poblano chile casserole with corn and cheese
char chiles over gas flame or under broiler until blackened on all sides. enclose in plastic bag and let stand 10 minutes. peel chiles. starting at stem end, carefully cut 1 slit down length of each chile, leaving stems and tops intact if possible. carefully remove seeds and veins from chiles.
preheat oven to 350 degrees f. melt butter in heavy large saute pan over medium heat. add onion and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. add garlic and saute 1 minute longer. add corn and saute 2 minutes. season to taste with salt and pepper. cool completely. stir in manchego or monterey jack cheese. stuff chiles with corn mixture.
butter 15x10-inch baking dish. place rice in prepared dish. nestle stuffed chiles in single layer into rice. mix crema and red salsa in medium bowl; pour over chiles and rice. sprinkle with anejo cheese.
bake until chiles are heated through and sauce bubbles, about 25 minutes (about 40 minutes for refrigerated casserole).
makes about 2 cups
in a saucepan over medium heat, warm the vegetable oil. add the onion and saute until soft, about 10 minutes. add the garlic, chili pepper and salt and cook for 2 minutes longer. add the tomatoes and their juices and reduce the heat to low. cook the tomatoes, stirring occasionally to break them up, until soft and the juices have reduced by half, 10-15 minutes.