Chiles Rellenos en Croute with Tomato-Cilantro Sauce

This is often served for special events such as birthdays or anniversaries.

INGREDIENTS | SERVES 4

4 fresh poblano chili peppers

³⁄₄ pound Monterey jack cheese

¹⁄₂ pound goat cheese

2 sticks butter

4 sheets whole-wheat phyllo pastry

1 large yellow onion

16 roma tomatoes

4 bunches fresh cilantro

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon salt

1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. Put the peppers on a baking sheet and roast for about 20 minutes or until well browned. (Leave the oven at 350°F.) Remove the peppers from the oven and place them in a paper bag; close tightly and let the peppers cool. (This makes it easier to peel the peppers.) Remove the skin, stems, and seeds when cool. Do not cut the peppers open other than at the top.
3. Grate the Monterey jack cheese. Crumble the goat cheese. Combine the cheeses.
4. Fill each pepper with ¹⁄₄ of the cheese mixture.
5. Melt the butter in a small saucepan on low heat. Remove the phyllo and lay it out flat on a work surface. Take 1 sheet of phyllo at a time and brush with butter, using a pastry brush. Put 1 chili in the corner of 1 sheet of phyllo dough and roll up, brushing all unbuttered surfaces with butter.
6. Place the chiles rellenos on a baking sheet and bake for 20–25 minutes or until the dough is well browned.
7. Peel the onion and cut into ¹⁄₄" pieces. Cut the tomatoes into ¹⁄₄" pieces. Remove the stems from the cilantro and chop into ¹⁄₄" pieces.
8. Sauté the onion in the olive oil at medium heat until the onion is clear and limp. Add the tomatoes and cook for 5–10 minutes or until the liquid has evaporated. Add the salt and chopped cilantro. Stir well.
9. To serve, pour the sauce on a plate and top with the chiles rellenos.