Stuffed chiles

A farmer at the Palo Alto market has a small table with just a few vegetables, including poblano chiles. I'm not sure how the economics work out for him because a bag of chiles costs just two dollars, so he must need to sell a lot of chiles to make the trip worth his while. Works for me, though. I had some stuffed chiles in Santa Fe a few years ago, but had never tried making my own, so when I saw the chiles in the market bought some on a whim.

I didn't follow a recipe, but just worked by taste. The plan was to roast and clean the chiles, make a stuffing of vegetables and starch separately, and then fill the chiles and bake to get everything hot. Fortunately, the first attempt worked well, which is always nice for a new recipe.

Roasting peppers seems like fussy work, but it's actually pretty quick to do, and fun because it's hands-on and goopy. Just char the peppers over the stove flame, let them steam in a covered bowl for 15 minutes, then scrape the skins off and squeeze out the seeds. I usually wear an iPod while I cook, and learned that I need to get the electronics set before scraping and seeding the chiles. Also, chopping onions makes my eyes tear, so when I made the stuffing I had to wipe my eyes. Poblanos aren't very hot as peppers go, but the oils left on my hands got in my eyes, which made the cooking experience extra special.

Every time I make filling it's a bit different based on what's in the house or the garden. The common elements are onions and corn (fresh or frozen), and I've added black beans, red peppers, chard, tomatoes (ripe and green), and carrots in various combination. It's like vegetable soup in that any mix of ingredients you like works just fine. Certainly winter or summer squash would work nicely. Use a healthy mix of smoked and sharp ground chile (chipotle, ancho, paprika, or whatever is on hand), cumin, oregano, and garlic for spice. A dab of tomato paste adds a nice depth of flavor, and cilantro is good if you have some on hand. Saute the onions and spices, then add the other vegetables and simmer in a cup or so of stock to cook through, and then throw in a handful of rice to soak up the liquid and cook it down. I add cheese, too, tasty but not necessary. The quantity of stuffing depends on how many chiles you're stuffing, but figure on about a cup of stuffing per chile. Leftover stuffing makes a great addition to a salad for lunch the next day, by the way.

When you clean the chiles you need to split them open to get to the seeds, so when it's time to stuff them just spoon some of the filling back into the opening. I overfill so they're nice and plump, then bake opening-side-up for 15 or 20 minutes to get everything heated through.

I tried using polenta rather than rice in one iteration, thinking it would be sort tamale-esque. The flavor worked, but it was a little heavy. Also, I made a yogurt-chile sauce the first time, but it wasn't needed because the stuffing was so flavorful. Usually I just finish by throwing some grated cheese on top after baking, which melts by the time the food gets to the plate.