speed Press, kindly sent me an advance copy, which at first flip through sent my mind into a tizzy with its gorgeous photos and ingenious recipes. The cover of my copy already has a few splatters on it and I expect there will be many more to come. This one is a keeper, friends. I think you are going to want a copy of your own
One of my favorite features of the book are Sara’s meal planning suggestions, like which recipes to cook for a brunch with friends or a slow morning at home, make-ahead snacks for house guests and happy hour with the girls.
These peppers are on the menu for a casual dinner for guests, which Sara suggests serving along with her white sangria, papaya and red quinoa salad with Mexican caesar dressing and coconut lime tart. Despite their impressive names, I assure you that these recipes do not call for impossible ingredients or intimidating instructions. They are as brilliantly simple as they are fresh and flavorful. Now then, who wants to come over for dinner?!
- 1/2 pound dried black beans, picked over and rinsed (or 2 cans of cooked beans*; you’ll need about 4 cups, cooked)
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 12 ounces Mexican beer (I used Tecate, Sara recommends a darker beer like Negra Modelo)
- 1 canned chipotle chile in adobo, chopped (or 1/2 teaspoon chipotle chile powder)
- scant 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- sea salt
- 6 poblano chiles
- 1 cup crumbled cotija or feta cheese (I couldn’t find cotija, so I used feta)
- 1 cup shredded Jack cheese
- juice of 1/2 lime
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, chopped
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- In a large bowl, soak the beans in plenty of water for at least 6 hours, or up to overnight.
- Drain the beans and set them aside. In a large pot over medium heat, add the olive oil, onion and garlic and sauté for a few minutes, until the onion is just softened.
- Add the soaked beans and 2 1/2 cups water, stir, and bring the beans to a simmer. Simmer until the beans are cooked through (but not totally tender), 45 minutes to 75 minutes. Add the beer, chipotle and cinnamon and simmer until much of the liquid is absorbed, around 20 minutes. If necessary, add some water to keep the beans from drying out. Add 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon salt, to taste, and cook for another 10 minutes. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees and set the beans aside.
- Grease a large baking dish or cast iron skillet(s)**. Cut a slit down the length of each poblano. Use your fingers (you might want to wear gloves) and a paring knife to remove, and then discard, the membranes and seeds from each pepper.
- In a bowl, mix together the shredded Jack and crumbled cotija/feta cheese with the lime juice. If there is still a good amount of liquid in your beans, drain off some of it. Mix the chopped tomatoes into the beans. Use a spoon to fill most of each pepper with beans, then stuff a handful of cheese inside. Brush the outside of each pepper with olive oil and bake for around 25 minutes, until the tops are roasted and golden and the pepper is tender all around. Serve peppers immediately, with the slit side up and garnished with cilantro.
- Adapted from The Sprouted Kitchen
- Sara recommends serving the peppers with Spanish rice. I took the lazy route and cooked up 2 cups (dried) long grain brown rice and mixed in 1/2 cup store-bought, mild salsa verde.
- You can also cook these peppers on the grill. Sara says to preheat the grill to medium-high heat, leaving one section over indirect heat. Grill the peppers over direct heat, rotating them every few minutes in order to evenly char the outsides, 6 to 8 minutes total. Transfer them to indirect heat for another 8 to 10 minutes, until the insides are melty and the peppers have softened up.
- *To substitute canned beans here, rinse and drain the beans and then sauté the onion and garlic in olive oil as directed in step 2. Don’t add water, just the beer, chipotle and cinnamon, and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 to 15 minutes. You probably don’t need to add salt since canned beans contain so much sodium, so you can proceed with stuffing the peppers once the beer and bean mixture has reduced. Note that Sara’s original recipe calls for pinto beans or Rio Zape beans.
- **I didn’t think of it until later, but perhaps baking the peppers in a cast iron pan would have helped cook the bottom sides of the larger peppers (you could even preheat the pan in the oven to further the process). I also think corn cut fresh from the cob would make a nice addition to the beer bean stuffing.
- This recipe can be gluten-free if and only if you use gluten-free beer.
30 Comments
These sound super fabulous! Such a great treat!
These sound so delicious…it’s such a great book, right?!
Yes, so great!
I love Mexican food! These peppers look awesome, Kate!! I want some for dinner ;)
These peppers look scrumptious, I want to come for dinner! :)
These look delicious! I love stuffed peppers – I had the most fabulous one in a Mexican restaurant one time in Texas, with golden raisin and chorizo!
These look awesome, can ‘t wait to give them a try!
I’m going to have to make a take on this with the chiles from my little plant! I’m starving & this is sounded super awesome. I love Mexican & he hates it (no joke the man ordered chicken fingers at a taco joint…). I need my fix because it’s been way, way too long.
I ordered chicken fingers at Mexican restaurants as a kid… maybe your man hasn’t had good Mexican food?! Hope that’s the problem, for your sake!
Sounds amazing with that tangy cheese!
Beer and beans?? YES PLEASE!
That’s what I said when I saw this recipe!
Stuffed poblanos–hooray! I love the idea of adding beer to refried black beans–sounds so savory and wonderful.
I can see all the ingredients for this taking shape from my local Mexican grocery store. The beer is a nice touch! I may not like drinking it but I actually love things cooked with beer.
Oh I love poblano peppers!!! I am loving all the recipes from Sprouted Kitchen cookbook that have been popping up all over. I might have to buy this beautiful book!
These sound fabulous – I can’t wait to give them a try! Looking forward to checking out the cookbook, too. Thanks for sharing!
I could eat those stuffed peppers any day! We are such lovers of Mexican food at our house and I dig the healthy adaptations.
Kathryne, I hope you’re continuing to settle happily into your new place.
xo
E
This recipe looks fantastic. What kinda peppers can be used as a substitute? I dont think we have it here.
Cheers!
Veron
http://thefoodiescorner.com
Hi Veron, I think bell peppers would be a fine substitute for the poblano peppers!
I adore black beans, esp. fresh made. The stuffed poblano peppers look so flavourful.
This looks fantastic! I’m so excited to get my Sprouted Kitchen Cookbook in the mail! Any day now.. And yes I think a mexican inspired dinner party needs to happen soon. Your margaritas will be the perfect thing to round out the evening. Who says you can’t have sangria and a margarita, right?
I fully support sangria and margaritas with dinner, yes!
These look so enticing! I love the color green of those peppers – it’s perfect for fall!
beautiful recipe
i think that it’s tasty
I love Mexican food. For dinner, I try this recipe….detailed text and beautiful photos. bye…
Have I missed something? Beer isn’t gluten free.
Sorry Rowan, you’re right. I’ve corrected the recipe accordingly.
I made these for dinner tonight with a light quinoa salad that had tomato, cilantro, avacado and lime juice. They were very filling and delicious. Can’t wait for the leftovers! :)
Your quinoa salad sounds like the perfect side for these peppers!
I tryed this,I loved it.Simple and awsome.Thank you very much. Its in heavy rotation at my house.
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