Anaheim peppers are long, thick, bright green chili peppers that vary in spiciness. Some crops of Anaheim peppers are extremely spicy, while others just have a mild zing. Whether they’re hot or not, these peppers often taste wonderful when they’re stuffed with foods like rice, cheese, and other vegetables. Seasonal cooks usually enjoy grilling up a batch of stuffed Anaheim peppers during the summer months, when they can be purchased fresh from farmers’ markets. A few tips for making stuffed Anaheim peppers include proper cleaning, choosing the filling with care, and carefully planning which roasting techniques will be used.
One of the first steps to making stuffed Anaheim peppers is choosing the peppers themselves. Stuffing peppers should generally be pretty large so they can accept plenty of filling. Cooks should also smell the peppers. This often helps cooks determine how hot the peppers are. Scents that make the nose tingle slightly usually indicate a very spicy pepper. If the scent is simply fresh, green, and bright — with no tingle at all — the pepper is probably slightly sweet with an acidic undertone. Both are suitable for making stuffed peppers.
Cooks should usually purchase or harvest two peppers per person, if they’re to be served as an entrée. For a side dish or appetizer, one pepper per person should be plenty. Once the cook has chosen what kind and how many peppers they need, it is time to clean and slice them. This may be done in one of two ways. The first way involves slicing each pepper in half lengthwise and removing the ribs and the seeds. The second involves cutting off the stem and removing the ribs and seeds through the top of the pepper. Either method is correct, though lengthwise slicing may be easier for inexperienced cooks.
When the peppers have been prepared, it is time to mix up the stuffing. Stuffing for stuffed Anaheim peppers usually includes foods that will counteract the chilies’ spiciness. Cheese, rice, and sweet bell peppers are popular, as are tomatoes and beans. One possible mixture might include plenty of mozzarella cheese, black beans, tomatoes, and a few big scoops of homemade guacamole. Another possibility might include goat cheese, smoky sausage, instant brown rice, and grated zucchini. The cook should generally just stir all the filling ingredients together and spoon it into the peppers. Any rice used in the peppers should be pre-cooked before stuffing.
Cooking stuffed Anaheim peppers can be tricky. They are usually roasted in the oven or placed on a hooded grill. The cook should place the peppers about an inch (about 2 cm) apart no matter which cooking method is used, and let them roast until the edges of the peppers are black and the cheese is melted. The dish should be served immediately with salsa and sour cream.
