Chorizo-Stuffed Jalapenos

The long weekend was spent in complete and total blissful relaxation. I cooked a few meals, watched some movies, wandered around the East Village for hours, went for a long run, and ventured out to Bed-Stuy to check out Umi Nom, a Filipino restaurant with quite an impressive reputation (pork belly adobo and pig snout tacos were had). All this mixed in with a good hunk of lazy couch time, the requisite stack of magazines and cookbooks by my side. 

It’s all running together a bit, the way good weekends sometimes do, but at some point, I got it together enough to whip up a little snack in the form of these delicious little jalapeno poppers. They’re easy as pie to make—all it takes is some mixing, scooping, and filling along with a few minutes in a hot oven to produce these hollowed out peppers stuffed with a bubbling mixture of cheeses, spices, and cilantro, all studded with satisfyingly meaty bits of spicy chorizo. These were obviously meant to be eaten sparingly as an  hors d'oeuvres or appetizer, but we made them into lunch, devouring a few too many in one sitting.

Warning: these little babies pack quite a punch in the heat department, so make sure you’re prepared with a tall glass of ice-cold water! 

Chorizo-Stuffed Jalapenos 

From The Homesick Texan, by Lisa Fain

Ingredients: 

12 medium jalapeño chiles 

1/4 pound chorizo, cooked and drained of excess fat 

8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature 

2 ounces goat cheese, room temperature 

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro 

1 teaspoon dried oregano 

1 teaspoon ground cumin 

2 cloves garlic, minced 

1/4 teaspoon cayenne 

1 teaspoon lime zest 

Salt, to taste 

Directions: 

Preheat the broiler and line a baking sheet with foil. Take each jalapeño and cut in half, lengthwise. With a knife or small spoon scoop out the seeds and white pith and discard.

Mix together the cooked chorizo, cream cheese, goat cheese, cilantro, oregano, cumin, garlic, cayenne, and lime zest. Adjust seasonings and add salt to taste.

Fill each of the jalapeño halves with about 2 teaspoons of the cheese filling. Place stuffed jalapeños on the sheet and place under the broiler for 8 to 10 minutes or until brown and bubbling.