green peppers | thebrookcook

I made this quick one-pot dish so that my son could gobble it up before his swim practice. After practice, he used my husband’s phone to text me (repeatedly), “I’m starving! I need more ONE POT!!” He absolutely loved it. Needless to say, he ate all of the leftovers. 🙂

This recipe was adapted from Food and Wine. I lightened the recipe by using ground turkey instead of ground pork. I also used arborio rice. My serving had additional fresh lime juice squeezed all over the top. Tasty!

Yield: Serves 4

1 tablespoon canola or sunflower oil
1 green bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch strips
1 red bell pepper, cut into 1/4-inch strips
1/4 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, caps cut into 1/4-inch slices
1 teaspoon coarse salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 1/4 pounds lean ground pork or turkey
3/4 cup short-grain rice (I used arborio rice)
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
3 tablespoons light soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 scallions including green tops, chopped, plus more for garnish
radishes, cut into thin slices, to taste, for garnish
5 tablespoons chopped cilantro or fresh parsley, plus more for garnish
juice from about 1 lime, plus lime wedges for garnish

In a large frying pan, heat the oil over moderately high heat. (I used a 4-quart covered pan.)
Add the bell peppers, shiitakes, and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Remove.
Add the ground meat to the pan and cook, stirring, until it is no longer pink, about 3 minutes. Spoon off the fat from the pan, if using pork. Season with 1/4 tsp of salt and freshly ground pepper.
Stir in the bell peppers and shiitakes, the rice, broth, soy sauce, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, and the cayenne.
Bring to a simmer. Cover. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, without removing the lid, until the rice is just done, about 20 minutes.
Remove the pot from the heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes.
Stir in the scallions, cilantro, and lime juice.
Garnish with additional lime wedges, radishes, cilantro, and scallion slices, as desired. Serve.

One Year Ago:

Curry Noodles with Shrimp & Coconut

Two Years Ago:

Thai Green Curry with Chicken

Three Years Ago:

More Super Bowl empanadas!

I enjoy trying new recipes… BUT… Oh my, it is going to be hard not to make these for our Super Bowl feast again next year. They were really good. Slightly spicy and super-flavorful.

I made the dough the day before completing the dish but made the fillings for both types of empanadas on Super Bowl Sunday morning. Because the fillings would easily keep at least a day in the refrigerator, I think I would make the fillings in advance as well. In retrospect, rolling the dough, chilling the empanadas and then baking them seems like just enough work for the big day. 🙂

This recipe was adapted from Guillermo Pernot, via Martha Stewart Living. I used frozen corn kernels and red wine instead of white. I also made homemade whole wheat empanada dough adapted from Carla’s Comfort Foods: Favorite Dishes from Around the World by Carla Hall with Genevieve Ko. Great!

I’m bringing these to share at Angie’s Fiesta Friday #106 co-hosted by Steffi @Ginger and Bread and Andrea @Cooking with a Wallflower. Enjoy!

For the Whole Wheat Cream Cheese Dough:

Yield: 18 5-inch disks

1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour, spooned and leveled
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1 1 /2 tsp coarse salt
18 T cold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch dice
12 oz cold cream cheese, cut into 1-inch dice

Make the Dough: In the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the flours and salt. With your hands, toss the butter and cream cheese in the flour mixture until each piece is lightly coated.
With the paddle attachment, beat on low-speed until the dough comes together and forms a loose mass around the paddle.
On two large pieces of plastic wrap, divide the dough in half and then gently pat each half of the dough into a 1-inch thick rectangle.
Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 3 hours. (Note: The dough can be refrigerated for up to 1 day or frozen for up to 3 months.)
To Finish: On a floured work surface (or between layers of plastic wrap), roll out the dough 1/8 inch thick.
Using a 5-inch round cutter (I placed the plastic-wrapped dough over a cutting board and cut the rounds using a bowl and sharp knife.), cut 18 rounds out of the dough, reshaping and re-rolling out the dough as necessary.

For the Chicken and Corn Filling:

Yield: about 18 empanadas

Whole Wheat Cream Cheese Empanada Dough, chilled (recipe above)
1/4 cup olive oil
1 1/2 cups finely chopped white onion
1 tsp red-pepper flakes
1 tsp oregano, preferably Mexican
1/2 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
5 ears small corn, kernels removed or 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels (thawed)
1 to 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thigh meat (about 5 thighs), cut into 1/4-inch pieces
2 tablespoons dry white or red wine
coarse salt
6 ounces Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, red-pepper flakes, and oregano.
Sauté, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 4 minutes. Season with salt. Cook for 1 minute.
Add red and green peppers and corn. Cook until the peppers soften and any liquid has evaporated, about 3 minutes.
To the same pan, add the chicken, wine, and salt. Cook until chicken is just cooked through and almost all liquid has evaporated, about 3 minutes.
Refrigerate filling until chilled; stir in cheese. The filling may be prepared and refrigerated, covered, for up to 2 days.
Mound 2 to 3 tablespoons of the filling on half of the round and fold the other side over to form a half-moon. Press to seal the dough and pinch at intervals to make pleats. Repeat with the remaining dough rounds and filling. (Alternatively, start at one end, pinch one corner between your thumb and forefinger and fold it over the rim. Pinch the dough next to the fold and fold again. Continue pinching and folding to create a decorative rope rim.)
Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes prior to baking but no longer than 1 day.
Place the empanadas on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, and bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until golden brown.
Serve warm or at room temperature.