roasted, stuffed poblanos

Last night I revisited a dish I haven't made in at least a year, inspired by some gorgeous red poblano peppers I found at the farmers' market. For years I've been roasting poblanos and stuffing them with black beans. The problem is that the heat of the peppers varies wildly. For my not-as-chile-tolerant husband, they can sometimes be too hot, even with the seeds removed. I found a way this time to make the heat manageable, though, without sacrificing flavor.

The peppers are roasted in the usual way: broil 'em until the skins are blistered and blackened and the peppers start to collapse a bit, about 20 minutes. Close them up in a paper bag for 10 minutes, then peel the skins off under running cold water. While you've got 'em under the running water, make a slit down the middle of each pepper and scoop out the seeds. (I'd heard before that you shouldn't rinse roasted peppers because you'd lose flavor. Since I was trying to reduce the heat this time, I threw caution to the wind and rinsed away. I can report that they were still very flavorful: nice roasty flavor, still plenty of heat.) Don't worry if they kinda fall apart a little bit -- you'll be able to sort of reshape them later around the stuffing.

Instead of just black beans, this time the stuffing was black beans, slightly mashed (one 14 oz. can); about 4 oz. of goat cheese; and about a cup and a half of roasted corn kernels. (That's enough stuffing for eight peppers.) The corn adds a new layer of sweetness the dish lacked before, and the goat cheese tames the heat of the peppers. Plus, I mean, goat cheese = yum! Duh.

Then I bake them for about 20 minutes on top of a layer of caramelized onions, with a little cheddar or Monterey Jack sprinkled on top. I used to serve them just like that, but this time I served them on a bed of brown rice. Bingo! It tames the heat of the peppers, adds texture, and makes it more main-dish-worthy. Top 'em with chopped fresh tomato and cilantro (or a nice fresh salsa). Also, a green salad is nice (this one was dressed simply, with just walnut oil and a splash of champagne vinegar).

Lovely, lovely. It got the Mark seal of approval.