Stuffed Pasilla Peppers

Ingredients

• 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

Directions

• 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.

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