Stuffed Poblano Peppers with Avocado-Cilantro Sauce
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.
Yields 4-6 Servings
Ingredients
6 whole poblano peppers ( if peppers are very large, use 3, split in half length wise)
1 sweet potato- 2 Cups, small dice
1 corn on the cob, shucked, kernels cut
1 C finely diced onion
4 garlic cloves- rough chopped
1 C cooked black beans
¼ C -½ C crumbled queso fresco cheese, mozzarella, jack, goat cheese or feta (optional)
1 T Cumin
2 tsp coriander
½ tsp chile powder
½ tsp kosher salt
⅓ C chopped cilantro
1 sweet potato- 2 Cups, small dice
1 corn on the cob, shucked, kernels cut
1 C finely diced onion
4 garlic cloves- rough chopped
1 C cooked black beans
¼ C -½ C crumbled queso fresco cheese, mozzarella, jack, goat cheese or feta (optional)
1 T Cumin
2 tsp coriander
½ tsp chile powder
½ tsp kosher salt
⅓ C chopped cilantro
Avocado cilantro sauce
⅔ C Avocado
⅓ C cilantro
2/3 C water- plus more as needed
½ teaspoon kosher salt
1 tsp coriander
⅛ C lime juice
2 garlic cloves
cracked pepper
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F. Scrub the sweet potatoes, rinse and dice into very small cubes. The smaller the dice, the shorter the roasting time. Toss with a drizzle of olive oil, place on a parchment lined baking sheet, along with the peppers and roast until golden and tender, about 20 minutes, turning peppers over, midway.
- Make the Avocado Cilantro sauce, placing all the ingredients in the blender, and blend until smooth, adding a bit more water if needed to get the blade going. Set aside.
- Shuck the corn and cut the kernels off the cob.
- Remove peppers and yams from the oven, when yams are tender and golden. Place foil over the peppers for a few minutes so they can steam, to make removing the skins easier. Hold the peppers under cool running water and gently remove skins. It’s OK, if all the skins don’t release, just peel off what wants to come off. Carefully, with a sharp knife, slice off the top of the peppers and rinse the seeds out with running water. Set aside.
- In a skillet heat 2 teaspoons olive oil over med high heat, add onions and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Turn heat to down medium low, add garlic and continue stirring until fragrant and golden, about 3-4 more minutes. Add corn. Saute a couple minutes, then fold in cooked black beans, roasted sweet potatoes, spices, salt and pepper, sautéing until warmed through. Fold in cilantro.
- If making both vegan version and cheesy version, divide filling, adding cheese to part as desired. Stuff the peppers. Place stuffed peppers in 350 F oven for 5-10 minutes —or longer to melt the cheese in the filling.
- Serve the stuffed peppers over a generous bed of Avocado sauce. Top with cilantro sprigs, crumbled queso fresco ( optional). Enjoy!