Caliente!

Vegetable and goat cheese chilies rellenos
Wednesday, April 11, 2007

Vegetarian recipes from recently released cookbooks:

"Mexican Light," by Kris Rudolph (University of North Texas Press, 2006)
Photo courtesy of bn.com

Real Mexican food is a mix of Aztec tradition -- based in the native produce and generally low in fat -- and Spanish cuisine, which introduced, among other things, sugar and lard. Kris Rudolph brings back this hybrid tradition while editing the recipes for the health-conscious eater. Hot features in this bilingual book include calorie counts, estimated cooking times and an introduction to basic chilies and cheeses. -- Evelyn Shih
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Photo courtesy of aminglingoftastes.com

Vegetable and goat cheese chilies rellenos

* 6 medium poblano chilies, roasted and cleaned (see note)
* 1 cup mushrooms, diced
* 1 red bell pepper, diced
* 2 cups zucchini, diced
* ½ cup red onion, diced
* 1 Roma tomato, diced
* 1 tablespoon olive oil
* ½ teaspoon salt, or to taste
* 1 cup corn
* 2 teaspoons dried marjoram
* 2 teaspoons ground cumin
* 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
* 6 ounces goat cheese, divided

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place all the vegetables, except the corn, in a large bowl. Coat with the olive oil and sprinkle on the salt. Transfer to a baking sheet. Bake, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Mix the roasted vegetables with the corn, herbs and 5 ounces of the goat cheese in a large bowl. Stuff each poblano with the vegetable filling, making sure it's not too full and that the seam closes but does not overlap.

Place the chilies in a baking dish, seam facing up, and cook for about 15 minutes or until the cheese is melted. To serve, place the poblanos on a platter, seam down, and garnish with remaining goat cheese for color.

Servings: 6.

Note: To prepare the poblano, roast it directly over a gas flame until blackened on all sides. If you do not have a gas stove, lay the poblano on a tray under a hot broiler. Transfer roasted poblanos to a plastic bag, let them sweat for 10 to 15 minutes, then peel off all the charred skin, dipping your fingers in water if needed. Be careful not to tear the flesh when peeling. Make a long slit down one side of each poblano and remove all the seeds and veins with your fingers. Leave the stem attached.

Copyright © 2007 North Jersey Media Group Inc.