tiny stuffed peppers with tomatillo salsa

These peppers are Adam's favorite meal of all time, and I can see why. They're spicy, savory, and sweet. There's no meat, but it's still filling without being heavy. Using small sweet peppers gives you a greater pepper-to-filling ratio than using bell peppers. And let's be honest, tiny food has a certain appeal that regular-sized food just doesn't.

If you know me and if we've ever talked about food, I've probably raved about the book Vibrant Food to you at least once. It's full of healthy, delicious, seasonal recipes that are also colorful and beautiful, and it's my go-to cookbook. You should go ahead and buy it now. I'll wait.

This recipe is adapted from one in that book.


A couple quick notes:

You can use either bulgur or millet in this recipe, and it'll be delicious either way. I recommend using bulgur—it's dark brown and not as pretty, but I find it has a better texture and adds a nice nuttiness. The grain I used in the pictures is millet.

I usually don't bother removing the seeds in the peppers, since most of these little peppers have just a few. If you do find a pepper with a lot of seeds, just pull them out.

The size of the peppers does make stuffing them a bit tricky, and I've found it helps to squeeze them from the ends, like those little rubber coin purses, or to make another cut by the stem that is perpendicular to the first slit, forming a T.

Tiny Stuffed Peppers with Tomatillo Salsa
Adapted from Vibrant Food
Serves 2-3

Peppers

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, diced small
3/4 cup bulgur or millet
1/2 tomato, diced
1 1/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth
1 ear corn
1 cup Monterey Jack, shredded
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 - 1/2 tsp ancho chile powder
Freshly ground black pepper
1-lb bag of small sweet peppers
Fresh cilantro, to top

Salsa

6-8 tomatillos
1 avocado
4 green onions, sliced
1 serrano chile
3 tbsp lime juice
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
1/4 tsp salt


Preheat the oven to 400 F, and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

In a saucepan over medium-low, heat 1 tbsp olive oil. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the bulgur, and toast for 3-4 minutes, until fragrant. Stir in the diced tomato and the broth and bring mixture to a boil. When boiling, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer covered for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for 10 more minutes.

While the bulgur mixture is simmering, husk and remove the hair from the corn, stand it upright in a bowl, and slice the kernels off with a knife. Add the cheese, salt, smoked paprika, and ancho chile powder, 1 tbsp of olive oil, and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Stir and set aside.

Slit the small peppers open lengthwise and arrange on the baking sheets, being careful not to crowd them too closely together.

If you have time before the bulgur mixture is done, go ahead and make the salsa. If not, you can make the salsa while the peppers are in the oven.

Make the salsa:
Remove the husks from the tomatillos—they'll be very sticky—and rinse them in a colander. Roughly chop and place in food processor. Add avocado and green onions. Slice the serrano chile in half and remove as much of the seeds and white membrane as you'd like, depending on how hot you like your salsa (if you used the larger amount of ancho chile powder, don't make the salsa too hot, because the peppers will have a nice kick to them already). Roughly chop and add to food processor along with lime juice, cilantro, and salt. Process until you reach your desired consistency.

At this point, your bulgur mixture should be done. Add it to the corn mixture and stir until combined and cheese is melted. Stuff the filling into the peppers using a small spoon.

Once they're stuffed, pop them in the oven for 23-25 minutes. Top with plenty of tomatillo salsa and cilantro.