Stuffed Poblano Chiles

I like Mexican food but I hardly ever cook it and am not too familiar with the ways to prepare it. Besides, in the US you can find the best Mexican restaurants outside Mexico and it is hard to improve on what you can get there. Also, from my humble experience with Mexican cuisine, I find it quite labor intensive, which sometimes makes it difficult to experiment with in a daily busy life.

But once in while I cannot resist a look of some typically Latin American ingredients, particularly vegetables, and I buy them without having any specific idea what to make from them. This was the case with poblano chiles. They are always very fresh, shiny, and as aromatic as the peppers I remember from my childhood in Poland.

So, last week, I bought them again. Then I reached for inspiration to the only Mexican cook book I have at home. I found there a recipe for chiles stuffed with cheese in tomato sauce. The recipe appeared delicious as there is no better combination than peppers, tomatoes, and cheese. Later, looking on the internet for other ideas, I discovered that this particular recipe is very popular and features among the classic Mexican dishes.

I grilled the chiles, stuffed them, fried, and my Sunday lunch was ready. I must admit that it is quite a fulfilling dish and just one or two chiles make the whole serving. They reminded me slightly of the dish I made with the zucchini blossoms, probably because I fried them in a batter. However, this chile dish is better defined and spicy and the cheese makes it much richer making it more suitable for a fall menu.

Stuffed Poblano Chiles
(Serves four)

Ingredients:
4 poblano chiles,
1 tbsp white vinegar,
1 small onion peeled,
3 medium ripe tomatoes,
1 garlic clove,
1 tbsp olive oil,
2 cups grated Monterey Jack or medium sharp Cheddar (or a mixture of both),
2 small eggs,
1/2 cup flour,
vegetable oil for frying.

Preparation:
1. Place the whole chiles with stems under a preheated broil and grill them until their skin becomes puffy and charred. Remove them from the oven, place in a paper bag or a container with a lid and let them cool.

2. Peel off cold chiles and making a small cut alongside remove the inside membranes and seeds, making sure not to damage the chiles too much.
3. Stuff each chile with cheese through the cut and close them carefully to preserve its shape.
4. Spread the flour on the plate, coat the chiles in flour and set them aside.

5. In an electric blender puree tomatoes, onion, and garlic. Heat the oil in a small pan and add the sauce to it. Bring the sauce to boil, season with salt and pepper and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. 6. When the sauce is cooking, separate eggs. Beat the whites until stiff then add yolks and gently mix them in. 7. In a large frying skillet heat the vegetable oil (about 4 tbsp). Coat the chiles in the egg mixture and fry them in the oil on both sides until lightly brown. Drain them of the excess oil on a paper towel. 8. Arrange chiles on a serving plate, cover with a hot tomato sauce and serve with white breads.

Peppers Roasted with the Haloumi Cheese

Summer is about bright colors and beautiful fresh and aromatic vegetables. So today, after summer's best tomatoes, cucumbers, and herbs, it is time to try peppers. I bought mine at the local farmers market. This time I used red but next time I intend to try this dish also with the new, purple kind, which I saw at the market.

I recently tested this Mediterranean dish on a friend who is very familiar with Mexican cuisine. And maybe because it was made with peppers, he loved it. When I made the dish and the house was filled with an aroma of roasted peppers it reminded him the aroma of the roasted Mexican poblanos, which is one of the most memorable aromas of his childhood.

It is simply a wonderful summer dish when locally grown peppers are sweet and full of flavor. Peppers are filled with the Haloumi cheese, originally to be found in the traditional Middle Eastern food stores, but now becoming quite popular and pretty widely available. A little bit of oil, lemon juice, spices and the dish is ready. It can be served with a warm white baguette or fresh pita bread, as a dish in itself, or as a starter.

Peppers Roasted with the Haloumi Cheese
(Serves 4)

Ingredients:
4 bell peppers,
1/2 lb Haloumi cheese,
1/4 cup roasted pine nuts,
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil,
juice from one lemon,
a couple of branches of fresh thyme,
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped,
one tbsp caper fruits or seeds to serve with (optional),
salt and pepper to taste.

Preparation:
1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Wash peppers and cut them in half (you can leave stems) and remove seeds with white membranes. Rub the skin of peppers with oil and place them on a baking sheet.
3. In a small bowl mix remaining oil, lemon juice, salt, pepper, and half of thyme leaves. Spread the mixture inside the peppers.
4. Slice the Haloumi cheese and divide it among peppers. Toss the rest of the thyme leaves and pine nuts on top.

5. Bake for about 20 minutes until the peppers turn brown and Haloumi melts and becomes slightly gold.
6. Serve immediately, as Haloumi will harden as it cools.