Cinco de Mayo (May 5) may be another excuse to party in a lot of places, but in Southern California celebrating Mexico’s defeat of French troops as they moved from Veracruz toward Mexico City in 1861* is a matter of national pride that is often confused with Mexican Independence Day (celebrated on September 19th). And, a good excuse to party.
While most of us are happy to raise our glass to Mexico with a margarita or cerveza and a taco, I want to highlight a more traditional dish inspired by Muy Bueno cookbook which encompasses three generations of authentic Mexican flavor.
These succulent sweet stuffed peppers represent me trying to get my mojo back in the kitchen. Muy Bueno cookbook’s authentic Mexican recipes and stories woven around childhood taste memories from three generations of Yvette Marquez-Sharpnack’s close-knit family touched a chord as I process my mother’s passing in February after years of fading into the darkness of Alzheimer’s.
“Siéntate a comer, esta muy bueno!” “Sit down and eat, it’s very good!” This was how Jesusita Mendias-Soza always welcomed guests to her table. The same words served as inspiration for her daughter Evangelina and granddaughters Yvette and Veronica, who wanted to honor her memory and preserve their family’s recipes and stories for future generations.
Stuffed peppers were in my mom’s regular dinner rotation – filled with rice and baked with a tomato-y sauce, it wasn’t one of my favorites. The green peppers always seemed a little tough and too green tasting for my adolescent palate and tomatoes were definitely not my favorite vegetable (or fruit) growing up. Funny, because later in life they were the impetus for our entire urban garden.
It has been a year or so since I made stuffed peppers – likely due to the lackluster response I get when “what’s for dinner” is answered with “stuffed peppers”. Could it be because past versions are usually too “healthified”? This time around, I was inspired by a timeless meat-centric stuffing that satisfies my low carb, paleo leaning AND the carnivore in our family. A dash of red chile flakes for a tinge of heat and cumin to replace the salt and add another layer of flavor. I also substituted low sodium crumbled goat cheese for the more authentic, higher sodium queso fresco.
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 cup chopped sweet onion
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1.25 pound ground bison or lean ground beef
- 1 cup roma or heirloom tomatoes chopped
- 1 small russet potato peeled and finely chopped
- 4 bell peppers your choice of color
- 1 batch Picadillo
- 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese
- Cilantro or parsley for garnish
-
In a large skillet heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for about 2 minutes until translucent.
-
Add ground bison or ground beef and brown. Using a potato masher and mash meat so you have small pieces of meat and not big chunks.
-
Cook for about 15 minutes until most of the liquid has evaporated.Drain and set aside.
-
Fill a 3 quart or larger saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, prepare the peppers: Rinse and.cut the tops off. Remove the white flesh and seeds. Rinse the peppers to remove remaining seeds and parboil the peppers for about 3 minutes.
-
Preheat oven broiler. Place peppers on foil-lined cookie sheet under broiler. Watch them closely as the skin will blister and turn black within minutes. Turn the peppers after 3 to 5 minutes to blister all sides evenly. When done, the pepper skins should be evenly blistered and mostly black.
-
Even easier, if you have a gas range or cook top is to char the peppers over a medium flame, turning with tongs for an even char.
-
Prepare a baking dish (abut 10.5 x 7 inches) with cooking spray to prevent sticking. Stuff each pepper with piccalilli and place in the baking dish. Add 1/4 inch of water to the dish and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 25-30 minutes.
-
Remove from the oven. Let rest for 5 minutes. Plate 1 pepper per plate, top with crumbled goat cheese and garnish with cilantro or parsley.
Inspired by Stuffed Bell Peppers with Ground Beef and Potatoes (Pimientos Rellenos Con Picadillo) from Muy Bueno cookbook.
The juice of ripe heirloom tomatoes and sweet red, yellow and orange peppers infuse the meat mixture with bright acid for a delightfully savory and satisfying main dish.
Enjoy!
* The victory represented a significant morale boost to the Mexican army and the Mexican people at large. In the description of The History Channel “Although not a major strategic win in the overall war against the French, Zaragoza’s success at Puebla represented a great symbolic victory for the Mexican government and bolstered the resistance movement.” The Puebla victory came to symbolize unity and pride for what seemed like a Mexican David defeating a French Goliath.” It helped establish a much-needed sense of national unity and patriotism. {Source: Wikipedia}
Alice D'Antoni Phillips
Love this, Priscilla. So EZ and full of flavor! xo
sippitysup
Stuffed peppers were in my mom’s regular rotation too. These are so much brighter and fresher. GREG