Tasting Spoons

When I spotted nice, jumbo, fresh Poblano chiles at the market I got to thinking about what would go well with them, and I remembered a dish I ate at a wonderful Pasadena restaurant, the Parkway Grill. At one visit, years and years ago, I ordered as an entrée their stuffed Poblano. I believe it was an appetizer (albeit, a hearty one), but I ordered it as my entrée. At the time I’d never had a Poblano, so was particularly impressed with the flavor, not only of the chile itself, but the fresh corn and cheese that melted out of it. I wanted to lick the plate. On the occasions that I’ve been back (not numerous, alas, since it’s about 40 miles away), it’s never been on the menu again, and likely they’ve changed chefs several times in the interim anyway. Some years ago I did try to make it, but just didn’t know what I was doing; didn’t have a recipe, so was kind of flying blind.

This time I used several internet recipes as guides (not including one that’s been copycatted all over the web that includes ½ cup of pecans), adapting it to fit what I wanted and what I had on hand to put into the chiles. We had fresh white corn on the cob, fresh red and yellow bell pepper, and I just kind of winged it from there. I tasted the mixture a few times as I went along, to see if it tasted anything like what I remembered. Well, it’s been so many years, I can’t be sure, but the combination of Poblanos (which are a very mild chile, by the way) and my addition of chipotle chile in adobo sauce, plus a little squirt of concentrated chicken broth, a little feta, a bit of garlic here, a bit of cream there really added to the flavor. I forgot to add the egg (I’d intended to) so the mixture kind of fell apart. I’m glad I took a photo of it in it’s BEFORE state, since it was quite difficult to serve AFTER. If I were going to make this again, I might try to find cotija cheese (a crumbly Mexican cheese), but the feta worked just fine. I was very pleased with the salty crumbly addition. If you like more heat, add a larger chipotle chile. If you don’t like heat at all, eliminate the chipotle altogether.

A word to the wise: if you broil the Poblanos too long, the flesh of the Poblano is somewhat compromised – it becomes too fragile to handle. So, just char the peppers until they’re black, not any longer. That means hanging around in front of the oven perhaps more than you want to, but it’ll be worth it. My recollection is that the chile I had originally was still almost chewy and crunchy, so perhaps they didn’t even char it and/or remove the skin. I simply don’t remember.

My result? Absolutely fabulous. This would make a delicious entrée – there was surely enough quantity to be one. I served it with some leftovers which didn’t exactly go with it (the Mexican chicken I made a few nights ago). I think perhaps a small green salad would have been the best thing to go with it. There really was enough another peppers so if you can find medium-sized ones, make three!

Roasted Poblano Chiles Stuffed with Corn and Cheese

Recipe By: My own recipe, but inspired by a similar dish at Parkway Grill in Pasadena, California

Servings: 2

2 whole poblano peppers

2 whole corn on the cob — cut off the cob

3 tablespoons red onion — minced

1 large garlic clove — minced

2 teaspoons olive oil

3 tablespoons red bell pepper — minced

3 tablespoons yellow bell pepper — minced

1 small chipotle chile canned in adobo — minced

1/2 whole lime — juice only

1 whole egg — whisked (optional)

1 cup jack cheese — or cheddar, shredded

pepper — to taste

1/2 teaspoon chicken stock base

2 tablespoons heavy cream

3 tablespoons feta cheese — or cotija if you can find it

1.  Preheat oven to broil.

2.  Wash and dry the fresh chiles and lay them on a small cookie sheet lined with foil or a Silpat.  Place under broiler and char the peppers until the skins are black, turning them over once or twice to get all the sides, about 3-4 minutes per side.  Do not overcook them or they will fall apart once you try to remove the charred skin.  Remove from oven and cover with foil or plastic wrap (in a bowl) and let sit for 15 minutes.  When they’re cool enough to handle, using a paring knife or a paper towel, remove all the skin.  Then slit the chile from the side (from tip to stem, but leaving stem end intact) and remove seeds.  Reduce oven temperature to 350.

3.  Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a small skillet and saute the onion for about 3-4 minutes.  Add garlic and cook for just 30-60 seconds, then remove from heat.

4.  Remove corn from the cobs (even scraping some of the milk from the cobs too as they add good flavor) and place in a medium bowl.  Add the cooked onion mixture, both bell peppers and chipotle.  Add the lime juice, heavy cream and the chicken stock base that’s been dissolved in about 1 T.  of water.  Season with salt and pepper.  Taste the mixture to see if it needs additional seasoning.  If you add feta cheese as I did, it’s salty all on its own.  You may not need any salt in the corn.

5.  Add the egg and about half of the cheese (jack and feta) to the corn mixture, stir and spoon the corn into the chile, laying the chile open somewhat.  Mound the mixture a bit, then sprinkle with the additional cheese.  Place the two stuffed chiles on the same baking sheet you used to char the peppers and bake for about 20 minutes until cheese is bubbling.  Serve immediately.

Serving Ideas: You could also add some chopped, cooked chicken to this, to make a complete meal.  Also wild rice would be a good addition, or even regular white rice.  Some recipes suggested small shrimp too.  This could also be served (in smaller sized peppers) as a side dish with a Southwest-inspired menu.

Per Serving: 289 Calories; 17g Fat (48.6% calories from fat); 11g Protein; 29g Carbohydrate; 5g Dietary Fiber; 140mg Cholesterol; 263mg Sodium.

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