Recipe: Beer Bean- and Cotija-Stuffed Poblanos

The.Boy. can say whatever he wants about kale but the truth of the matter is that when push came to shove on Sunday afternoon, those leafy greens were there for him.

As the capsaicin in the poblanos hit his taste buds, causing sweat to pour down his face and steam to come out of his ears, just as he was about to rip his clothes off in an attempt to relieve some of the internal heat that was building, those leaves swept him off his feet, jumped into his mouth and carried him off into a spice-free sunset.

It was quite the fairy tale ending, if I do say so myself.




Hmmm, what's that you say?  Where was I when all of this romancing was going down?

Sitting. At the table. Reveling in my third wheel status.

You see, the heat=pain receptors on my tongue were destroyed long ago by what some may consider excessive (is there really such a thing?) Indian food consumption and so while I can handle a fair amount of heat, no problemo, I occasionally forget that other people actually have the ability to sense such things in any reasonable kind of way.

So while it may seem like my intentions were to drive my boyfriend into the arms of my favorite leafy green so that we could all be one big happy family for once and for all...I swear it was really just an act of forgetfulness.

A total oops moment on my part.



And besides, when did poblanos get so damn hot anyways?  I always considered them to be on the more mild/moderate side of the hot pepper spectrum and most certainly nowhere near the "make your fingertips burn for 48 hours after touching them" side.  The latter of which describes the effect that they unfortunately had on me.

But it was so worth it.

These stuffed peppers were as delicious as they were spicy, being stuffed with beans that were simmered with beer, cinnamon, and chipotle chile powder, and then topped with cheese. Lots of cheese.  I served them with some Spanish rice as well as a corn and kale salad that was super refreshing and really helped to take the edge off the intense heat

All in all, a great meal.

And the fact that it brought two of my favorite entities together (at last!)..definitely the icing on the cake. Err, the cotija on the poblano?  The corn in the kale salad?  Eh. You know what I mean.



Beer Bean- and Cotija-Stuffed Poblanos
Serves 6, adapted from The Sprouted Kitchen Cookbook

Ingredients 

• 1/2 lb dried pinto or borlotti beans, rinsed and picked over
• 1 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, halved and sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 12 oz guinness or dark Mexican beer
• 1/2 tsp chipotle chile powder
• 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
• sea salt
• 6 poblano chiles
• 1 cup crumbled cotija cheese
• 1 cup shredded jack cheese
• juice of 1/2 lime

Instructions

1. Place the beans in a large bowl and cover with water.  Allow to soak for at least 6 hours or overnight.
2. Drain the beans of the soaking liquid.  In a large pot over medium heat, add the olive oil, onion, and garlic and saute until the onion is just softened, 5-6 minutes.  Add the beans and 2 1/2 cups water.  Stir and bring to a simmer.  Simmer, covered, until the beans are cooked through, about 45-60 minutes.  Add the beer, chipotle and cinnamon and simmer uncovered until the liquid is absorbed and the beans are tender, about another 20 minutes.  Add salt to taste.  Set beans aside.
3. Preheat oven to 400.
4. Cut a slit down the side of each poblano.  Remove and discard the membranes and seeds and set the chile on a parchment-lined baking sheet.  Repeat with remaining poblanos.
5. In a bowl, mix together the cotija, jack cheese and lime juice.  Stuff each pepper with a few spoonfuls of the beans and a handful of the cheese.
6. Place in the oven and roast until peppers are cooked through, 20-30 minutes.  Serve peppers immediately with the slit side up.

Spanish Rice
Serves 6, adapted from Simply Recipes 

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2 cups medium-grain white rice
• 3 cups vegetable broth
• 1 heaping tbsp tomato paste
• pinch of oregano
• 1 tsp salt

Instructions

1. In a large skillet, brown the rice in the olive oil over medium/high heat.  Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are softened, about 4 minutes.
2. Add the vegetable broth, tomato paste, oregano and salt.  Stir to combine.  Bring to a boil and then cover and lower heat, simmering for 15-25 minutes, depending on the package instructions.  Turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes.

Kale and Corn Salad
Serves 6, adapted from A Thought For Food

Ingredients

• 3 ears corn, husked
• 2 bunches of kale, washed, stemmed and torn 
• zest of 1 lime
• juice of 1 1/2 limes
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• salt
• 4 oz cotija cheese

Instructions

1. Cut the kernels off the corn and into a bowl.
2. In a large bowl, place the kale.  Add the lime zest, lime juice, olive oil, and salt.  Massage for 3-4 minutes or until kale has decreased in volume by about half.  Add in the corn and cotija and toss until well combined.  Season with salt to taste.