Picadillo Poppers

(23)

If you want a sauce to serve with these Mexican bites, thin one 8-ounce carton of sour cream with a little milk and stir in 1/2 cup ground toasted almonds or pecans, a squeeze of lime juice, and a pinch of ground cinnamon.

Picadillo Poppers
Photo: Scott Little
Prep Time:
45 mins
Grill Time:
8 mins
Total Time:
53 mins
Yield:
24 poppers

Ingredients

  • 8 ounce lean ground beef

  • cup chopped onion (1 small)

  • 1 8.8 ounce pouch cooked Spanish-style rice

  • 1 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese (4 ounces)

  • ½ cup golden raisins

  • ½ cup sliced pimiento-stuffed green olives

  • 1 - 2 tablespoon dry sherry or lime juice

  • 24 fresh plump jalapeño peppers*

  • Shredded Monterey Jack cheese (optional)

Directions

  1. For filling, in a large skillet cook ground beef and onion over medium-high heat until meat is brown and onion is tender, using a wooden spoon to break up meat as it cooks. Drain off fat. Stir in cooked rice, the 1 cup cheese, raisins, olives, and sherry. Set aside.

  2. Cut a lengthwise slit in one side of each jalapeño pepper to create a pocket, being careful not to cut the pepper in half. Cut a very small crosswise slit on both ends of the long slit, making an I-shape opening. Leave stem intact and use a small spoon to remove seeds and scrape out membranes. Spoon filling into peppers.

  3. Place filled peppers, slit sides up, in a greased grill basket or on a greased vegetable grilling pan. For a charcoal grill, grill peppers in basket on the rack of a covered grill directly over medium coals for 8 to 12 minutes or until peppers are crisp-tender and filling is heated through. (For a gas grill, preheat grill. Reduce heat to medium. Place peppers in basket on grill rack over heat. Cover and grill as above.)

  4. If desired, sprinkle grilled peppers with additional cheese.

Broiling Directions:

Preheat broiler. Prepare as directed through Step 2. Place filled peppers, slit sides up, on the unheated rack of a broiler pan. Broil 6 to 7 inches from the heat about 5 minutes or until peppers are crisp-tender and filling is heated through. If desired, sprinkle with additional cheese.

*

Because chile peppers contain volatile oils that can burn your skin and eyes, avoid direct contact with them as much as possible. When working with chile peppers, wear plastic or rubber gloves. If your bare hands do touch the peppers, wash your hands and nails well with soap and warm water.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)

74 Calories
4g Fat
7g Carbs
4g Protein
Nutrition Facts
Calories 74
% Daily Value *
Total Fat 4g 5%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Cholesterol 11mg 4%
Sodium 107mg 5%
Total Carbohydrate 7g 3%
Total Sugars 3g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 6.5mg 33%
Calcium 40.4mg 3%
Iron 0.5mg 3%
Potassium 97mg 2%
Folate, total 8.1mcg
Vitamin B-12 0.2mcg
Vitamin B-6 0.1mg

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

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