I’ve been cooking a lot of ethnic food lately, and I just can’t seem to curb that craving for heat! Growing up, I couldn’t even have mild sauce on my Taco Bell, but these days I seem to be ordering dishes medium spicy and hot when I’m in a daring mood. I tend to eat about a third of my entree when dishes are spicy…which seems like a great dieting technique when you don’t consider the longterm effects and possibly burning a hole in your esophagus.
Right so where was I…craving Chile Rellenos but not needing the breading on the outside. I was looking for a way to make a healthier Chile Relleno, which for those of you not familiar is a poblano pepper stuffed with a mixture of Mexican cheeses, vegetables and sometimes meat. It’s then breaded in a batter and fried and served with a nice tomato-based sauce. Frontera Grill in Chicago has an awesome version of it, although last I knew it was only made in limited quantities.
Below is my recipe for stuffed poblano peppers. To make it tastier, I would make a nice mixture of Mexican cheeses like Queso Oaxaca or Chihuahua. You can make a vegetarian version, just mix in the marinade ingredients with your veggies.
Serves 2 people
Peppers:
- 4 Poblano peppers
- 1/2 bunch swiss chard
- 3 oz. Monterey Jack cheese (shredded)
- 6oz. pork tenderloin
- 1 can Chiles in adobo sauce (in the Latin American aisle)
- pinch cumin
- pinch coriander
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 Tbsp. Cilantro
- 1/2 lime
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 4oz. can diced tomatoes
- 1/4 of a yellow onion (roughly chopped)
- 1 clove garlic (choppped)
- salt and pepper to taste
- For the sauce, combine in a food processor and blend until uniform. Heat in a saucepan for about 10 minutes. Reheat when about to serve.
- Cut the pork tenderloin into small pieces about 1-2 cm cubes and put in a tupperware container. Squeeze half a lime juice into the container with a pinch of cumin and coriander, pinch salt. Mince the garlic and half a can of adobo peppers (and half the sauce in the can), add them to the container. Then finely chop some cilantro and add that to the mixture. Stir well and let marinate in the fridge while you prep the rest.
- Roast your poblano peppers on a grill or gas stove range until the skin blisters and is black. I did this under my oven broiler for a few minutes. You just want the skin to blister, but be careful not to overcook the peppers or they’ll be too soft to work with.
- Once peppers are blistered on all sides, carefully put them in a tupperware container and put the lid on for about 5 minutes. The steam from the hot peppers will release the skin. Carefully peel off the blistered skin, it’s okay if all the skin doesn’t come off. Put aside to cool.
- Clean your swiss chard and remove the thick stem running down the middle of the leaf. Chop the leafy parts into smaller pieces like 4 inches long (just so they’re not too large or too small). Sautee the swiss chard in a pan with about 1 tsp. olive oil until wilted. Season with salt and pepper.
- Heat some olive oil in a fry pan and cook the marinated pork. Once fully cooked, combine with the swiss chard and set aside to cool.
- Take a paring knife and carefully cut a 2-3 inch slit up the side of each poblano pepper. Carefully remove the seeds and any membranes, the peppers will be fragile to handle.
- Fill the poblanos with half the cheese, then add spoonfuls of the pork/veggie mixture into the peppers. Top with the rest of the cheese and stick in the oven at 350 degrees for about 5-8 minutes just until cheese is melted.
- Spoon some sauce on a plate and serve the peppers on top.
