Brisket-Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Walnut Sauce

*Post by Angela.

Dinner on Tuesday night came together in a happy mix of leftovers and accidental purchases. In buying ingredients for the brisket I made the other night, I purchased 12 poblano peppers under the mistaken assumption that they were pasilla chiles (thanks, produce labeler at Whole Foods!). Clearly, I am an idiot, because the recipe called for dried chiles, and the plump, dark green poblanos, though very pretty, were just not going to work.  But a couple of days later, after staring into the fridge for about 10 minutes, I realized that maybe my mistake was a boon - I had all this delicious brisket leftover, a bunch of poblanos and a boyfriend who I seemed to remember raving about a certain stuffed pepper he had on our NYC trip.

I've never made stuffed peppers before, but the internets confirmed that my instincts were correct - leftover brisket does indeed lend itself well to this type of preparation. I wanted to change it up a little bit, though, so I resorted to my favorite Spanish rice recipe for another stuffing element. And finally, epicurious assisted me in maintaining my position as the greatest girlfriend of all time by providing a recipe for the walnut sauce.  This dish was a total success - the bold and smoky brisket was perfectly matched with the deep flavor of the roasted poblano, and walnut sauce nicely balanced out the spice and heat. While very different from the dish he had at Mesa Coyoaca, Mark still loved my version, and so did I.

List of ingredients for the rice:

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 2 cups long grained rice
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 4 cups chicken broth
• 1 heaping tablespoon tomato paste
• Pinch of dried oregano
• 1 tsp salt

First, I heated the olive oil in a pan over medium high heat, cooked the rice for about 5 minutes (stirring), until nice and toasted, added the onion and garlic, and cooked an additional 5 minutes. 

In the meanwhile, I brought the broth to a simmer in a separate sauce pan, and added the tomato paste, oregano and salt. 

Once the onions were sufficiently softened, I stirred the rice mixture into the simmering broth, covered, and cooked for about 20 minutes, until the rice was cooked and tender.  I then set it aside to cool.

List of ingredients for the peppers:

• 12 large poblano peppers
• olive oil
• 1 cup cooked meat (obviously I used brisket)
• 1/2 cup crumbled queso fresco
• 1/2 cup shredded pepper jack cheese
• 1 cup cooked rice (see above!)
• Handful of Panko bread crumbs

List of ingredients for the walnut sauce:

• 1 1/2 cups walnut halves
• 3/4 cup slivered almonds
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk
• 6 oz queso fresco, crumbled
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/2 tbsp salt

First, I preheated the oven for 375 degrees.  I coated the peppers with some oil and then baked them for about 25 minutes, until the skins started to blister. 

I put them in a bowl and covered them with plastic wrap for about 20 minutes, then pulled off the skin, cut lengthwise slits in each and set them aside while I prepped the stuffing (I left the seeds in because I wanted the added heat).  I thought that I had cooked them a little too long, as they were pretty soft, but it still turned out great. 

I shredded up about a cup of the brisket, then mixed it together in a big bowl with a cup of the now-cooled rice and the cheeses. 

Very carefully, I stuffed each pepper with about a 1/4 cup of the brisket mixture, and then (just because I had it in my pantry) I topped them off with a sprinkle of Panko bread crumbs. 

I baked the stuffed peppers in a 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes to warm them through.  In the meantime, I blended together the walnuts, almonds, milk, queso, sugar and salt until smooth.  I slathered the warmed peppers with the sauce, and served them up with some guacamole and extra rice, and Mark scarfed the plate and went back for seconds.  This was such a great way to spice up my leftover brisket, athough now, I have stuffed poblano leftovers.  We may just have to batter and fry up these bad boys tomorrow for another twist...