Something about the photo of this recipe in Rachel Ray’s magazine caught my eye. The fact that I had a half of bag of leftover polenta on hand sealed the deal. My husband has been craving fish quite a bit lately. (My mom always taught us that if you are craving something it is your body telling you that you need it! I have been diligently quenching my cravings for as long as I can remember. I love when my husband mentions his cravings because I love finding new recipes to satisfy them.) I decided these peppers would be a perfect accompaniment to some baked fish. I was right! The polenta was just fantastic—creamy and flavorful (not bland at all due to the nice bite and freshness provided by the scallions) and the corn kernels added some always-welcomed crunch. I served these peppers with Cajun-Baked Tilapia. (Recipe to come!)
One note:
- I could not find peppers labeled “Poblano” in my grocery store. However, the produce manager assured me Pasilla peppers were the same as Poblano. According to this article, that is not true, however, for the purpose of this recipe they were just fine. They had a nice warm flavor–not as acidic as typical green peppers, not nearly as punchy as jalepenos, and not as sweet as red peppers. They were an enjoyable contrast to the creamy polenta.
Something else I wanted to mention: Technically, today is this blog’s one year anniversary! The reason I say “technically” is because I started writing this blog in May 2008, however, I didn’t make it live until July 2008. It has been a wonderful year of fun in the kitchen—I have discovered so many wonderful recipes from a variety of sources. Sources that have ranged from the expected to the unexpected! (One source I am currently addicted to is myrecipes.com. More on that in future posts!) I continue to adore researching, discovering, trying, and sharing new recipes with you. I hope you’ll continue to visit kitchenbelle.com for inspiration, information, and fun.
Polenta Stuffed Poblano Peppers:
- 4 plum tomatoes, halved
- 1 red onion, cut into wedges (I forgot to get an onion so I substituted 5 whole cloves of garlic)
- 4 poblano peppers, halved lengthwise and seeded
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup instant polenta
- 1 10 ounce package frozen corn
- 1/4 cup soft goat cheese
- 4 scallions, sliced
Heat broiler. On a baking sheet toss the tomatoes, onion (or garlic in my case) and oil. Turn the tomatoes so that they are cut side down and place them on one end of the baking sheet. On the other end of the baking sheet place the peppers cut side down. Broil the vegetables until they are charred, about 5-10 minutes. Flip the tomatoes and peppers over halfway through. Remove from oven. Set peppers aside. Place tomatoes and onions in a blender or food processor.
Heat oven to 400 F. Add the cinnamon and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper to the tomatoes and onions in the blender or food processor. Puree until smooth. Spread half of this sauce on the bottom of a 9×13 baking dish. Place the peppers (cut side up) on top of the sauce.
In a medium sauce pan bring 2 1/4 cups of water to a rolling boil. Slowly whisk in the polenta. Do not stop whisking, about 3-4 minutes, until the polenta is thick. Stir in the corn, goat cheese, and all but 2 tablespoons of the slice scallions.
Spoon the polenta mixture into the peppers. Drizzle with the remaining sauce. Bake in the 400 F oven until heated through, about 5-10 minutes. Top with remaining scallions.
Recipe adapted from Everyday with Rachel Ray June/July 2009 issue.
Filed under: cheese, corn, Main Dish, peppers, polenta, Side, tomato, VEGETARIAN | 2 Comments »
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