garhow@hpubmaa.esr.HP.COM (Garry Howard) COLLECTION: Mexican Chile Recipes 1 Oct 1994 14:28:20 -0400 Hewlett-Packard Company, Burlington, MA Newsgroups: rec.food.recipes Here are some Mexican recipes from The Cuisines of Mexico by Diana Kennedy. If you are not familiar with this book, it is one of the definitive books on REAL Mexican cooking from the different regions of Mexico. Since it is chile season, these recipes all contain chiles. I started on this project because I wanted to find the recipe for Chile Rellenos en Nogada, chiles in walnut sauce. If you saw the movie Like Water For Chocolate, this is the dish she prepared that caused the entire party to become very amorous. I have been wanting to make this for a long time. Garry * Exported from MasterCook II * Chile Con Queso (Chiles With Cheese) Recipe By : The Cuisines of Mexico by Diana Kennedy ISBN 0-06-012344-3 Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Cheese Mexican Vegetables Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 20 fresh green chiles -- roasted and peeled 5 tablespoons peanut oil 1 medium onion -- thinly sliced 1 medium tomato -- skinned 3/4 cup milk 3 tablespoons water 1/2 pound muenster or mild cheddar cheese 1 1/2 teaspoons salt I had always thought of chile con queso as a Texas dish until I went to Chihuahua. It is eaten thereas a vegetable with broiled meats, and it is also sered as an appetizer with hot tortillas. The light green Anaheim chile with which it is made is grown extensively in the north of Mexico and southwestern United States. It is used a great deal in the cooking of Chihuahau and Sonora. Two of the best Mexican cheeses come from Chihuahua--the queso Chihuahua made by the Mennonites, living there in settlements, and the queso asadero, a very creamy, slightly acidy cheese that is layered like the mozzarella. It is always used cooked, and gives the lovely creamy stringiness that the mexicans hold in high esteem. It is curious that in some parts of the State they use a wild plant to coagulate the milk instead of the more usual rennet. I have not yet been able to find out what this is--possibly a type of thistle that I have seen mentioned in the same connection in an old Spanish cookbook. Roast and peel the chiles and cut them into rajas (strips) without removing the seeds. Heat the oil and cook the onion, without browning, until it is soft. Slice the tomato thinly and add it with the rajas to the onions in the pan. Cover and cook over a medium flame for about 8 minutes. Add the milk and water and let the mixture cook for a few minutes more. Just before serving, cut the cheese into thin slices and add, with the salt, to the chile mixture. Serve as soon as the cheese melts. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTES : Entered into MasterCook by Garry Howard, Cambridge, MA garhow@hpubmaa.esr.hp.com * Exported from MasterCook II * Chile Rellenos (Stuffed Chiles) Recipe By : The Cuisines of Mexico by Diana Kennedy ISBN 0-06-012344-3 Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Meats Mexican Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- ___Picadillo___ 3 pounds boneless pork 1/2 onion -- sliced 2 cloves garlic -- peeled 1 tablespoon salt 6 tablespoons lard or the fat from the broth 1/2 medium onion -- finely chopped 3 cloves garlic -- peeled and chopped 8 peppercorns 5 whole cloves 1/2 inch stick cinnamon 3 tablespoons raisins 2 tablespoons almonds -- blanched & slivered 2 tablespoons acitron or candied fruit -- chopped 2 teaspoons salt 1 1/4 pounds tomatoes -- peeled and seeded ___Tomato Broth___ 1 1/4 pounds tomatoes -- peeled and seeded 1/4 medium onion -- roughly chopped 2 cloves garlic -- peeled and chopped 1/4 cup lard or reserved fat from the broth 4 whole cloves 6 peppercorns 2 small bay leaves 2 1/2 sticks cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme 3 cups reserved pork broth salt -- to taste ___The Chiles___ 6 chiles poblanos -- or bell peppers ___The Batter___ Peanut oil - at least 3/4" deep 4 eggs -- separated 1/4 teaspoon salt a little flour This dish consists of large chiles or bell peppers stuffed with meat or cheese, coated with a light batter, and fried. They are served in a light tomato broth. There is alays an exclamation of pleasure and surprise when a cazuela of golden, puffy chiles rellenos sitting in their tomato broth is presented at the table. If you have eaten those sad, flabby little things that usually turn up in so-called Mexican restaurants in the United States as authentic chiles rellenos, you have a great surprise