TUCSON, Ariz. (KGUN) -- — We're celebrating another treat on Tasting Tucson! Sometimes all you need is a small bite that packs a lot of flavor.
If you ask our host chef Travis Peters if that's true, he would say his stuffed pepper, or 'chile relleno' recipe, at his gastro-pub The Parish', is the right combo of Southern U.S. and Sonoran cuisine.
"It's one of my wife's favorites," he said. "She grew up in Tucson like I did. It's all her favorite things, kind of in one dish." As we were getting ready to cut and make the chiles rellenos in the kitchen off of Oracle and Orange Grove, Peters shared part of his inspiration to make this popular appetizer.
"I tried to combine our southern brand, our southern food. My father is from Texas. His family grew up around gumbo and brisket... so I have a lot of southern, and then my mom's family got here from Sonora, Mexico. I love combining those two... I think the ingredients just love each other."
First, you want to get the filling right. Peters chopped up some green onions; when it comes to cilantro, he said he likes to use both the leaves and stems. "It's just got a nicer... has a really pungent flavor," he said," and it just has a different aroma than the leaves. They just go really nice together."
Once it's time to break out the stand mixer, get the greens and herbs in the bowl so you can dump in the cream cheese and goat cheese. "Whatever looks delicious," Peters said. "If it needs more, it needs more."
Next, grab a piping bag and fill it with the cheese. Before you get messy stuffing the peppers, you need to make sure they're roasted and ready. Then, cut, split them and lay them out.
Remember to pull out the seeds. Peters said it's not so you can take away the spice.
"The heat comes from this membrane right here," pointing to the interior of the pepper.
Now it's time for some fresh, colorful pico de gallo to put on top of the stuffed pepper. "The old saying is people eat with their eyes," Peters added, "and I think it's I think it's totally true. If I'm excited to see something, I'm that much more excited to eat it."
And what's a stuffed pepper without some extra bacon bits?
You can make this as an app or snack. Peters said he's even liked to pair these with some grilled chicken for a whole meal.
