March 29, 2009

Three Cheese Stuffed Poblanos . . .

. . . with Black Bean Sauce and Mango Pico de Gallo.

Long name, not very photogenic, but re-e-e-a-a-l-l-l-y good. Going gluten-free is a lot easier with dinners like this one.

The mango pico de gallo was gorgeous. Focus on that for a moment before I show you the rest.

This recipe came out of a Bon Appetit mag, but it was from an advertisement for visitmexico.com. Yes, dear advertisement, I have visited Mexico, and I intend to visit again. Thanks for a delicious recipe!

And thanks for adding a picture to the recipe because your instructions were very stupid and inadequate. I’m glad I had roasted peppers before because it didn’t give me any other instructions than, “roast and peel peppers”. No oven temp, prep instructions, or the cool trick to get the peel to come off easily. (I added it to the recipe. You’re welcome.)

The black bean sauce was creamy and subtle — a perfect accent to spiciness of the pepper (but not too spicy), the sweetness of the pico, and the tanginess of the cheeses. The cheddar and jack cheese can probably be substituted, but please use the goat cheese. It really makes this dish come together.

Alright, here it is. I tried my best to make it look good (which included cropping out most of the wet cement — I mean black bean sauce). Good thing the pico was there to save the day!

Three Cheese Stuffed Poblanos with Black Bean Sauce and Mango Pico de Gallo

Ingredients:

Black Bean Sauce:
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 1/2 c black beans (about 1 14-oz can)
1 tsp chipotle paste or 1/2 tsp ground chipotle pepper
1 c heavy cream

Mango Pico de Gallo:
2 mangoes, peeled and diced
4-5 Roma/plum tomatoes, diced
1/2 c. diced red onion (or white or yellow)
1 small jalapeno, diced
juice from 1 lime
1/2 tsp chopped fresh garlic
2 T chopped fresh cilantro
salt and pepper to taste

Stuffed Poblanos:
4 poblano chiles
1 c goat cheese
1 c Monterey Jack cheese
1 c cheddar cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Cut poblanos in half, remove seeds and stems, rub with olive oil and lay them cut-side down on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place baking sheet on the upper rack in the oven. Roast for 30-40 minutes or until the peppers are soft and covered with black blisters. Remove them from the oven and place in a bowl. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap (or a lid) and allow to steam for a few minutes. When they are cool enough to handle, remove the skin and set aside. (If they roast long enough and you steam them like this, the peel should come right off. )

Prepare a 9x13 baking dish with nonstick spray and arrange the peppers inside, cut-side up. Combine cheeses in a small bowl, then spoon the cheese into the peppers. Place baking dish in the center of the oven and bake until cheese is melted, about 10-15 minutes.

To prepare the black bean sauce, heat a little oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic. Saute until onion begins to brown, about 5-7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add black beans and chipotle paste, stirring until fragrant. Finally, add the cream, stirring until heated through. Puree with an immersion blender or transfer to a blender, puree, then return sauce to the saucepan. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Meanwhile, prepare the mango pico de gallo by combining all ingredients and placing in a medium bowl. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

To serve, place a few spoonfuls of black bean sauce in a shallow bowl. Top with one or two poblano peppers and a couple spoonfuls of mango pico de gallo. Serves 4 (two halves per person).

Ad for visitmexico.com in Bon Appetit