in store. Here is yet another prime example of the fine feeling the Mexicans have for texture in their food: you bite through the slightly crisp, rich chile poblano to experience the crunch of the almonds and little bits of crystallized fruits in the pork filling. Then there is the savory broth to cut the richness of the batter. Chiles poblanos are imported in great quantities to large centers of Mexican population here in the States but very few find their way to the East. (Maybe this was true in 1972 when this book was published, but these days they are readily available here in Cambridge. To me, bell peppers are no substitute.) I am afraid the bell pepper is about the only suitable substitute for appearance and size--you can always spike them with a little chile serrano. Assembling the chiles may seem like a long laborious task, but it is no more complicated and time consuming than most worthwhile dishes, and this dish is certainly worthwhile. Prepare the picadillo: Cut the meat into large cubes. Put them into the pan with the onion, garlic, and salt and cover with cold water. Bring the meat to a boil, lower the flame and let it simmer until just tender--about 40 to 45 minutes. Do not overcook. Leave the meat to cool off in the broth. Strain the meat, reserving the broth, then shred or chop it finely and set it aside. Let the broth get completely cold and skim off the fat. Reserve the fat. Melt the lard and cook the onion and garlic, without browning, until they are soft. Add the meat and let it ook until it begins to brown. Crush the spices roughly and add them, with the rest of the ingredients to the meat mixture. Cook the mixture a few moments longer. Mash the tomatoes a little and add them to the mixture in the pan. Continue cooking the mixture over a high flame for about 10 minutes, stirring it from time to time so that it does not stick. It should be almost dry. Prepare the tomato broth: Blend the tomatoes, with the juice extracted from their seeds, with the onion and garlic until smooth. Melt the lard and fry the tomato puree over a high flame for about 3 minutes, stirring to prevent sticking. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook them over a high flame for about 5 minutes, stirring. Add the pork broth and continue cooking the broth over a medium flame for about 15 minutes. By that time it will be well seasoned and reduced somewhat--but still a broth rather than a thick sauce. Add salt as necessary. Prepare the chiles: Put the chiles straight onto a fairly high flame or under the broiler--not into the oven--and let the skin blister and burn. Turn the chiles from time to time so they do not get overcooked or burn right through. Wrap the chiles in a damp cloth or plastic bag and leave them for 20 minutes. The burned skin will then flake off very easily and the flesh will become a little more cooked in the steam. Make a slit in the side of each chile and carefully remove the seeds and veins. Be careful to leave the top of the chile, the part around the base of the stem, intact. (If the chiles are too picante, let them soak in a mild vinegar and water solution for about 30 minutes.) Rinse the chiles and pat them dry. Stuff the chiles until they are well filled out. If you are using bell peppers, add some chopped fresh chile to make them a little picante. Set them aside on paper toweling while you make the batter. Prepare the batter: Heat the oil until it starts to smoke. Meanwhile, beat the egg whites until they are stiff, but not too dry. Add the salt and egg yolks one by one, beating well after each addition. Pat the chiles completely dry (or the batter will not adhere) and sprinkle them lightly with flour. Coat them with the batter. Fry the chiles in the hot fat, turning them from time to time, until they are an even gold all over. Drain the chiles on the paper toweling and place them in the tomato broth--it should come about halfway up the chiles--to heat through over a low flame. Serve immediately. Variation: Chiles Rellenos De Queso (Chiles Stuffed With Cheese) Follow the instructions for Chiles Rellenos but stuff the chiles with slices of mozzarella or mild Cheddar cheese instead of the picadillo. In Mexico the braided queso de Oaxaca is generally used. