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Side Dish
Italian
4 stuffed peppers
40 minutes
25 minutes
4 large Pasilla peppers
8 ounces goat cheese, mild, creamy, softened to room temperature and cut into pieces
1/4 cup dried currants
2 tablespoons pine nuts
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt plus additional to taste
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper plus additional to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Wash the chiles.
Place on a single layer under a hot broiler for 3 minutes on each side to blacken the skin.
Remove to a paper bag, close the bag, and allow the peppers to “sweat”, which will loose their skins while they cool.
When cool, remove from the bag and peel away the blackened skin with your fingers.
Remove the stem ends with a sharp knife and reserve.
Without cutting the chiles open, use the sharp knife to remove the ribs (veins) and as many of the seeds as possible from inside the chile.
Rinse under running water and pat the chiles dry with a paper towel. Set aside. Wash your hands carefully with some milk to neutralize any volatile oils you will have picked up from the chiles.
In a stainless-steel bowl, combine the goat cheese, dried currants, pine nuts, cumin, cilantro, and ½ teaspoon each of the salt and pepper. Stir to blend thoroughly.
Divide the filling evenly among the chiles.
Reseal the end of each chile with the reserved stem end.
Place the chiles in an oven-proof baking dish.
Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season the outside of the chiles with salt and pepper, then bake 20 minutes. The chiles can be served immediately after baking, or served at room temperature.
