Friday lunch in the hood ~

Lunch for two

At 2:18p. I blurted out, "Oh my gawd!  I love myself!  If good cooking attracted men, I'd have a man harem."  :)  My son is used to talk such as this, he laughs with me.


Every so often I have moments when I fall in love with myself.  This happens when I cook or bake something that I am very happy with.  Today that was at 2:18p.  A late lunch, but what a great lunch today.  I had company.  Former Little Dude has been home ill, so I had a little extra motivation to take extra time to make something special for lunch this Friday.  This was it.  And it will be repeated for dinner many times over in our future family lifetime.  Never mind that he only ate half the pepper itself, I loved a cutting of the pepper with each bite of the filling.  


I found this recipe earlier in the week, it was such an appealing picture to me.  Especially appealing because I had two poblanos on the counter.  Two, not four.  This meant this wasn't going to be a dinner without a store run - no, thank you.   FLD becomes ill, but no loss of appetite...suitable lunch for two.  


I strayed quite a bit from the recipe.  First off, 1/2 an onion?   I won't cut an onion unless I use the entire thing.  This is one reason I love shallots - they are the perfect size for the flavor without waste.  I was out of cumin seeds to grind. I'm not sure what is up with that, that's almost unacceptable.  No cinnamon, and I forgot the lime entirely.  I didn't roast the poblanos, but charred them over the gas burner flame, leaving the skins intact.

2 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1 T. olive oil
2 poblanos
1/4 c. thinly sliced shallots
2 cloves garlic
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 c. diced tomatoes, fresh or canned 
1 c. cooked brown rice (I used jasmine)
3 oz. cheese, shredded (I used half jack, half sharp cheddar)
1/4 c. chopped cilantro

• Char the poblano peppers over gas or roast in the oven.  Put them in a bowl, covered with plastic wrap to steam them a little - or to peel the screen.  I did gas, kept the skin.  This doesn't make them as soft as roasting, but gives a nice bite when eating.  Slit open, clean out all the seeds.

• Heat a small saute pan over medium.  Add olive oil when hot, add chicken that has been salt and peppered on both sides.
• Saute 5-7 minutes on one side, turn and cover until just cooked through.
• Remove from heat to cool enough to handle.
• Save the juices in the pan.  Shred the chicken.

• Heat a 12 inch saute pan over medium heat, add olive oil when hot, and onions.  Saute to some color.  Add garlic and oregano, stir.
• Add the tomatoes, cooked rice, shredded chicken and cilantro, and the reserved chicken pan juices.  Heat through.
• Add the cheese, mix well.  Divide and stuff into the peppers.  Use a pick to hold the pepper together if you have lost a stem. Top with a bit more cheese.
• Heat in a 450 degree oven as desired, or simply broil to melt the cheese.

Warm wishes