Three Cheese Stuffed Poblano Chiles Recipes

STUFFED POBLANO CHILES ("CHILES RELLENOS")

Steps:

• Sauce: Put the tomatoes, garlic and onion in a blender. Blend until smooth. In a medium saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Chile rellenos: Mix the cheese and oregano in a small bowl. Cut a slit through 1 side of the charred chiles and fill each chile with 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture. Close with toothpicks to hold the filling in place. In a medium bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. Add the egg yolk and continue to beat for about 1 minute.
• In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, pour in enough oil to fill the pan about a third of the way. Heat over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 375 degrees F. (If you don't have a thermometer a cube of bread will brown in about 3 minutes.) Dredge the filled chiles in flour until fully covered. Shake off any excess flour, then dip the chiles into the egg mixture, until well coated. Fry until golden brown and drain on paper towels.
• Arrange the chiles on a serving platter, spoon the sauce on top and serve.

STUFFED POBLANO CHILES IN A CREAMY WALNUT SAUCE

Steps:

• In a medium heavy skillet, heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 3 minutes. Add the pork, ground sirloin, bay leaf, cinnamon stick, salt and pepper and cook at medium heat until meat loses its pink color and is cooked through, about 7 minutes. Add the dried apples, apricots, and sweetened pineapple and remove from the heat. Add the ground cinnamon and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Set aside. Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaf and discard.
• Sauce: Put the walnuts, Mexican crema and goat cheese in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth and silky, about 2 minutes. Sauce should coat the back of a spoon. (If the sauce is too thin, add more walnuts and puree. If too thick, add more cream.) Season with salt, to taste.
• Cut a lengthwise slit into each chile and carefully cut out seeds with kitchen shears, leaving the stem intact. (For less spice, carefully remove the veins.)
• Spoon the filling into the chiles, then close, slightly overlapping the sides of the openings. Transfer the stuffed chiles, seam sides up, to plates and pour about 1/3 cup the walnut sauce over each chile, leaving some of the chile visible. Sprinkle with parsley leaves and pomegranate seeds. Serve warm or at room temperature.
• *Cook's Note: To peel the walnuts: Cook in boiling water for 1 minute and drain. When cool enough to handle, use a paring knife to remove the skins. Peeling the walnuts before adding them to the sauce will make a smoother, whiter sauce. Unpeeled walnuts can be used, but the texture will be a little grainy and slightly bitter.

POBLANOS STUFFED WITH CORN AND CHEESE

Steps:

• Heat broiler. Coat both a large baking sheet and a 9 x15 baking dish with cooking spray.
• Place poblano on baking sheet and broil 5 inches from heat for 15 to 20 minutes, turning often to char evenly. Transfer to a bowl, cover and let cool 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat butter and oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add scallions and garlic; cook 1 to 2 minutes, stirring often, to wilt scallions. Add corn; cook 2 to 3 minutes then add cilantro. Remove from heat and stir in farmer cheese and salt.
• Heat oven to 350*F. Carefully remove the loosened chard skin from the poblanos. Cut in half lengthwise; remove core and seeds. Arrange poblano in baking dish in single layer. Fill each with about 1/2 cup corn mixture.
• Bake 10 minutes, top with Cheddar cheese and bake 5 minutes to melt cheese.

STUFFED POBLANOS

Steps:

• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook and stir turkey in the hot skillet until browned and crumbly, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and discard grease. Stir in green chiles and taco seasoning. Add cream cheese in spoonfuls and blend into meat. Stir in salsa and green onions. Season with salt. Simmer until bubbly, about 2 minutes. Add Monterey Jack cheese; cook and stir until melted, about 3 minutes more.
• Set an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
• Place peppers onto the prepared baking sheet. Cook under the preheated broiler until the skin of the peppers has blackened and blistered, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove peppers and turn the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Place blackened peppers into a zip-top bag and let steam as they cool, about 15 minutes. Pull off and discard the outer skins, being careful not to tear the peppers. Slice peppers down one side and remove seeds.
• Add stuffing to peppers and place in a baking pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

