After the excitement of the last two weeks, life is back to normal and I found myself itching to post again. This is a recipe I have made a lot in the past for friends and family and it has always been a favourite. It used to be very complicated as I was unable to source its main ingredient, poblano peppers; however, since I finally found them tinned for the shop, I am able to post it now and make it much more simple for you all to make. 'Rajas' means slices, so this dish is mainly made of slices of Poblano peppers.
Poblano peppers or Chiles Poblanos, are quite mild in heat, but full of flavour, with the occasional hot one thrown in the mix. They're big, cone shaped and of a dark green that when matured turns into a much hotter red colour. We tend to eat them green in Mexico and they're original from the Puebla Region in Central Mexico. They hang from a bush and they're incredibly aromatic. When dried, Poblanos become Ancho peppers, which are widely used in most Mexican Moles.
Delicious and flavoursome, Poblanos are not easy to find in Ireland fresh and if they are, they'll cost you an arm and a leg! I was lucky enough during the summer to find a guy in Wicklow with some amazing pollytunnel where he grows all kinds of chilies and fresh tomatillos for a hobby and he invited me to take a look. Needless to say I was in chili heaven and was fortunate enough to get my hands in some fresh tomatillos and saw his Poblano pepper bushes, I can't wait for some fresh ones, but in the meantime, tinned ones will do great in this recipe as they have been charred, peeled and sliced, which is a thankless and time consuming job when you get them fresh.
This recipe is a beautiful vegetarian taco filling. The delicate flavour of the Poblanos works specially well with the Mossfield Cheese that I used and the sweet corn adds a crunchy texture to the whole dish. I love this classic Mexican dish, so hope you do too.
Heat the oil in a non-stick pan. Add the onion and garlic and gently fried for two minutes or until the onion is translucent.
Add the poblano pepper slices drained from the tin and mix well. Cook this for further 3 minutes before adding the drained sweet corn. Make sure to incorporate everything well.
Follow the corn with the dried oregano and ground cumin and continue to cook this for 2 minutes at medium heat.
Pour the cream and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook for further 5 minutes before adding the crumbled cheese. Lower the heat to a minimum and cook until the cheese has completely melted.
Your Rajas Poblanas are done! Serve them in warm corn tortillas and refried beans. Beautiful and quick taco filling that will warm the heart in a wet night evening like today.
