Jackson Jambalaya

Cubanelle Peppers are beautifully colored, sweet-flavored members of the pepper family. Depending on variety and ripeness, they come in several colors (green, yellow, red, and orange) and are almost always available in the fresh produce section of your grocer. Here is an excellent way to use them.

"What other ways can we use them, Bubba?"

You can eat them with a creamy ranch dip. braise them, make soups or sauces. You can bread and fry them, chop them and sauté for casseroles, pickle them, and you know there is no way on earth I will get close to the list shared by Forest's best friend, Bubba, when they were getting ready to climb walls in the scene they cut from the movie, so I am going to stop with one more suggestion.  You can stuff them with chipotle skirt steak for a tasty Mexican dinner treat.

I know this recipe is different from many of the things I have posted, but I promise it is tasty-good:

Chipotle Flank Steak Stuffed Cubanelle Peppers,

Ingredients:

1/2 pound Flank Steak
1/2 cup marinade
6 Cubanelle Peppers
1 Large onion, sliced
1/2 cup Monterrey Jack cheese, grated
2 Tablespoons Balsamic Vinegar
1/2 Tablespoon Chipotle pepper
1 jalapeno pepper, seeds and membrane removed and diced

Ingredients:

1/4 cup lime juice
1/3 cup water
2 tablespoons olive oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke
1/2 teaspoon chipotle pepper

Directions

Set up marinade - In a large resealable plastic bag, mix together the lime juice, water, olive oil, garlic, soy sauce, salt, black pepper, liquid smoke, chipotle pepper, and balsamic vinegar.

Place the flank steak in the marinade, and refrigerate at least 2 hours, or overnight is better

After the marinade, clean the peppers and slice four of them down one side so they will open length wise as shown in the first photo. Clean and slice the onion. Clean and deseed the jalapeno pepper., then dice. Slice the remaining two Cubanelle peppers into thin slices

Sear the marinated flank steak to medium rare

Thin slice the steak and set aside.

Using the same pan where the steak was cooked, sauté the onions, jalapeno, and thin sliced Cubanelle peppers in butter until tender. Reserve 2 Tablespoons of the sauteed vegetables for use making the sauce. The rest will go into the stuffing.

Brush the cleaned Cubanelle peppers with melted butter and precook for 10 minutes on a roasting sheet in a 350 degree oven

Add the sautéed peppers to the flank steak and mix well. Add the cheese. Toss everything together and generously stuff the Cubanelle peppers. Cook under the broiler until cheese melts and lightly browns.

Make the Chipotle Sauce:

1 teaspoon chipotle pepper
2 Tablespoons sautéed vegetables
2 ounces softened cream cheese
1/4 cup heavy cream
1/4 cup beef broth

Directions:

Mix all together and heat at a simmer with stirring to make a smooth creamy sauce

Serving:

Plate with sauce over the stuffed peppers accompanied with a simple green salad.