Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

How to stuff a pepper? Let me count the ways. Tonight's recipe is Southwestern style- with a buffalo sausage, garlic, onion, chipotle, pine nut, roasted corn and tomato filling.

This week has been sunny, cloudy, wet and windy here in the desert. All mixed up. Spring is definitely in the air. Flocks of cranes and geese echo their cocktail party conversation off the walls of Black Mesa, flying north. I hear them as I type. They are a noisy gaggle.

We're still lighting fires in the kiva at night. And still craving comfort food. I had three gorgeous bell peppers on hand- yellow, orange and green. Some spicy buffalo sausage. I knew what had to be done. I poured myself a glass of red.

It was time to stuff a vegetable.

Southwestern Stuffed Peppers

This is one of those recipes that you have to engage your intuition and adapt the ingredients to your own needs, depending upon the size of the peppers you choose, and the kind of sausages you like. Or don't like- truth be told this recipe makes for a great vegetarian meal. Just leave out the sausage (you can add a cup of cooked black beans, if you like).

Each choice influences how much stuffing you'll have. I make a pot of brown rice first, and assemble the stuffing in a skillet; I add the rice in last, a little at a time, to make just enough stuffing for the size of my peppers.

My flavors are closer to Southwestern than Italian here, so if you prefer more traditional flavors, add Italian herbs instead of the smoked chile and cumin (but Dear Reader, the smoky addition of chipotle gives these babies a serious kick in the butt).

Stuffing::

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, as needed
2-3 spicy buffalo sausage (we found gluten-free buffalo sausage at Natural Grocer)
5 garlic cloves, chopped
1 medium onion, diced
1 cup roasted corn kernels (you can pan-toast frozen kernels in a pinch)
2 rounded tablespoons pine nuts or toasted sunflower seeds
2 to 3 cups cooked brown rice
Chipotle powder, to taste [or other favorite chile spice]
1/2 teaspoon cumin, or to taste
1 teaspoon paprika or smoked paprika
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
2-3 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro

To assemble::

3 large bell peppers: 1 orange, 1 yellow, 1 green, halved and seeded
6 heaping spoonfuls of your favorite prepared salsa- spicy or mild
6 slices fresh goat cheese- omit for dairy-free

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F. Put a kettle of water on to boil.

Heat a little olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat and cook the sausages till browned; crumble the sausage into small pieces and return to the skillet.

Add a dash more olive oil; heat; add the chopped garlic, onion, corn, and pine nuts; stir and heat through.

Add the cooked brown rice, stir and lightly mix. Add a dash more olive oil, if needed, to moisten. Add chipotle, cumin and paprike. Season with sea salt and pepper. Stir well to combine the flavors. Remove from heat. Add in the chopped cilantro.

Choose a shallow baking dish that will fit the halved peppers. Stuff the halved peppers with the brown rice mixture, pressing in firmly; use as much stuffing as you can. Place the stuffed peppers in the baking dish.

Top each pepper with a spoonful of salsa, and a slice of goat cheese, if using.

Pour about an inch of hot boiled water into the bottom of the baking pan, around the peppers, and loosely cover the pan with a foil tent. This helps to cook the peppers (especially at high altitude). Bake in a 375 degree F oven for about 30-40 minutes, until the peppers are fork tender.

These colorful stuffed peppers can be served as a side dish or a main dish.

Garnish with fresh chopped cilantro.

Serves 6 as a side dish [one stuffed pepper per person].