Chef it up, yo!

I can’t really remember how I came across this recipe but I found it online awhile ago and so I bookmarked it. There it managed to cling to the tiny corner of my foodie brain for weeks. I actually wanted to make it last week but probably for the first time ever Hannaford was OUT of Poblano chiles. Go figure, the first time I go to buy them and there AIN’T NO MO!

S’ok though it all happens for a reason. I’m glad I waited anyway because H and I were SO hungry tonight that it made this dinner taste even that much more amazing! Which in turn earns me lots of oohs and ahhs. Yeah, these Poblanos totally rock. We were in a food trance for the first half of dinner. Barely spoke. Lots of sounds and mmms. I made a nice fresh salad to go along with them and we shared the last of my homemade ciabatta bread (look out - future recipe post).

Now, listen up, cha’ll: I adapted (bastardized) the original recipe as usual, but didn’t totally obliterate it. The original is somewhere on the Food Network’s site - goes by the name of Polenta-Stuffed Peppers. I also wrote the recipe up to serve 2. There are only two of us and I really just hate doing math problems while I am cooking.

Damn. I forgot, one more thing…while checking out the images below, don’t be surprised by the “eyeball” you see. It’s mine. I wanted to share with you what it looks like after you wash your hands a few times and then take out your contacts after working with even just one of the mildest chiles on the Scoville scale. I wasn’t too concerned when I was taking them out because they weren’t really spicy when we ate them. Every once in awhile we would get a zing, but all in all they were pretty mild! So much for that yeowtch - but seriously, when will I learn (I have done it more than a handful of times)???? What’s it gonna take to remember to wear gloves…a friggin Habanero or, or, or pure capsaicin…??? Hay - suess!!

Polenta-Stuffed Poblanos

Serves 2

• 2 large Poblanos chiles
• ¾ tablespoon unsalted butter
• ¼ cup minced yellow onions
• ¾ tablespoon minced fresh garlic
• ½ cup fine cornmeal
• 1.75 cups chicken broth
• ¼ cup heavy cream
• 1/3 cup canned, drained corn kernels
• 1 tablespoon roughly chopped fresh basil
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro (dried is okay too)
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
• ¼ cup shredded Gruyere cheese

Wash and dry Poblanos. Cut tops off and remove seeds, stem and ribs. Slice each chile in ½ from stem end to blossom end. Arrange in a shallow, buttered baking dish.

Listen up: At this point make sure you have all of your ingredients prepped and ready to go, the polenta requires a lot of stirring so you won’t have time to do your prepping as you go! Oh yeah and preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until the onion softens, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the cornmeal and stir to mix. Slowly pour in the chicken broth, stirring to combine. Add the cream, corn, basil, cilantro, salt, and ½ of the Parmesan cheese. Cook, stirring constantly, until the polenta becomes thick, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat.

Fill the Poblanos with the polenta. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan and the Gruyere. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden and bubbling. Serve hot. (The peppers can be stuffed and baked the preceding day. To serve, bring to room temperature and reheat at 350 degrees F, for about 12 minutes).

(click on images to enlarge)

Methane Meter boasts:

Download or print recipe here:
Polenta-Stuffed Poblanos Recipe (PDF 22 kb)

This entry was posted on Thursday, March 22nd, 2007 at 9:26 pm and is filed under Mexican, Polenta. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.