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Eating In: Mesa Grill's Chile Relleno
By
Joe DeSalazar
Published Sep 27, 2005
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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By
Joe DeSalazar
Published Sep 27, 2005
Modified Mar 7, 2008
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Cooking Our Favorite Restaurant Dishes at Home
Who can believe that Mesa Grill is 14 years old? In restaurant years, that makes the restaurant the equivalent of an adult in their mid forties with a mortgage. How is it that Mesa Grill can stay so young and fresh? Aren’t people tired of the queso fundido, sixteen spice chicken, red snapper and chile relleno that have seemingly been on the menu for the past 10 years? Oh, right. Chef Bobby Flay’s face is everywhere we turn. Ok, got it.
And yes, that chile relleno is still as good as ever - even if we’ve seen Flay repurpose it a few times on Iron Chef America. Crusted in yellow corn meal and stuffed with goat cheese and mushrooms, the massive poblano pepper is as tasty as it may be tired.
When considering making this dish at home, Gothamist couldn’t help but think about the stuffed peppers mom used to make at home. In fact, skip the corn meal crust and Flay’s technique of deep frying the stuffed pepper and this Gothamist recipe may read more like an updated version of mom’s stuffed peppers.
Gothamist Recipe
Stuffed Poblano Peppers
fresh figs, chorizo, gruyere, shitake, pomegranate seeds
Ingredient Shopping List
Recipe makes 4 peppers. Serve a side salad with these for a full dinner.
4 medium sized poblano peppers
1 carton of fresh figs
1 clove garlic
1 small white onion
1 package of Spanish chorizo
¼ lb of gruyere cheese
1 pomegranate
kosher salt
olive oil
fresh ground pepper
1/4 lb fresh shitake mushrooms
Estimated cost of ingredients: $20 at Fairway
Clean and Broil the Peppers
Place your oven on broil. With a paring knife, remove the top stem of the peppers. Give the inside a rinse with water to remove any seeds. Place the peppers on oven proof tray and rub with olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Place the peppers on broil for about 3-4 minutes, or until blistered. Flip peppers and get the other side charred as well.
Remove from the oven. If you want to take the skin off (Gothamist didn’t in this recipe), place them in a paper bag to steam for a few minutes. You’ll be able to peel the skin easily at this point.
Prep the Filling
Take one of the chorizo links and slice into coin sized pieces. You’ll need a good handful. Take the stems from the shitake mushrooms and wipe the tops of dirt with a damp paper towel. Chop ½ of the white onion and 1 clove of garlic. With a spoon, remove the seeds from ½ of the pomegranate and separate the white membrane from the seeds. Chop the gruyere into a small dice, about ¼ cup total. Finally, slice about 6-8 figs in half if small, quarters if large, removing their top stems.
Make the Filling
Place a pan on medium heat. When hot, add the chorizo. Flip after about 2 minutes and cook for only another two minutes until crispy. Set aside. Drain ¾ of fat from pan and place again on medium heat. Add one glug of olive oil and when hot, add the onion and garlic. After a second, add the shitake tops. Season with salt and pepper. Sauté for about 4 minutes, until soft. Add a squeeze of lemon juice to the pan and turn off the heat. Set aside to cool.
Add chorizo, mushroom mixture, cheese, figs and pomegranate seeds to a small bowl. Season with sprinkle of salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice and mix together.
Stuff and Warm Peppers
When 15 minutes from serving, put the oven on 400. While waiting to get hot, stuff the peppers carefully with the filling on the tray that you plan to pace in the oven. Stuff in as much of the filling as you can. Place in oven until piping hot, about 5 minutes. Serve right away. (optional: you can mix some of the leftover pomegranate juices with olive oil, squeeze of lemon, salt and pepper for a little side dressing for the pepper).
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Cooking Our Favorite Restaurant Dishes
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Gothamist Recipe
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Joe DeSalazar
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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