This past Sunday morning I made a quick trip to the Schenectady Green Market in search of Tuscan kale and was relieved not only to find it — thank you Barber’s Farm ! — but also to see so much late-summer produce still on the stands: bell peppers, corn, eggplant, tomatoes.
Friends, I am 100 percent ready for butternut squash lasagna and cabbage soup and balsamic-roasted Brussels sprouts , but I am not quite ready to say goodbye to so many of my seasonal favorites, namely corn and peppers.
I’ve had this recipe from Leigh Belanger’s My Kitchen Chalkboard bookmarked since the book came out this past spring, but I’ve only just gotten around to making it, which is a shame because it’s such a good one!
It’s simple and quick, too: char poblano peppers in a dry skillet; halve and seed them; fill with a mixture of sautéed onions, corn, quinoa, scallions, a minced hot chili, cubed cheese, and smoked paprika; transfer to the oven and bake for 25 minutes or until the cheese is bubbling and just beginning to brown.
Once you make this once, you can adapt the filling recipe as you wish. I’m envisioning keeping the base elements and flavors the same—quinoa, some sort of good melting cheese, a smoky seasoning—but as the year moves on, adding some seasonal touches: roasted butternut squash and onions? Finely sliced kale or cabbage? Shredded Brussels sprouts? The possibilities are endless.
But for now, while the local corn is still arriving at my little Co-op, this one’s getting made without change on repeat. Also: the stuffed peppers can be made ahead! Store them in the fridge in a covered vessel, then bake as needed—how nice, right?
PS: Another favorite, crowd-pleasing pepper recipe: Veggie-Loaded Stuffed Bell Peppers
Description
Adapted from Leigh Belanger’s My Kitchen Chalkboard
- 1/4 cup uncooked quinoa
- 5 poblano peppers
- 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 2 ears corn, kernels stripped from cob
- 1 hot chili, seeded and finely diced
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced (I use nearly all of the greens)
- 4 oz Monterey Jack cheese or Gruyère or whatever you like, cut into small cubes
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika—I like using smoked Paprika here
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for serving, optional
- lime wedges, for serving
- Heat oven to 400ºF. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Boil quinoa for 9 to 12 minutes or until done. Drain through a fine-meshed sieve. Set aside.
- Place a large, dry skillet over high heat. Add the peppers and cook, turning every so often, until they’ve blackened in spots on each side. Set aside to cool. Halve the peppers: cut through the stem for a pretty presentation. Pull out the seeds and discard.
- Add 1 to 2 tablespoons oil (or just a big glug) to the skillet and keep at medium heat. Add the onion, and sauté for five minutes or until soft. Add the corn, hot chili, and scallions. Turn off heat. Stir to combine. Add the cooked quinoa, cheese, paprika, and salt. Stir to combine. Taste. Adjust seasoning with salt to taste. Set aside.
- Spoon the filling into the peppers. If you are serving these later in the week, store tightly covered until ready to bake.
- Bake until the cheese is bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve hot and garnish with cilantro and lime.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Mexican
Description
Adapted from Leigh Belanger’s My Kitchen Chalkboard
- 1/4 cup uncooked quinoa
- 5 poblano peppers
- 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, finely diced
- 2 ears corn, kernels stripped from cob
- 1 hot chili, seeded and finely diced
- 3 scallions, thinly sliced (I use nearly all of the greens)
- 4 oz Monterey Jack cheese or Gruyère or whatever you like, cut into small cubes
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika—I like using smoked Paprika here
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for serving, optional
- lime wedges, for serving
- Heat oven to 400ºF. Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Boil quinoa for 9 to 12 minutes or until done. Drain through a fine-meshed sieve. Set aside.
- Place a large, dry skillet over high heat. Add the peppers and cook, turning every so often, until they’ve blackened in spots on each side. Set aside to cool. Halve the peppers: cut through the stem for a pretty presentation. Pull out the seeds and discard.
