August 15, 2024 - This Week's Box Contents Featuring Poblano Peppers

 

What's In The Box

Poblano Peppers: This pepper is dark green in color with wide shoulders and a pointed tip. Poblano peppers have a moderate level of heat. They are flavorful peppers, especially when roasted. Read more about poblano peppers and how to use them in this week’s vegetable feature article.

Sun Orange or Red Grape or Chocolate Sprinkles Tomatoes: These little tomatoes make a great grab-n-go snack, but you can also incorporate them into recipes for appetizers and main dishes. Check out this week’s recipe suggestions for a few ways to put them to use!

Variety of Large Tomatoes: Remove your tomatoes from the paper bag they are packed in and lay them out at room temperature. Assess each one for their degree of ripeness and keep your eye on them from day to day as they finish ripening.

Green Tomatillos: Remove and discard the inedible outer husk. The fruit inside of the husk is entirely usable, no need to peel, remove seeds, etc. You will notice the tomatillo may feel a little tacky on the skin, which is normal. Just wash before you use them.

Italian Garlic: Store at room temperature until you are ready to use it. When cooking garlic, be careful not to over caramelize (aka burn) it or the flavor will be bitter.

Red and/or Yellow Onions: We are working diligently to get our onions and shallots topped and crated this week, so they are tucked away safely when the next summer heat wave comes through! Store your onions at room temperature until ready for use. Incorporate them into cooked dishes, raw salads, or add them to sandwiches!

 

Broccoli: What do you do with less than a pound of broccoli? Add it to a stir-fry, blanch it and add it as a component to a simple grain bowl for a quick lunch, combine it with fresh tomatoes to make a simple pasta dish, or incorporate it into a quiche, casserole, or hot dish!

Green or Italian Zucchini: There are other ways, aside from freezing shredded zucchini, to preserve zucchini. Consider making dehydrated zucchini chips! Either use them as a snack or add them to soups and stews in the winter.

Orange Carrots: If you are a meal-prepper, consider shredding all of your carrots and stage them in your refrigerator. Use them to add moisture, flavor, and all-around goodness to recipes!

Red Thumb Fingerling Potatoes: The beauty of a fingerling potato is its long, slender shape. The flesh on this potato is more dry and starchy. It’s a good candidate for pan-frying and sauteing. Cut in half, lengthwise, and cook with a shimmer of oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Part way through cooking, cover the pan and use a combination method of indirect heat to steam and tenderize the potatoes while also crisping up the cut side!

Melons or Cucumbers: We still aren’t seeing very large harvest numbers coming out of the melon field, but the ones we have trialed have been quite tasty! Your box this week will contain either a melon variety, or some of our green and/or silver slicer cucumbers. More of both coming soon!

Edamame: Edamame is a type of soybean intended for fresh eating, not processing as for tofu or oil. It is easiest to remove the beans from the pod (which is inedible) AFTER they are cooked. Check out our blog post from a previous year for more information and guidance.

Rainbow Chard: While many don’t think to pair chard with poblano peppers, it’s actually quite good! In this week’s Cooking With the Box information, we share a tasty recipe from a previous year that makes use of both rainbow chard and poblano peppers.

Green Beans: We are nearing the end of green bean season, with just one more planting coming in after this! If you are interested in purchasing a larger quantity, check out next week’s Produce Plus options!

Recipe Suggestions & Inspiration For This Week’s Box Contents

How To Roast Poblano Peppers

25 Poblano Pepper Recipes

Creamy Roasted Poblano Pasta

Chile Relleno White Mac & Cheese

Spaghetti Verde (Spicy spaghetti with tomatillos, poblano peppers and jalapeños!)

