Chile Relleno Stew

MMMMM. Well, I haven't posted here for a long time, but this one inspired me to post, even if just so I have a record of the recipe for myself. Tonight, all alone, with a refrigerator full of farm-fresh produce, I wanted something to kind of simulate chile relleno but without all the work and spattering grease. So I decided to experiment.

I had extra produce because I am housesitting, and I forgot about the CSA share I was to pick up for the houseowners, and went to the farmer's market yesterday. Which, this time of year, always pulls me into buying more veggies than I can eat anyway! So much yummy produce--anything imaginable in the way of fruits and vegetables are at the farmer's market in August and September.

(I was cooking for just myself, so I'd say multiply this recipe for the number of people you want it to serve. That'll serve second large helpings or you'll have leftovers.)

So, I headed to the kitchen, and roasted two Anaheim chiles. You could use poblanos, but I like Anaheims for my chile relleno, not as spicy as poblanos. I would recommend you roast them in the oven or using a culinary torch. I....ahem....did not use one of these methods and ended up with a flaming pan later, when I took out the chiles and put in butter. (Alison and Chris, if you're reading this, don't worry! Your house didn't burn down. At least not all the way. Kidding!) You don't have to peel the chilies unless you want to or if they have thick skins. Stem and seed them after roasting, and chop coarsely.

Chop one nice yummy tomato coarsely. Cut the kernels off one ear of corn. Then melt a tablespoon of butter in a medium pan and add the tomato and corn and cook while you're chopping the rest. Chop a handful of cilantro coarsely, and slice about 1/3 cup of jack cheese.

Add the cilantro and the chilies to the pan along with salt and pepper to taste. After it's all cooked for a few minutes, lay the cheese over the top. Let it cook for a couple minutes more and then serve. I ate mine on a plate, but this almost begged a bowl.

Really fast, really easy, really yummy! Perfect for a summer evening.