Stuffed roasted chiles

1 Pick a protein

• Ground beef ½ lb, as picadillo Browned 6–8 minutes, then cooked down with apple, onion, and chile.
• Monterey jack 4 oz, in batons No meat. Tucked into each chile.

2 Pick a flavor

• Sweet and crisp Apple + lime + cilantro Shredded apple tossed with lime, salt, and cilantro. A slaw in thirty seconds.
• Smoky Charred chile strips + lime Strips of roasted chile, lime squeezed over.
• Pickled Escabeche + a little brine A spoonful of the jar with its brine. Crunch and acid. How to make the escabeche →

You'll need

• 4 poblanos
• 1 can whole tomatoes
• ¼ white onion, plus a little more for the picadillo
• 1 garlic clove
• ½ apple, diced (for the picadillo)
• Olive oil and salt
• Cilantro and a lime

Plus your protein and your flavor.

Make it

Tap a step when it's done.

1. 15 minChar the poblanos on a burner or under the broiler until black all over. Cover them in a bowl for 15 minutes, then peel. Slit each down one side and pull out the seeds.
2. 425°FHeat the oven. Blend the tomatoes with the onion, garlic, and a pinch of salt.
3. 10–12 minPicadillo: brown the beef hard, then add a little diced onion, the apple, one chopped strip of chile, salt, and a few spoonfuls of the blended tomato. Cook until thick.
4. Stuff each chile with picadillo or cheese. Pour the rest of the tomato into a baking dish and set the chiles in it.
5. 15 minBake until the filling is hot and the cheese gives.
6. FinishYour flavor, cilantro, and lime at the table.

Leftovers

One chile and its sauce is tomorrow's lunch. It reheats well.