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.