Every time a recipe calls for green bell peppers, I groan. Because, these days, cultivated green bell peppers are pretty horrible: rubbery, tasteless, old, and expensive. Almost $3 a pound? You've got to be kidding. Most of the time, I just leave the peppers out. But there are some recipes you really need a pepper for, like sloppy Joes. So, what does a girl do? How about replacing bell peppers with Anaheims or pasillas, my brain suggested as I browsed the produce section of an upscale chain supermarket with half-rotten vegetables.
The thing is, Anaheims and pasillas are almost half the price. And they give really good flavor. My only caveat is that if you use pasillas, make sure you fry them for at least ten minutes on low heat, because they're a bit tough. Pasillas, which are actually poblanos, are usually roasted, so they need a bit more extra care if you're going to use them like bell peppers (apparently, US stores always mislabel fresh poblanos as pasillas).
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