I think risotto might be one of my favorite dishes. It's rich and creamy and salty, some of my favorite things. For this particular risotto, I actually might add in a little lime juice next time to brighten it up, or just squeeze a fresh lime wedge over everything to serve it. Other than that, this dish was just what I was looking for to close out the summer and welcome in the fall. The hearty saltiness of the risotto was countered with the crisp, sweet pop of the corn and married together with the roasted pepper...so good.
Corn Risotto-Stuffed Poblanos adapted from The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook
The original recipe calls for you to use 1/2 cup of light or medium beer to get the onion scrapings off the bottom of the pan. Since I don't keep beer on hand and didn't really feel like buying any, I just substituted the beer for an extra 1/2 cup chicken stock.
8 large fresh poblano peppers
6 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups short-grained rice such as arborio or carnaroli
1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (from about 2 cobs) or 1 1/2 cups frozen and defrosted kernels
3/4 cup grated Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 teaspoon table salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup crumbled queso fresco, ricotta salata, or another crumbly cheese
3 tablespoons sour cream mixed with 1 tablespoon milk and a pinch of salt for serving
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro or flat-flat leaf parsley
Prepare Peppers: Lay several chilies at a time on the racks atop a gas burner, and turn the flame to high. Using tongs (make sure you use metal thongs, mine had plastic covering them and they got nicely charred as well), rotate the chilies frequently util their skins are blistered, about 4 to 6 minutes each. Transfer the peppers to a bowl, and cover them with foil or plastic wrap. Repeat with the remaining chiles. If you don't have a gas burner, you can do this under a broiler. Or if you don't mind the pepper skins you can forget this section even exists.
Make Risotto: In a medium saucepan, heat the stock to a low simmer. on a separate burner, heat a large saucepan over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add the oil and heat through; then add the onion and sauté until it is softened and translucent, about 8 minutes. Add the garlic, and cook for 1 minutes more. Add the ricer to the pot, and stir it for a minute or two, until it becomes lightly toasty. Pour in the 1/2 cup of stock (or beer), scraping up any stuck bits from the bottom of the pan. Let the stock simmer for roughly a minute until it mostly disappears.
Ladle 1 cup of warm stock into rice mixture, and summer until it had been absorbed, stirring frequently. Add the remaining stock, one ladle full at a time, allowing stock to absorb before adding more, and stirring often. Along with the final addition of stock, add the corn. The total cooking time for the die is about 30 minutes, after which it should be creamy and tender. It should be slightly thick so that it's easier to stuff into the peppers. Once the stock is added and the risotto is tender, stir in the Monterey Jack cheese the salt, and multiple grinds of black pepper. Adjust seasoning to taste and remove risotto from heat.
Assemble and Cook Peppers: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. remove chiles from bowl, and gently rub off the skins, which should come off fairly easily. Cut a slit lengthwise in each chile, and remove the seeds and membranes as best as you can. Leave the stems on--they're cute. Fill each chile with risotto through the slit. Arrange the chiles tightly in a baking dish, and spring the space between them with crumbled cheese. Bake the chilies for 10 to 15 minutes, or until bronzed on top.
To Serve: In a small dish, whisk together the sour cream mixed with milk and salt. Drizzle the mixture over the hot chiles. garnish with cilantro. Eat while hot! Patrick likes his with a little cholua.
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