I lived in Mexico City for about 9 years during my childhood. One of the things that I discovered during my time there was the amazing ways people made beautiful gourmet dishes out of simple every day ingredients. I loved the food there and still do. I now live in the USA and its a crying shame that so many people think Mexican food consists of bean burritos, nachos and hard shelled ground "beef" tacos. So this recipe is designed to take your palate on a trip to Mexico. The real Mexico, where people appreciate Art, Music, Family and More. Not the M"exico" that takes you running for the toilette err I mean, border...if you catch my drift.
Ingredients and tools
A plastic bag or sealable container large enough to fit your peppers
4 Fresh Poblano Peppers (also known as Pasilla or Ancho), I've included a photo of the fresh chiles below so you know what to look for in the store
2 Slices of Bacon, cut in half
Grated cheese for topping if desired
Stuffing
2 Cups Mozzarella Cheese, grated (if you are paleo and avoid dairy, replace the cheese with mushrooms or cauliflower, add in sautéed onions and one egg)
1 Head of Garlic(15-20 cloves), roasted and peeled (see note)
1/2 Cup Mushrooms of Choice, (I used Shiitaki) sliced or rough chopped
1 1/2 Cups Ground Beef, cooked (you can season with salt and pepper but this dish has so much flavor on its own that you won't need it)
Cream Sauce
1/2 Bunch of Cilantro, washed
1/2 Cup Sour Cream or Yogurt (optional but makes for a thicker sauce, may be replaced with 1 egg)
1/2 Serrano Pepper (seeds included, more or less to taste)
1 Cup Milk of Choice (if using non dairy, I recommend almond milk over coconut for this dish)
2-3 Cloves of roasted garlic (use some of the filling garlic)
A pinch of sea salt if desired
Directions
Place the chiles over the flame on your stove to burn the skin completely on all sides (excluding stem)
Immediately place blackened peppers in your plastic bag or sealable container and seal tightly (I use a new veggie bag from the supermarket and twist the top to seal), allow to sweat for a few minutes
Using running water to assist you, gently remove the blackened skin from each pepper. It should slide right off.
Cut a slit in the side of the pepper and wash the seeds out (optional)
Set peeled and seeded peppers aside
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
In a bowl mix stuffing ingredients
Arrange chiles in an ovenproof dish deep enough to hold the sauce
Fill each chile generously (the stuffing shrinks considerably)
In a blender, mix sauce ingredients
Pour sauce into the chiles, moving the filling around a little to make sure sauce gets in the mix.
Pour remaining sauce over the top.
Top with cheese and bacon
Bake for 45 minutes or until bacon is crispy and the cheese or sauce is bubbly
Enjoy over shirataki rice or with salad.
Note - to quickly roast garlic, cut off the top of a head of garlic (not where the roots grow), cover the entire heat generously with olive oil, place in a microwave safe dish, cover the dish with another microwave safe dish. Microwave on high for 2 minutes or until the cloves are soft and pop out like butter. To remove cloves, squeeze and twist the head as you would a lemon when juicing.
Ingredients and tools
A plastic bag or sealable container large enough to fit your peppers
4 Fresh Poblano Peppers (also known as Pasilla or Ancho), I've included a photo of the fresh chiles below so you know what to look for in the store
2 Slices of Bacon, cut in half
Grated cheese for topping if desired
Stuffing
2 Cups Mozzarella Cheese, grated (if you are paleo and avoid dairy, replace the cheese with mushrooms or cauliflower, add in sautéed onions and one egg)
1 Head of Garlic(15-20 cloves), roasted and peeled (see note)
1/2 Cup Mushrooms of Choice, (I used Shiitaki) sliced or rough chopped
1 1/2 Cups Ground Beef, cooked (you can season with salt and pepper but this dish has so much flavor on its own that you won't need it)
Cream Sauce
1/2 Bunch of Cilantro, washed
1/2 Cup Sour Cream or Yogurt (optional but makes for a thicker sauce, may be replaced with 1 egg)
1/2 Serrano Pepper (seeds included, more or less to taste)
1 Cup Milk of Choice (if using non dairy, I recommend almond milk over coconut for this dish)
2-3 Cloves of roasted garlic (use some of the filling garlic)
A pinch of sea salt if desired
Directions
Place the chiles over the flame on your stove to burn the skin completely on all sides (excluding stem)
Immediately place blackened peppers in your plastic bag or sealable container and seal tightly (I use a new veggie bag from the supermarket and twist the top to seal), allow to sweat for a few minutes
Using running water to assist you, gently remove the blackened skin from each pepper. It should slide right off.
Cut a slit in the side of the pepper and wash the seeds out (optional)
Set peeled and seeded peppers aside
Preheat oven to 400 degrees
In a bowl mix stuffing ingredients
Arrange chiles in an ovenproof dish deep enough to hold the sauce
Fill each chile generously (the stuffing shrinks considerably)
In a blender, mix sauce ingredients
Pour sauce into the chiles, moving the filling around a little to make sure sauce gets in the mix.
Pour remaining sauce over the top.
Top with cheese and bacon
Bake for 45 minutes or until bacon is crispy and the cheese or sauce is bubbly
Enjoy over shirataki rice or with salad.
Note - to quickly roast garlic, cut off the top of a head of garlic (not where the roots grow), cover the entire heat generously with olive oil, place in a microwave safe dish, cover the dish with another microwave safe dish. Microwave on high for 2 minutes or until the cloves are soft and pop out like butter. To remove cloves, squeeze and twist the head as you would a lemon when juicing.
This is not my picture, it belongs to World Crop.
I will post my own pic the next time I buy fresh peppers.
I will post my own pic the next time I buy fresh peppers.