THE HEAT`S ON

If you want to put a little heat into your chile-spiked cooking, start with a poblano. This Mexican chile, which is becoming readily available in supermarkets, will add a wonderful flavor dimension to a variety of dishes.

Poblano chiles are dark green in color, four to five inches long and fleshy. But don`t worry. One chile isn`t enough to ignite your mouth -- just warm it a bit.

You won`t appreciate the full depth of flavor of a poblano chile unless you roast it. Raw poblano tastes like green bell pepper without much character. When roasted, it becomes smoky, mellow and earthy tasting. However, you`ll discover that heat levels in poblano chiles vary greatly. Taste the roasted chile before adding it to a dish so you can adjust your recipes appropriately.

Although you can use the poblano chile in a variety of dishes, I especially like it with pork. The heat of the chiles warms up mild-tasting pork. Bring pork and chiles together, serve over spaghetti and you`ll quickly eliminate winter`s chill.

SPAGHETTI AND PORK WITH POBLANO CHILE CREAM

1 medium poblano chile

1/2 pound bite-size pieces of pork (from tenderloin or loin chop)

Flour

1 tablespoon oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1 large shallot, peeled and finely chopped

1 tablespoon butter

1 cup chicken broth

1/2 cup half and half

6 ounces spaghetti, cooked

1 teaspoon minced fresh sage

Place chile over open flame of stove and blacken on all sides. Place in paper bag and seal. Allow to steam 30 minutes. Remove and peel. Core, seed and finely chop chile. Set aside.

Dust pork cubes with 1 tablespoon flour. Heat oil in deep skillet. Add pork cubes and brown on all sides, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove pork. Pour off oil. Add garlic, shallot, chopped chile and butter to skillet and saute 2 to 3 minutes or until tender.

Add 2 tablespoons flour and stir to form a paste. Stir in broth until smooth. Stir in half and half. Return pork to cream mixture and simmer just to heat through.

To serve, add spaghetti to skillet and toss to coat with cream mixture. Sprinkle with sage. Serve hot. Makes 2 servings.

(Bev Bennett is the author of four cookbooks including the award-winning ``Dinner for Two,`` Barron`s.)

(c) 2000, Bev Bennett. Distributed by the Los Angeles Times Syndicate International, a division of Tribune Media Services.

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Author: Bev Bennett