Chile Rellenos with Corn-and-Okra Succotash
This chile pepper is often mislabeled ‘Pasilla’, which is a different pepper entirely.It is one of the most popular chiles in Mexico and has won the appreciation of many a chef worldwide because of the superior flavor it has over regular bell peppers.
They have a tough outer skin that usually requires roasting and peeling before use. These very large chile peppers are most popular in chiles rellenos recipes, but cooking with these as a substitute for bell peppers in any recipe will enhance the flavor.
Ingredients:
1 head of garlic, halved crosswise
1 Tbsp olive oil, plus more for rubbing
10 poblano chiles
3 oz thickly sliced bacon, cut into small dice (1/2 cup)
2 oz dry Spanish chorizo, cut into small dice
2 ears of corn, kernels cut off
1/2 medium red onion, cut into small dice
1/2 red bell pepper, cut into small dice
1 celery rib, minced
1/2 lb okra, sliced crosswise 1/2 inch thick (about 2 cups)
1/2 tsp Tim Love’s Wild Game Rub
1 bay leaf
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
6 oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded (2 cups)
Instructions:
Preheat the oven to 350°. In a pie plate, rub the head of garlic with olive oil and roast until tender, about 45 minutes. Squeeze the garlic cloves out of the skins.
Meanwhile, light a grill. Grill the poblanos over high heat or cook them directly over a gas flame, turning, until charred all over. Transfer the chiles to a plate, let cool slightly, then rub off the skins. Make a slit along one side of each chile. Using scissors, snip out the cores and scoop out the seeds.
Heat a large saucepan. Add the 1 tablespoon of oil, the bacon and chorizo and cook over moderate heat for 4 minutes, stirring. Add the corn, onion, bell pepper, celery and roasted garlic and cook, stirring, until the vegetables are softened, about 7 minutes. Add the okra, Wild Game Rub, bay leaf and broth and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook over moderately low heat, until the liquid is thickened, about 7 minutes. Season the succotash with salt and pepper, remove from the heat and let cool. Discard the bay leaf.
Season the insides of the poblanos with salt. Arrange in a large cast-iron skillet or casserole. Spoon the filling into the poblanos and sprinkle with the cheese. Set the skillet on the grill, close the lid and grill over moderately low heat for 20 minutes, until the filling is hot and the cheese is melted. Alternatively, cover the skillet and bake in a 350° oven for 20 minutes. Serve hot.
Makes 10 stuffed peppers.
Recipe by Tim Love, foodandwine.com