JUAN DIEGO MICHEL'S CHEESE-STUFFED POBLANOS

Steps:

• Preheat broiler.
• Broil tomatoes, onion, and garlic in a foil-lined shallow baking pan 2 to 3 inches from heat, turning frequently, until lightly charred on all sides, about 5 minutes for garlic, 12 to 15 minutes for onion and tomatoes (flesh should be soft). Alternatively, char vegetables in a hot well-seasoned griddle or cast-iron skillet over moderate heat.
• Core tomatoes and peel garlic, then purée both with onion and salt in a blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot ingredients). Force through a large sieve into a bowl, discarding solids.
• Heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil in a wide 4-quart heavy pot over moderately high heat until just hot. Stir about 1/2 cup tomato sauce into oil (this reduces spattering) and, when bubbling vigorously, add remaining sauce and basil. Fry sauce, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 10 minutes.
• Add grapes, plantains, and mangoes to sauce and simmer gently, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened and fruit is tender but still intact, about 30 minutes. Season sauce with salt.
• While sauce is simmering, preheat oven to 350°F.
• Pour sauce over stuffed chiles and bake, covered with foil, until cheese is completely melted and sauce is bubbling, about 30 minutes.

CHEESE-STUFFED POBLANOS WITH TOMATO SAUCE (CHILES RELLENOS DE QUESO)

Steps:

• Roast chiles:
• Roast chiles on their sides on racks of gas burners (1 or 2 per burner) over medium-high heat, turning with tongs, until skins are blistered and slightly charred, 4 to 6 minutes. (Or broil on rack of a broiler pan about 2 inches from heat.) Immediately transfer to a large bowl and cover, then let stand 20 minutes.
• Make tomato sauce while chiles stand:
• Purée all sauce ingredients except oil with 11/4 teaspoons salt in a blender until smooth, then strain through a medium-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing on solids, then discarding them.
• Heat oil in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet or heatproof casserole (preferably one that can go to the table) over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Carefully pour in sauce and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes (sauce should still be thin). Season with salt.
• Stuff and fry chiles:
• Carefully rub off skins from chiles, leaving stems attached. Cut a slit lengthwise in each chile with kitchen shears, then carefully cut out seedpod (including attached ribs) without tearing chile (hotter chiles smell stronger when cut). Wipe chiles clean with a paper towel if necessary.
• Stuff chiles with cheese and enclose filling by overlapping slit slightly if possible, then transfer to a plate. (Use a toothpick to mark any hotter chiles if desired.)
• Heat 1/2 inch oil in another 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until it registers 360°F on thermometer.
• While oil heats, beat egg whites with 1/8 teaspoon salt using an electric mixer until they just hold stiff peaks. Whisk yolks with 1/8 teaspoon salt in a large bowl, then gently fold in whites.
• Put flour in a fine-mesh sieve and dust chiles, turning them to lightly coat all sides.
• When oil is ready, dip chiles, 1 at a time (hold chile by stem), in egg coating, spooning it over chile to cover completely, then fry, turning once, until golden on all sides (lap oil over any lighter areas), 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer chiles with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.
• Meanwhile, reheat sauce over low heat. Lay chiles in sauce to serve.

STUFFED AND BAKED POBLANO CHILES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
• Remove stems and seeds carefully from roasted chiles. Try to keep the chiles as intact as possible.
• In a medium bowl, combine corn and beans, shredded cheese and salsa. Stir to mix thoroughly. Fill each hollowed out pepper with stuffing and place in a shallow baking dish.
• In a small bowl, combine bread crumbs, cornmeal and garlic salt. Pour in melted butter and mix thoroughly with a fork until it is uniformly moistened. Sprinkle crumb mixture over chiles.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or until crumb topping is golden brown.