I loved the chile relleno at Favela’s Fusion, a buzzing regional Mexican restaurant in Fairfield, California, because it was oven roasted, not battered and fried as it’s usually presented. It does require a multi-step preparation but the steps are easy and the peppers and stuffing can be prepared ahead of time and reheated. Make the topping sauce just before serving, to preserve its fresh taste.
Ingredients
Peppers
- Fresh Poblano Peppers 5
Seasoning Paste
- Dried Guajillo Chiles 6
- Dried Chipotle Chile 1
- Garlic 3 cloves, chopped
- Tomato 1, chopped
- Yellow Onion ¼, chopped
- Water 1 cup
- Salt to taste
Stuffing
- Olive Oil 1 Tbs
- Ground Beef 2 lb
- Freshly Ground Black Pepper 1 tsp
- Ground Cumin 1 tsp
- Salt 1 tsp
- Potato 1 medium, finely chopped
- Carrot 1 medium, finely chopped
- Yellow Onion ½, finely chopped
- Water 1 cup
Sauce
- Chicken Stock 1 cup
- Roasted Poblano Pepper 1
- Potato 1 small, chopped
- Onion ½, chopped
- Garlic 3 cloves, chopped
- Cilantro ½ bunch, chopped
- Heavy Cream 1/2 cup
- Salt to taste
Cook It
Peppers
- Roast the peppers on a grill or over an open flame, until the skin is blackened and blistered all over. Place the peppers in a covered container to steam while you continue with the recipe.
- When cool enough to handle, scrape off the blacked skin with a paring knife. Don’t worry if a few black specks remain and don’t be tempted to rinse the peppers with water.
- Set aside one pepper for the topping sauce. Carefully slit the remaining peppers along one side, leaving the stem intact. Cut out the seed core with a paring knife.
Seasoning Paste
- Using kitchen scissors, cut the stems off the chiles and slit the chile open. Scrape out the seeds. Toast the chiles in a dry skillet for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Cut into pieces.
- Put the chiles in a small saucepan, along with the garlic, tomato, onion and water. Bring to the boil then reduce to a simmer and cook, covered for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and allow to rest, covered, for at least 15 minutes while you continue with the recipe.
Stuffing
- In a large saucepan, sauté the meat with the olive oil, ground pepper, cumin and salt. When the meat is starting to brown, add the potato, carrot, onion and water. Bring to a simmer and cook over low heat, for 10 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender.
- Puree the dried chile mixture in a blender and add to the meat mixture. Stir to combine and allow to cook, covered for a further 10 minutes. Set aside and keep warm, or allow to cool and refrigerate if making ahead.
Sauce
- Cut the stem off the reserved poblano pepper. Scrape off the blackened skin. Cut out the seed core and roughly chop the pepper flesh.
- In a small saucepan, simmer the pepper, potato, onion, garlic and cilantro in the chicken stock until the vegetables are very tender. Puree in a blender, adding the whipping cream. Season to taste with salt. Return to the saucepan and simmer for a few minutes to combine and heat through.
To Finish the Dish
Stuff the roasted poblanos with the meat mixture. Place on individual plates and top with the warm cilantro sauce.
