Harvest Month- Cumin Polenta Stuffed Poblanos

Here it is, the last day of November and my final Harvest Month recipe to share. This has been a fun experiment! The idea for this meal was sparked by a recipe I spotted while perusing a Better Homes & Gardens issue I inherited on a visit to Josh's grandmother. I've obviously used corn meal before, and used pre-made polenta, but never made my own. The recipe for Cumin Polenta called out to me and I almost immediately thought about filling some poblanos with it. A quick click using the Food Blog Search in my sidebar brought me Cara's Pumpkin Polenta & Manchego Stuffed Poblanos which helped fill in the rest of the picture the Cumin Polenta had started to form in my mind. I stuffed my peppers with the BHG polenta recipe, topped with Pepper Jack cheese, and followed Cara's lead by serving them over a black bean/tomato/chile ragout. Making this polenta wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it might be, and I'll definitely be trying some different recipes for it in the future.

Cumin Polenta Stuffed Poblanos
Serves 4














4 large poblano peppers
1 14 oz. cans reduced sodium chicken broth
2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup diced yellow onion
1 clove minced garlic
1 15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 10 oz. can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1/2 cup grated Pepper Jack cheese

• Roast whole poblanos by your preferred method- stove, oven, grill, etc. I used the oven, and roast just long enough to soften, but not long enough to have to peel them.
  
• Meanwhile, in a large heavy saucepan combine broth and cumin; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; gradually whisk in cornmeal. Cook and stir until thick, about 6 to 8 minutes. Whisk in milk and butter. Season with salt and pepper.
• Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray an oven-proof skillet with lid with nonstick cooking spray and heat over medium-low heat. Cook the onions until soft, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add the diced peppers with green chilies and the black beans, bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer.
• Carefully cut a slit into each pepper and scoop out all the seeds. Fill each pepper with polenta and place on top of the black bean mixture. Top each pepper with shredded cheese and cover the skillet. Bake for about 15-20 minutes.

My notes: This polenta doesn't really firm up enough to not escape from the poblanos, so next time I might not roast the peppers beforehand and instead just cut them in half and fill. And I realize my pepper-roasting instructions are a little vague- for the life of me I can't actually remember what I did. I mean, I know I roasted them in the oven, but I can't remember what temp or for how long. I really shouldn't wait so long to share recipes- this is what happens!

Stuffed Poblanos- Chiles Por You, Chiles Por Me

Monday night I made one of the many recipes that caught my eye from the new April issue of Everyday Food. This recipe was actually easier for me than I thought it would be, and I definitely look forward to making it again. I can also see that this is a recipe that could be good a myriad of ways, depending on the variations you make. You could add corn, pinto beans, or rice to the filling to try more flavors, or even some chorizo or chicken if you don't want to stay in the veggie territory.

Stuffed Poblanos
Recipe from Everyday Food; Serves 4












1 28 oz. can whole tomatoes in puree
1 jalapeño chile, ribs and seeds removed, minced
2 small onions, chopped
3 garlic cloves (2 whole, 1 minced)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 19 oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup shredded pepper Jack cheese
1 teaspoon ground cumin
4 large poblano chiles, halved lengthwise (stems left intact), ribs and seeds removed

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a blender, combine tomatoes in puree, jalapeño, half the onions, and 2 whole garlic cloves; puree. Season with salt. Pour sauce into a 9-by-13-inch baking dish; set aside.
• In a medium bowl, combine beans, cornmeal, 1/2 cup cheese, remaining onions, minced garlic, cumin, and 3/4 cup water; season with salt and pepper.
• Dividing evenly, stuff poblano halves with bean mixture; place on top of sauce in baking dish. Sprinkle poblanos with remaining 1/2 cup cheese; cover baking dish tightly with aluminum foil.
• Bake until poblanos are tender, about 45 minutes. Uncover, and continue to cook until sauce is thickened slightly and cheese is browned, 10 to 15 minutes more. Let cool 10 minutes.

My notes: I was going to serve some of our favorite Spanish rice with this, but I couldn't find it at the stores I went to. Instead I made some brown rice, heated up some frozen corn, and mixed both with some of the tomato sauce from the dish. It tasted good and married well with the peppers. Again, I used a 15 oz. can of beans. These mysterious 19 oz. cans still elude me. My peppers could have been a bit bigger though, cause I had a little filling leftover.