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTES : Entered into MasterCook by Garry Howard, Cambridge, MA garhow@hpubmaa.esr.hp.com * Exported from MasterCook II * Chiles En Nogada (Chiles in Walnut Sauce) Recipe By : The Cuisines of Mexico by Diana Kennedy ISBN 0-06-012344-3 Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Mexican Meats Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 6 chiles poblanos 1 small bunch Italian parsley seeds of one small pomegranate ___Picadillo___ 3 pounds boneless pork 1/2 onion -- sliced 2 cloves garlic -- peeled 1 tablespoon salt 6 tablespoons lard or the fat from the broth 1/2 medium onion -- finely chopped 3 cloves garlic -- peeled and chopped 8 peppercorns 5 whole cloves 1/2 inch stick cinnamon 3 tablespoons raisins 2 tablespoons almonds -- blanched & slivered 2 tablespoons acitron or candied fruit -- chopped 2 teaspoons salt 1 1/4 pounds tomatoes -- peeled and seeded 1 pear -- peeled and chopped 1 peach -- peeled and chopped ___Nogada (Walnut Sauce)___ 25 fresh walnuts -- shelled 1 small piece white bread -- without crust 1/4 pound farmer cheese 1 1/2 cups Thick Sour Cream -- See recipe 1/2 teaspoon salt -- * large pinch powdered cinnamon This is one of the famous dishes of Mexico: large, dark green chiles poblanos stuffed with a pork meat picadillo and covered with a walnut sauce. It is decorated with red pomegranate seeds and the large-leafed Italian parsley. The recipe is said to have been concocted by the grateful people of Puebla, who were giving a banquet in honor of Don Agustin de Iturbide's saint's day, August 28 in 1821. He and his followers had led he final revolt against Spanish domination; as self-proclaimed emperor he had just signed the Treaty of Cordoba. All the dishes at the banquet were concocted of ingredients of the colors of the Mexican flag; in this dish were the green chiles, the white sauce, and the red pomegranate seeds. It is almost worth a special journey to Mexico City or, better still, to Puebla toward the end of August. By then it is well on in the rainy season, and the fresh crop of walnuts will have been gathered. The peasants come in from the country with them, and you can see them sitting on the sidewalks at every street corner selling little piles of a dozen walnuts. Sometimes they are crammed into small paper bags, but the top one will always be cracked open so that you can see its quality. The flesh is tender, almost milky, with a very delicate flavor, and the papery skin around it can be peeled off easily. Practically every restaurant will have chiles en nogado on the menu, and no family fiesta will be complete without them during their short season. You really have to use chiles poblanos for this dish. Bell peppers or the canned, peeled green chiles are no substitutes. The walnuts should be very fresh, but in a pinch you could use the commercially packed walnuts, which soften and swell when soaked in water overnight. One of the points most vehemently discussed among Mexican cooks is whether the chiles for this dish should be capeados (covered with beaten egg and fried) or not. I agree with those who say no; I think the rich sauce and batter together is too much. They are served warm with the cold sauce poured over them at the last moment. But if you personally prefer them capeados, then do it that way. * Many people like a slightly sweet sauce, while others prefer it a little salty--it is entirely a mater of taste. If you prefer sweet, substitute 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar for the 1/2 teaspoon salt. Prepare the picadillo: Cut the meat into large cubes. Put them into the pan with the onion, garlic, and salt and cover with cold water. Bring the meat to a boil, lower the flame and let it simmer until just tender--about 40 to 45 minutes. Do not overcook. Leave the meat to cool off in the broth. Strain the meat, reserving the broth, then shred or chop it finely and set it aside. Let the broth get completely cold and skim off the fat. Reserve the fat. Melt the lard and cook the onion and garlic, without browning, until they are soft. Add the meat and let it ook until it begins to brown. Crush the spices roughly and add them, with the rest of the ingredients to the meat mixture. Cook the mixture a few moments longer. Mash the tomatoes a little and add them to the mixture in the pan. Continue cooking the mixture over a high flame for about 10 minutes, stirring it from time to time so that it does not stick. It should be almost dry. Prepare the walnut sauce: Cover the nuts with boiling water and leave them to soak for 5 minutes. (If you leave them soaking too long the skin will become too soft and will be more difficult to remove.) Remove the papery brown skin--it should come off quite easily. Cover the walnuts with cold water and leave them to soak overnight. Blend all