Prime Rib Sandwich with Garlic Mayo & Roasted Poblano Peppers

Homemade Southwest Style Pizza with Corn, Chorizo & Poblanos

Fried Poblano Pepper Rings

Roasted Poblano Cilantro Sauce

Chicken & Poblano Chowder

Corn & Poblano Lasagna (with Zucchini) 

Creamy Chicken & Greens with Roasted Poblano (Includes Rainbow Chard

Cheeseburger Pie with Roasted Poblanos and Corn

Vegetable Enchiladas with Tomatillo Cream Sauce

Caramelized Poblano & Onion Dip

Roasted Poblano, Onion & Jack Quesadilla

Thai-Inspired Zucchini & Tofu Curry

Savory Tomato Clafoutis

Baked Feta with Cherry Tomatoes

Zucchini & Tomato Casserole

Roasted Eggplant Parmesan with Zucchini & Goat Cheese

Lemon Zucchini Pasta with Fresh Basil

Broccoli Pasta Salad with Pecorino and Mint

Best Thai Red Curry with Eggplant & Tofu

Moussaka (Greek eggplant & beef casserole) 

Skillet Roasted Fingerling Potatoes

Crispy Smashed Fingerling Potatoes with Garlic Parmesan Aioli

Fried Rice with Edamame & Corn

Crispy Zucchini Chips

10 Unexpected Ways to Use Shredded Carrots

Vegetable Feature: Poblano Peppers

Poblano peppers are a standout pepper when it comes to hot peppers for one simple reason—Flavor!  Some peppers are just hot, and then there are a few that balance their heat with flavor making the whole eating experience more enjoyable.  Poblano peppers are dark green with wide shoulders and a pointy bottom.  They have a thinner wall than bell peppers, but thick enough that they hold up to roasting very well.  In fact, roasting is the process that amplifies and develops the flavor of a poblano.  As I mentioned, poblanos are a hot pepper with a mild to medium level of heat.

Preparation & Usage

Poblano peppers may be eaten raw, sauteed, grilled, or roasted.  Roasting peppers is very easy and can be done over a direct, open flame or in the oven.  If you have a gas stovetop, roast the poblanos directly on your burners over a high flame.  If you have a small rack, you can put that over the burner.  The other direct flame method is to roast them on a grill.  If you want to use an oven, it’s best to roast them under a broiler.  Roast until most of the skin is blackened.  You’ll have to turn them periodically to blacken all sides evenly.  Stay close and don’t walk away because sometimes this happens quickly, especially under a broiler.  Once the skin is charred, put the peppers in a covered bowl or a paper bag so they can steam and cool slightly for about 10 minutes.  Once cool enough to handle, use the back of a knife to scrape away the skin.  Remove the stem and scrape away all the seeds from the inside of the pepper.  Now you’re ready to add roasted poblano peppers to whatever dish you’re preparing!

While the shape of poblano peppers makes them a good candidate for stuffing with a filling, there are many other ways to use them.  They pair well with summer & fall vegetables such as tomatoes, sweet corn, sweet peppers, potatoes, zucchini, winter squash, sweet potatoes and dried beans.  They also pair well with cream, cheese, sour cream and dairy in general which is a nice complement to their heat.  Creamy poblano sauce can be used to make potato gratin, pasta dishes, or as a sauce to top off enchiladas or grilled chicken or beef.  If you don’t have a recipe in mind already, I would recommend you take a look at the recipes we’ve included in past newsletters.  Many of the recipes in this list have received excellent member feedback!

Storage Tips

The appropriate storage temperature for peppers is 45-50°F, which is warmer than your home refrigerator should be. Peppers may get chill injury if stored for prolonged periods of time in temperatures less than 45-50°F. Thus, it’s better to store them at room temperature. If they start to get a little soft, they are still good and should be used soon. They may also turn red in color, which is simply a sign that they are continuing to ripen. Store peppers in a paper bag and avoid extra moisture that can cause spoiling.

Message from Andrea

Hello Everyone! 

This week’s vegetable feature is one of my favorite summer vegetables, Poblano Peppers! I love the flavor poblano peppers impart on dishes and there are many ways to utilize them beyond the typical Chile Relleno. I do not have a specific feature recipe for you this week, but rather an extended list of recipe suggestions in hopes that you’ll find something that appeals to you. In the list of suggestions I included a few of the most popular recipes from past CSA seasons. This recipe for Creamy Chicken & Greens with Roasted Poblano which is a great way to utilize this week’s rainbow chard. This recipe for Cheeseburger Pie with Roasted Poblanos and Corn is another tasty hit. And lastly, while this recipe for Vegetable Enchiladas with Tomatillo Cream Sauce is a little more of a labor investment, it’s totally worth the time it takes to make it and it incorporates a lot of the vegetables from this week’s box! 

Have fun cooking and eating through this week’s box and I’ll see you back next week!