Tri-Market Stuffed Poblano Peppers

Over the last 8 days, I've been to 3 farmers markets in honor of National Farmers Market Week 2010.  Okay, you got me -- I'll use any excuse to hit the farmers markets.  I usually head to my local farmers market (in Newmarket, NH) on weekends, but this week I also went to Exeter on Thursday and Portsmouth today.  I love our local market, which happens to be the first town farmers market in our area that was open all winter long, but the Exeter and Portsmouth markets are much bigger and have a greater variety of produce.  I was in heaven!

I got all sorts of wonderful things and have been doing tons of cooking this week.  Tonight, using ingredients from all three farmers markets, I created these Tri-Market Stuffed Poblano Peppers.  I made mine with local sweet Italian sausage (from the Newmarket farmers market), but if you want to make this recipe vegetarian*, just make the veggies without the sausage and bulk them up with some brown rice and beans.  I'm sure I'll be making the vegetarian version soon because they were incredible!

Tri-Market Stuffed Poblano Peppers

(makes 4 peppers, 4 servings)

Here's What I Used:

• 4 poblano peppers [Portsmouth]
• 4-5 leaves dinosaur kale [Exeter]
• 1 medium sweet onion [Portsmouth]
• 8 roasted Roma tomato halves (I roasted my own tomatoes earlier in the week, but you could also use sun-dried tomatoes) [I roasted tomatoes from Newmarket & Exeter]
• 2 cloves garlic [Newmarket]
• 2 sweet Italian sausages (*see above for veggie option) [Newmarket]
• 1/2 cup sharp goat cheese ("cheddar"), crumbled [Portsmouth]
• olive oil to sautee filling

Here's What I Did:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Prepare peppers by cutting in a "T" pattern to remove seeds.
3. Prepare filling by sauteeing onion and garlic in olive oil until translucent and browning, add crumbled sausage and continue to cook until browned, and finally add chopped tomatoes and kale and cook another minute.
4. Stuff peppers with veggie & sausage mix.
5. Add crumbled goat cheese (or sharp cheddar or manchego?) to peppers.
6. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until peppers are browned.

Do you love your farmers market(s) like I do?  Better yet, have you been eating from your backyard garden all season?

What have you created for dinner from your local, seasonal foods? 


Eat Well.  Live Well.  Be Well.  Eat Local.