Pork and Gruyere Stuffed Peppers

Flexibility is the key to so much happiness in life. Being able to set aside your expectations so you can engage with what is actually happening transforms experiences. That might seem like a very existential beginning to a recipe post but it typifies this dish for me. Once upon a time it was a recipe for stuffed tomatoes. I made it a lot, especially coming into late summer when the tomatoes seemed endless and you could actually find some that were big enough to stuff and had enough flavor to be worth it.

Then I got rid of the cookbook because I had it in my head. Of course you never have a recipe perfectly in your head and so out goes the marjoram and in comes the oregano. You forget the soy sauce and add in a little Worchestershire instead. It shifts and changes based on what you have until, eventually, you find you’re making it in peppers and putting the stuffing into butternut squash or over baked sweet potatoes. You’re roasting some cherry tomatoes on the side and having it just with that over rice. Suddenly, a collection of ingredients and techniques aren’t just one thing but become an open door of possibility.

But I never would have gotten there if I hadn’t been flexible which is why I love home kitchens. There’s no pressure for things to come out exactly the same way every time like in a restaurant and while that goes sideways every once in awhile I think it happens much less often than people are afraid of. If you start with things that are good to eat, you’re probably going to end up with something that’s good to eat. So be heartened. And know that even though there is a list of ingredients and instructions below that doesn’t mean that’s the only thing you can do with that list of ingredients.

Gruyere is a great cheese to cook with. It’s similar to what Americans call Swiss cheese but has more flavor and a better melting consistency. There’s a bit of salt in it so it can stand up to quite strong flavors and in something like French onion soup it gives you that satisfying pull as you’re bringing your spoon to your mouth. It’s widely available but if you can’t find it you can sub in Emmental. And really, if we’re talking about flexibility here, cheddar is never going to make anything worse.