- Add 1 to 2 tablespoons oil (or just a big glug) to the skillet and keep at medium heat. Add the onion, and sauté for five minutes or until soft. Add the corn, hot chili, and scallions. Turn off heat. Stir to combine. Add the cooked quinoa, cheese, paprika, and salt. Stir to combine. Taste. Adjust seasoning with salt to taste. Set aside.
- Spoon the filling into the peppers. If you are serving these later in the week, store tightly covered until ready to bake.
- Bake until the cheese is bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Serve hot and garnish with cilantro and lime.
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 25 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Mexican
Find it online : https://alexandracooks.com/2018/10/10/blistered-poblanos-stuffed-with-corn-and-quinoa/
Where to begin? It’s hard to write anything about Paris without sounding like a total cliché. So, if you can, bear with me while I let it out: Paris is as magical and dreamy and chic as I imagined. I spent every second of every day in awe of my surroundings. I could not walk half a block without stopping in my tracks, stunned by a winding side street lined with apartment buildings adorned with elegant wrought iron balconies or an outdoor market with rotisserie chickens cooking over potatoes or a café with chairs all facing outward, as if to watch a spectator sport, confirmation, perhaps, that the everyday happenings in the streets are as entertaining for the newbies and locals alike.
I kept waiting to turn a corner and find new construction. I never did.
In the seven days I spent in Paris, I cruised around as much as I could, hitting the many shops, sites, and restaurant recommendations sent to me from friends and family in the weeks leading up to my departure.
Confession: I didn’t step foot into a museum, and I only got as close as necessary to the Eiffel Tower to take the requisite photo, though I cannot lie: the sight of the towering structure took my breath away.
I ate baguettes, croissants (chocolate, almond, and everything in between), galettes, falafel, crêpes, cheese, foie gras, sweetbreads, tartare, caramels, éclairs, and macarons, all of which were incredibly delicious. But if I had to pick a favorite—a single item in all of Paris I would miss more than anything— it would be…
…the butter. I managed to get some home. I declared it at customs and answered questions when I got to Detroit, and it was worth all of the anxiety and effort.
Friends, there are many many many photos and links below.
Here are some quick links:
Mokonuts Du Pain et des Idees Sauvage Las du fallafel E.Dehillerin Merci Au Passage Hotel Amour Epices Roellinger La Tresorerie Ble Sucre Marche dAligre Mariage Freres Hotel Panache la Grande de Epicerie de Paris Racines Pain Poilane La Toscana Le Petit Celine Berthillon Maison Plisson BonTon Pink Mamma Pizzeria Popolare
Here are a few places I didn’t get to but which came highly recommended — Friends, what did I miss?
Le Petit Grain , recently reviewed by David Lebovitz Printemps (shopping) Miznon Fish La Boissonnerie
On my first day in Paris, I went straight to Du Pain et des Idees , which came highly recommended from many for their breads, which were delicious, buy my favorite item there was the sacristan, which is an almond pastry—so, so good!
The sacristan (my favorite):
Then I met a friend for lunch at Mokonuts . Like many, I had read about the cookies , which Dorie Greenspan had written about in the New York Times Magazine a week before I left. What I didn’t expect was to eat maybe the best meal of the entire trip in those first few hours of my arrival. The meal started with labneh, olive oil, za’atar, radishes, and homemade mini pita breads, baked by Moko Hirayama, the wife half of the ownership team. Moko does all the baking, from the cookies and tarts to the pita; her husband, Omar Koreitem, does the savories.
This was so good:
Moko: so adorable and nice.
View from my window at Hotel Panache , where I stayed for the four nights of the photography workshop:
On three nights, I met my amazing cousin and husband, Betsy and Alon , and several of their friends out for dinner. One night we ate at Sauvage , which was both delicious and fun:
Ble Sucre , where I found the pain au chocolate of my dreams:
Around the corner from Ble Sucré is the Marche dAligre , a really fun outdoor market.
Merci , such a fun spot for housewares, clothes, and food:
Delicious salads:
Loved the lentils in particular:
La Tréserorie , another fun spot for housewares:
E.Dehillerin , iconic kitchen supply shop:
La Droguerie , one of two highly recommended crêperies, the other being
