Stuffed Red Peppers
created by Challenger, Yosei Watanabe
Battle Mango
reverse-engineered by David J Rust

Ingredients:

Steps

1. In a blender, puree the peeled and seeded mangos. Pour this puree into a mixing bowl and add the pork and pine nuts.

2. In a pot over medium heat, cook the mango/pork/nut mixture until the pork is cooked through. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

3. Slice each pepper down it's side from top to bottom; reach inside and remove the veins and seeds. Stuff each one with the pork mixture.

4. Place the stuffed peppers into a roasting dish, packed tightly against each other so they wont fall apart as they cook. Drizzle with a little oil and then place them into a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.

5. Flour the roasted peppers lightly, using massa if you prefer. In a skillet, fry the floured peppers in the peanut oil until lightly browned. Remove, drain and serve. Garnish with fresh chives.

Serves 6 as a medium entree.

Iron Chef Notes:

The challenger served this dish with another spicy side-dish: a red sauce that he felt would be unique to the tasting panel. I have no idea what was in it, but given the roasted red peppers, I'd guess it was a spicy red pepper sauce. Take some roasted red peppers, a few chipotle peppers, a shallot and a clove of garlic, puree them together in a blender and them simmer over medium-low heat for about fifteen minutes, keeping the mixture covered. Strain through a collander with large holes and serve on the side.

Cooking Notes:

Every time I try to flour and fry a cooked-and-stuffed red bell pepper, it tends to fall apart. I think the best way to keep it whole is to let it cool once it's been removed from the oven. This will help the peppers to hold together better when you flour them.