Stuffed Peppers with Melon Salsa (c)2011 LaDomestique.com

Right now I’m completely enthralled by the gorgeous red chili peppers from New Mexico. When I saw the mountain of peppers at the grocery store, I thought they would be perfect for melon week: heat plus sweet is a beautiful combination. An idea for Stuffed Peppers with Melon Salsa popped into my head. It feels like I’m in a grilling frenzy, trying to enjoy summer as the season fades into fall. I decided to stuff the peppers with grilled chicken and goat cheese, then grill the peppers. Oh yes I did.  So very, very good.

Grilling chicken is tricky. Too often it’s dry and charred and not nice at all. I like to grill the whole chicken leg, bone-in and skin-on. The bones and skin keep the meat moist and tender, not to mention flavorful. Get the grill nice and hot, but once the chicken is on turn the heat down to medium-low. It’s going to take about twenty minutes for the chicken legs to cook, and you don’t want to have the heat so high that the meat gets dried out.

After grilling the meat is allowed to rest for a bit, then shredded and stuffed into the beautiful peppers with some soft, crumbly goat cheese. Throw the peppers on the grill for a few minutes and then serve them over rice and black beans. Here’s where the melons come into the picture. Looking for variety in color, I picked the green fleshed Galia, cantaloupe, and white fleshed honeydew. Dice the melons and toss in onion with a tiny red chile. Lime juice is a melon’s best friend, cutting through the sweetness with bright acidity. A splash of olive oil and a pinch of sea salt is all you need and voilà- you’ve got fresh salsa!

Stuffed Peppers with Melon Salsa

serves 2

For the Salsa

1/2 cup red onion, diced
1 teaspoon diced small red chili
1/2 cup diced Galia melon (1/2 inch pieces)
1/2 cup diced cantaloupe (1/2 inch pieces)
1/2 cup diced white fleshed honeydew (1/2 inch pieces)
juice and zest of 1 lime
extra-virgin olive oil
pinch of sea salt

For the Peppers

2 chicken legs, bone-in, skin-on (thigh and drumstick attached)
4 long red chili peppers
2 ounces soft goat cheese, crumbled
cilantro
extra-virgin olive oil
sea salt

Pull the chicken from the refrigerator and set it out on a plate to come to room temperature before cooking.

Make the salsa no more than 1 hour ahead. Combine the red onion, red chile, and all the diced melons in a bowl. Grate lime zest over the fruit. Pour in the lime juice and a splash of olive oil. Sprinkle with sea salt and give the salsa a toss.

Grill the chicken legs. Pre-heat the grill to medium high. Rub the chicken with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Place the chicken on the grill, turn the heat to medium-low, and shut the lid. Cook for about 20 minutes, turning the chicken legs every 5 minutes. The chicken is cooked when the juices run clear, remove it from the grill and cover with foil for 10 minutes. After the chicken is done resting, shred the meat so it can be used to stuff the peppers.

Cook the peppers. Heat the grill on high. Cut a slit down the center of the peppers and remove the seeds (which is where all the heat comes from). Stuff the peppers with goat cheese and shredded chicken. Rub the peppers with olive oil and place them on the grill. Close the lid and cook the peppers on medium heat for 5-10 minutes until charred and heated throughout. No need to turn the peppers as you could loose the filling. Remove the peppers from the grill.

Serve 2 grilled peppers per person over rice and black beans. Garnish with cilantro and place the salsa on the table.