Grilled Stuffed Jalapeno & Anaheim Chilis

Grilled Jalapenos and Anaheim Chilis

Last year a drought, and this year it won't seem to stop raining.  I'm not complaining.  I am happy to see green hillsides and fireworks without the stress.  Everything is growing out of control, including my tiny garden.  I planted jalapenos, Anaheims, Orange Bell Peppers, Poblanos, Serranos, Tomatillos and several varieties of Tomatoes, Tarragon, Cilantro, Parsley and Basil.  If you remember last year when the drought finally broke, I had Poblanos coming out of my ears so we had Augustine's Stuffed Poblanos with Perfect Rice.  And with more rain this year, my basil is going nuts.  I will probably be making a ton of Pesto and freezing it to have during the winter(you can only eat pesto so many times per week).

I have one small predicament, and maybe you know the answer.  My jalapenos are not very hot.  Actually, to my disappointment these weren't hot at all.  They do seem to gradually be getting hotter as the season progresses as I found in our Tortilla Soup we had for dinner last night. If you know the secret to hotter peppers, please share!!!

During Claire's visit to Texas, she suggested this recipe she found.  The flavor of the filling was wonderful even if the peppers were missing some heat.  I had a few Anaheims so we threw them into there too!  The parental units were here as well,  and this was our snack while waiting for my husband to get home from work.  Yes, we saved him some, but just barely.

I made this on my griddle in my cooktop inside since I forgot to get the propane tank refilled again.  I know, I know, propane in Texas???  I am not building a fire every time I want to grill something like an appetizer.  I guarantee if you had to stand in temperatures pushing 100+ degrees you wouldn't either.  Well maybe with a couple of margaritas on hand you might......sounds like a plan.

Grilled Stuffed Jalapeno & Anaheim Chilis, adapted from Bobby Flay

4 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

2 oz. soft goat cheese
1 1/4 cups shredded white cheddar cheese
2 green onions (green and pale-green part), thinly sliced
Salt and black pepper
12 large jalapeño chilis, halved lengthwise, stemmed and seeded
1 heaping Tbsp ancho chili powder


1. Heat grill to medium.


2. Whisk together the cream cheese and goat cheese in a medium bowl until smooth. Fold in the cheddar and green onions; season with salt and pepper. Fill each jalapeño half with about 2 Tbsp of the mixture; sprinkle the top with ancho powder.


3. Place chilis on the grill, filling-side-up, and cook until slightly charred and tender, about 8 to 10 minutes. Spoon the Grilled Red Pepper–Tomato Sauce (recipe below) onto a platter and top with the jalapeños.

I didn't know about the sauce recipe at the time, but this sounds really good!  I love sauces and these peppers would be beautiful served on top of a puddle of this!

Grilled Red Pepper–Tomato Sauce


1 large red pepper, grilled, peeled, and chopped
4 plum tomatoes, grilled and charred on all sides, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp red-wine vinegar
1 Tbsp honey
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper


Combine the red pepper, tomatoes, garlic, vinegar, honey, and cilantro in a food processor; process until smooth. With the motor running, slowly add oil and season with salt and pepper.

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Greek Stuffed Peppers with Orzo, Roasted Caponata and Baklava "Purses"

Since I admit to being the junkie I am, I sat and watched the Food Network most of the day(in the background, while I was working, Jess).  Just looking for inspiration, while I wound up watching my "kitchen porn" buddy Giada.  Giada, I mean this in the most complimentary way of course, but seriously, the cleavage Honey.  Anyway, I found her stuffed peppers and Caponata and the baklava.  I do not claim to be better than her by any means (but my cleavage is not bad for 45), I simply am not capable of following a recipe, and I know what I and my family like.  One of my other downfalls is I ALWAYS cook too much.  I will hightlight my changes so you can see what I've done and notes about changes I made.  So my sweet neighbors are having dinner delivered to them tonight.  Here's what's for Dinner Tonight, Sonya! 

