New World Wild Rice Stuffing
This chile pepper is often mislabeled ‘Pasilla’, which is a different pepper entirely.It is one of the most popular chiles in Mexico and has won the appreciation of many a chef worldwide because of the superior flavor it has over regular bell peppers.
They have a tough outer skin that usually requires roasting and peeling before use. These very large chile peppers are most popular in chiles rellenos recipes, but cooking with these as a substitute for bell peppers in any recipe will enhance the flavor.
Ingredients:
3 cups turkey or chicken broth
1-1/2 cups wild rice, rinsed and drained
1 cup water
2 tsp. Mexican oreagano
1 pound ground beef, pork or veal
3 medium Poblano chiles or green bell peppers, roasted, cleaned and skinned
2 medium red onions, chopped
1 cup pecans, chopped and lightly toasted
salt
pepper
Instructions:
Combine the broth, rice, 1 cup of water and the Mexican oregano in a large saucepan over high heat and bring to boil. Reduce the mixture to a soft simmer until the wild rice is tender, stirring occasionally, about 55 minutes. Drain the mixture and set aside.
Sauté the ground meat in a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat and cook, breaking up the pieces with a wooden spoon, about 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the ground meat to some paper towels and drain. Add the chopped chiles and onions to the drippings in the skillet and sauté over medium heat until the vegetables are soft, about 10-15 minutes. Add the cooked wild rice and meat to the skillet. Sauté until everything has heated through, then stir in the pecans and season to taste with some salt and pepper.
(The stuffing can be prepared a day ahead. Cover and refrigerate once cool. If you’d like to serve as a side dish, re-warm covered in 350F. oven for 20 minutes.) Transfer the stuffing to a serving bowl and serve. If using as a stuffing, cool completely then fill the bird.
Makes about 6 cups.