Mexico is a wonderful country so rich in culture, historical landmarks, beautiful beaches, beautiful colonial architecture and full of warm hospitable people that have a way of expressing the joy of having you around by sharing with you their excellent Mexican traditional dishes like the Chiles Rellenos or Stuffed Poblano Peppers that I have come to love very much.
The Poblano pepper derives its name from the Mexican state of Puebla located south of Mexico City and its very popular and grown across this country, it has a rich dark green color with a high content of vitamin C, with a long heart shaped figure, it is a mild chile pepper although sometimes can be hot but this can be overcome by removing the seeds and veins from the inside which is the typical process done when stuffing Poblano peppers in order to make room for the filling. Usually ground meat pork or beef called picadillo is used for the stuffing. Shredded chicken can also be used, but the stuffing that I like the most is by using Mexican style cheese.
Specially during the month of September when Mexicans celebrate their independence from the Spanish Empire the demand for the Poblano chile Peppers grows as it is used in a very elaborate and traditional dish called Chiles en Nogada which translates to stuffed Poblano Peppers served with ingredients that remind the colors of the Mexican flag green for the Poblano pepper, red for the pomegranate seeds, and covered with a white creamy walnut sauce but do not be alarmed our recipe calls for a different type of recipe and easier to make at home than the before mentioned recipe, this traditional dish was specially made to honor General Agustin de Iturbide while he passed trough the City of Puebla after signing the documents stating the Independence of Mexico from Spain in 1821.
One last piece of advise before you get into the magic of making this delicious recipe make sure to be careful enough not to scratch you eyes or touch your face while you remove the veins and seeds from the chiles with your hands believe me I am telling you this from my own past burning experiences.
Stuffed Poblano Pepper Recipe (serves two)
Ingredients:
2 Poblano peppers,
4 Thick slices of fresh cheese or Mexican cheese,
3 Eggs (three egg whites, one yolk),
1/2 c. All purpose flour,
1 Cup olive oil
Preparation: Preheat oven at 350 degrees. Spray the Poblano peppers with olive oil put them in the oven and turn frequently for about 15 minutes until skin starts getting burnt. Once out of the oven put Poblano peppers in a plastic bag close and let sit for 5 minutes take them out of the bag and peel the burnt skin completely. Take veins and seeds off the Poblano peppers (use latex gloves preferably). Stuffed them with the cheese evenly. Put olive oil in a fry pan at medium heat. First beat 3 egg whites in a dry bowl, when fluffy add one yolk and keep beating. Put all purpose flour in a plate and carefully roll Poblano peppers in the flour until covered. Dip the Poblano peppers in the beaten eggs bowl and use a spoon to completely cover them and fry until golden brown. Serve with rice and refried beans. Enjoy!
Most Mexican Food Recipes call for ingredients that can be switched for healthier options like in this case we prefer frying with olive oil instead of other type of vegetable oils, you can use wild rice instead of white rice and so on just use your imagination and you will end up with a lot of healthy tasty recipes like this stuffed Poblano peppers.
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