Chiles Poblanos Stuffed with Coconut
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:
8 fresh poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, seeds removed through a slit in the side, stems left on
1 qt water
3 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 qt water
3 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups freshly grated coconut
6 medium dried apricots, cut into thin strips for garnish
Instructions:
Prepare the chiles and make sure they have been washed properly. Let them rest for 15 minutes in plenty of ice cold water with a little salt. Drain the chiles.
Boil the water with the sugar until a syrup is obtained, remove from the flame and add one-half of the vanilla extract. Let cool.
Submerge the chiles in the syrup overnight, drain them and submerge them again, leaving the chiles for another 2 hours in the syrup. Repeat this once more until the poblanos are caramelized and sweet. Discard the remaining syrup.
Make fresh syrup by bringing the water to a boil with the sugar and boiling for 5 minutes. Remove from the stove, add vanilla extract and let cool. Generously stuff the chiles with the fresh coconut, using only the white part of the coconut. Spoon a teaspoon of the syrup over each of the chiles and serve at room temperature with thin strips of dried apricots for garnish.
Serves 8. Heat scale: Mild.
From “Fiery Foods and BBQ” Nov/Dec 2008