Stuffed Poblano Peppers + Adobado Pork

True talk: Rachael Ray taught me how to cook. Living alone after graduating college, I binged on 30 Minute Meals and absorbed her tips and tricks. As I learned more from other TV cooking shows, cookbooks, and blogs, she's fallen off my radar as a go-to resource - until recently. A friend gave me a stack of old Rachael Ray magazines and this stuffed pepper recipe popped out as something different but delicious-looking.

You start off prepping your poblano peppers. Her recipe asks for 6 but I only did 4. I sliced off the tops, removed the seeds and ribs, and rinsed inside and out. Then, you prep the filling, which includes:

1 15 ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed
1 4 ounce log soft goat cheese
1 cup (4 oz.) shredded Monterey jack (I used feta - had it on hand!)
1/2 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 cup fresh corn kernels (I used frozen kernels rinsed in warm water)
1/4 pound salami, finely chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil (I left out)

So, I cut down the number of peppers, but didn't cut down the filling amount. You'll see below that this causes a tiny problem. My beans were not on board with being mashed up as the recipe calls for, so I left most of them whole. All in all, I liked the heartier texture when we ate them later!

I stuffed the filling into the peppers which were simply overflowing. I tried to jerry-rig a "stand" of sorts by rolling up some aluminum foil to keep all of the stuffing from falling out during baking. I popped these into an almost 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes.

Some of the stuffing still fell out, yes, but it was AMAZING. The cheese on the outside got all crispy and crunchy and the high heat of the oven blistered the pepper skin beautifully.

I paired the peppers with But I'm Hungry's Pork Chops Adobado. Sounds and tastes super fancy, but it's basically a (mostly) dry rub for pork that contains:

2 tablespoons olive oil
5 large garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper, or to taste

I marinated two chops in the rub overnight and then threw them in the oven for 30 minutes or so in the same oven as the peppers until cooked through. Admittedly, I was preparing them right before bedtime and was wiped out, so I just tossed everything in a bag instead of toasting them all a bit on the stove. Even in Raw & Lazy form, the flavor is delicious. The paprika just adds such a big punch of smoky, rich flavor - you will love them.

We each got a chop and two peppers. This was one filling and flavorful dinner! The peppers were such a hit. I love that the heat was so high in the oven that the pepper skin got so blistery and hot. It was totally the look, texture, and flavor I imagined when I read the recipe, but I didn't have to deal with the grilling. I'll definitely be serving these again!