Chiles Rellenos with Corn and Okra Succotash

I'd been oogling this recipe ever since I first saw it in Food and Wine magazine last summer.  Tim Love of Lonesome Dove restaurant in Fort Worth, TX did a tex-mex/bbq menu for the Fourth of July that looked absolutely heavenly.  John and I had some friends over for dinner last weekend and seeing as one was from Austin and one went to school in Dallas, we decided on a tex-mex theme.  I served these chiles rellenos alongside Pork Tacos al Pastor, a pitcher (or two) of strong margaritas and a Pat Green and Robert Earl Keen playlist...

Serves 6-8

10 poblano chiles

5 slices of bacon, sliced into half inch pieces

4 ears of corn, kernels cut off

1/2 medium red onion, cut into small dice

1/2 red bell pepper, cut into small dice

4 cloves of garlic, minced or grated

1/2 pound okra, sliced into 1/2 inch pieces (about 2 cups)

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon chile powder

1/2 teaspoon cumin

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 cup of chicken stock

2 cups of Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

I took a few short cuts from Tim Love's original recipe.  He grills the peppers first before removing the skins, seeds and and cores.  He later cooks the stuffed peppers in a cast iron pot on the grill whereas I started with raw peppers and cooked them in foil packets directly on the grill.  Frankly they came out great so I'm sticking with my method.

I made a slit from the core of of the pepper all the way down.  I then used a pairing knife to cut the inner core and seeds out.  NOTE: Poblanos are typically pretty mild but I had a few firey ones in this batch.  If you don't love heat, you'll want to cut the inner white ribs out as well to be safe.

 

To make the filling, I first cut the kernels off of the ears of fresh corn and set aside.  Next I started the bacon in some olive oil in a dutch oven (you want something with a lid) over medium heat.   While the bacon rendered, I cleaned and prepped the okra, onion, bell pepper, and garlic.  As soon as the bacon started to brown, I added the onion and pepper to the pot and cooked for 3-4 minutes.

Next I added the corn and okra, cooking another 4 minutes.  Lastly I added the garlic and spices, tossing everything together to cook for 1 minute before pouring in the chicken stock and seasoning with salt and pepper.

I turned the heat down to medium-low and covered the pot- letting everything cook together for another 6-7 minutes until the juices thickened into a sauce and the okra was just tender.

I made tin foil "boats" to fit about 5 peppers each. Working directly in the foil, I spooned corn filling into each pepper.  You want them full but not overflowing.  I then topped each pepper generously with cheese, tucking it down into the pepper so it wouldn't melt off while cooking.  I used a second sheet of tin foil sprayed with Pam to cover the packet.

John grilled the packets for roughly 10-15 minutes- I would guess at around 350 degrees.  You want the peppers to steam until tender and the filling and cheese to warm through and melt.  You could technically do this in the oven too but you'd lose the smoky flavor you get from the grill.

Once the peppers are done, you can keep them warm in a low oven until serving.  These would make a great vegetarian entree with some black beans, rice or avocado on the side.  Or you can serve them as a veggie and starch side-in-one as we did alongside your favorite tacos or enchilladas.  Either way, make sure you have a cold beverage and maybe some sour cream to cool you (and your mouth) down on a hot summer night.