Chiles Rellenos with lentils and new potato

This recipe was one of my most popular dishes at Chavela in Los Angeles! The creamy filling balances nicely with the spicy garlicky sauce and the the mild heat of the pepper itself.
Probably one of the trickiest things about this recipe is the preparation of the chiles and then actually getting the filling inside!
We always roasted them on a grill. Now it’s easy to go overboard roasting them and then they get super soft on the inside and fall apart when you try to peel and stuff them. So, I like to roast them on the grill until that are just starting to turn brown and the skin begins splitting.

Serves 4

Prepare the chiles:
4 medium poblano chiles

Put peppers or chiles on rack of a broiler pan and broil about 2 inches from heat, turning them frequently, until skins are blistered and charred, about 5 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the chiles! Transfer chiles to a bowl and let stand, covered, until cool enough to handle. Carefully peel off the skin and run under cold water to clean off any remnants of skin. Pierce the side of the chiles lengthwise and carefully remove the seeds from inside. Set aside peeled chiles until ready to stuff.

For the filling:
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/4 onion, diced
2 cups cooked lentils
1 cup fingerling potatoes or new potatoes, cooked and sliced into small pieces.
1/2 cup bell pepper queso*
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
water or vegetable stock as needed

Preheat oven to 350.
In a large pot or wide saute pan, heat the oil. Saute the onion until just barely transluscent. Add the lentils and potatoes and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the bell pepper queso and cook for about 2-3 minutes more or unti entire mixture is hot, adding water or stock as needed. Mix in the chopped cilantro and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Take the peeled chiles and carefully spoon some of the filling inside unti they are fairly full. This can be a little tricky with out getting your filling all over the outside of the chiles. I lay the chile in my hand and fill one side and then kind of roll it a little and fill the other side, and then with both hands shaping the whole thing into a compact little bundle, wiping down the sides of the chile at the end. Lay them on an oiled baking sheet and bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes.
Serve topped with more of the bell pepper queso and some Peruvian style aji verde sauce, like this-
http://thelatinkitchen.com/r/recipe/so-good-so-green-dipping-sauce-green-aji-sauce

Serve also with a side of greens, fresh tomato and a sprinkling of chopped cilantro.

*Bell Pepper Queso
1/2 cups cashews, soaked for 2 hours minimum
1/4 bell peppers
1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
1/2 Tablespoon apple cider vinegar or lemon juice
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 cup water or more as needed
1/2 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon turmeric

Blend everything until as smooth as possible. If you don’t have a high horsepower blender, then you might need to add water little by little to be able to get it all blended properly.
Will keep for up to a week refrigerated.

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