Greek Orzo Stuffed Peppers

1 (28 oz) can Fire Roasted Italian tomatoes, drained
2 Zucchini, grated
1/2 C Percorino Romano, plus more for sprinkling
1/4 C extra-virgin olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp sea salt
1 tsp freshly gound black pepper
3/4 tsp red pepper flakes
3/4 tsp dried oregano
4 C chicken stock (I'm not a huge fan of broth)
1 1/2 C tri-colored orzo (rice-shaped pasta)
6 sweet bell peppers (red, yellow & orange)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Break up tomatoes in a large bowl.  Add zucchini, cheese, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes and oregano.  Stir to combine.

Meanwhile, bring chicken stock to a boil in a medium saucepan over high heat.  Add the orzo and cook for 4 minutes.  Orzo should only be partially cooked.  Using a fine mesh sieve, transfer the orzo to the large bowl with the rest of the ingredients.  Spray your baking dish with our buddy Pamela and transfer the warm chicken broth to the baking dish.

Slice the tops off of the peppers and remove the seeds and ribs.  If necessary, cut a thin clice off the bottom so peppers will sit upright.

Fill the peppers with the orzo mixture and place side by side in baking dish.  Cover dish tightly with foil and bake for  45 minutes.  Remove the foil, sprinkle the tops of the peppers with the remaining cheese and continue baking for about 15 minutes until the cheese is golden.
Enjoy, serves 6.

Roasted Caponata

1 (14 oz) can diced Fire Roasted tomatoes with juice
2 Zucchini, cut into 1-inch rounds
2 Summer Squash, cut into 1-inch rounds
2 tomatoes, cut into wedges
1 large eggplant, cut in half lengthwise, and cut into1-inch, half moons
1 red onion, cut into 1-inch wedges
1 Youkon Gold potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 C extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tsp Grey salt
1 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
4 to 6 slices sourdough bread, brushed with olive oil and toasted on grill

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Pour canned tomatoes into 3 1/2 quart baking dish that has been sprayed with our buddy Pamela and spread to cover the bottom.  In a large bowl combine the remaining ingredients except the bread.  Toss to coat.  Pour the vegetables over the canned tomatoes in an even layer.  Cover with foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove the foil and bake until the edges of the vegetables are golden, for about 30 to 40 minutes.
Serve alone as a side, or over toasted sourdough bread.  Served over bread, it can be a great vegetarian main course.  Enjoy, Serves 6 to 8.

Baklava "Purses"

1/2 C almonds, toasted
1/2 C walnuts, toasted
1/4 C chopped dried apricots
1/4 C plain bread crumbs
2 Tbls sugar
1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
pinch of kosher salt
1 stick unsalted butter, melted, divided
3 Tbls honey
12 sheets phyllo dough

Special equipment: 2 mini-muffin tins + I used a small tamper (my finger doesn't fit so well in that tiny tin)
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Place the almonds, walnuts, apricots, bread crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, ground cloves and salt in your awesome, probably Cuisinart Food Processor (I had to use my crappy one).  Run machine until the mixture is very finely chopped.  It smells amazing! Transfer the mixture to a small bowl, add 2 Tbls of the melted butter and all of the honey, stir to combine. 

On a dry work surface place 1 sheet of phyllo (keep the rest covered so it doesn't dry out).  Brush lightly with melted butter.  Cover the first sheet with the second, repeating the process until you have used 6 of the sheets.  Cut the stacked phyllo rectangle into 12 equal pieces (cut lengthwise into 3 pieces and widthwise into 4 pieces).
Gently press each piece into the mini-muffin tin cups. Press 1 Tbls of the nut mixture into each of the phyllo cups.  Gather ends and twist to make a purse.  Continue with the rest and begin with the second set for your second muffin tin.  Bake until the edges are golden for about 20 to 25 minutes.  When cool enough to handle, remove from tins and transfer to a serving plate.  Do not leave unattended or your husband will a mysterious tummy ache.  Makes 24 "purses"

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