the ingredients until they are smooth. Prepare the chiles: Put the chiles straight onto a fairly high flame or under the broiler--not into the oven--and let the skin blister and burn. Turn the chiles from time to time so they do not get overcooked or burn right through. Wrap the chiles in a damp cloth or plastic bag and leave them for 20 minutes. The burned skin will then flake off very easily and the flesh will become a little more cooked in the steam. Make a slit in the side of each chile and carefully remove the seeds and veins. Be careful to leave the top of the chile, the part around the base of the stem, intact. (If the chiles are too picante, let them soak in a mild vinegar and water solution for about 30 minutes.) Rinse the chiles and pat them dry. Stuff the chiles until they are well filled out. Cover the chiles with the sauce and garnish with parsley leaves and pomegranate seeds. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTES : Entered into MasterCook by Garry Howard, Cambridge, MA garhow@hpubmaa.esr.hp.com * Exported from MasterCook II * Elote Con Crema (Fresh Corn With Cream, Chiles, & Cheese) Recipe By : The Cuisines of Mexico by Diana Kennedy ISBN 0-06-012344-3 Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Mexican Vegetables Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1/4 cup butter 1/2 medium onion -- finely chopped 1 clove garlic -- peeled and chopped 5 chiles poblanos -- roasted and peeled 4 cups corn -- * 1/4 pound mild cheddar cheese -- in small cubes 1 teaspoon salt Thick Sour Cream -- See recipe Again, there are so many variations of corn-chile-cream dishes that is is hard to know just which recipe to choose. For a change, the chiles could be left whole, stuffed with corn and cheese, and cooked in cream. But this combination is delicious any way. This is a very rich dish, and is very good served as a separate course with hot tortillas. It is best eaten right after it's cooked, as the cheese gets tough when reheated. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Melt the butter and cook the onion and garlic, without browning, until they are soft. Cut the chiles into rajas (strips), add them to the pan, and cook them, covered, 8 minutes. Add the corn, heese, and salt to the chile mixture. Cover tightly with foil or a lid and let it bake for 20 minutes for frozen corn. If you use fresh corn, cook for 40 minutes, adding the cheese after the first 20 minutes of cooking time. Serve the vegetables hot, with the sour cream. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTES : Entered into MasterCook by Garry Howard, Cambridge, MA garhow@hpubmaa.esr.hp.com * Exported from MasterCook II * Papas Fritas Con Rajas (Potatoes Fried With Chile Strips) Recipe By : Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Mexican Vegetables Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 8 chiles poblanos -- roasted and peeled 2 tablespoons peanut oil 1 1/2 medium onions -- thinly sliced 1 teaspoon salt 2 pounds red bliss or other waxy potatoes This is an excellent accompaniment for roasted and broiled meats, especially if you want something more substantial than the rajas alone. I shall never forget the wonderful smell of the chiles frying as we would walk in very hungry at lunch time. Sometimes our maid Rufina would use strips of the long, thin, dark green chile chilaca, which can bite your stomach as well as your mouth quite fiercely. Cook the potatoes but be careful not to cook them too much; they should be al dente, or they will disintegrate during the frying. Remove the seeds and veins from the chiles and cut them into strips about 1 1/2 inhes long and 1/2 inch wide. If the chiles seem too picante, soak them in salted water for about 30 minutes. Heat the oil and fry the onions gently, without browning them, until they are soft. Add the chile strips, potatoes, and salt to the onions in the pan. Without coverint the pan, fry the potatoes until theyare nicely browned, stirring the mixture from time to time, as the chile and onions are apt to stick to the bottom of the pan. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTES : Entered into MasterCook by Garry Howard, Cambridge, MA garhow@hpubmaa.esr.hp.com * Exported from MasterCook II * Rajas Con Jitomate (Chile Strips With Tomatoes) Recipe By : The Cuisines of Mexico by Diana Kennedy ISBN 0-06-012344-3 Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Mexican Vegetables Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 8 chiles poblanos -- roasted and peeled 6 tablespoons peanut oil 1 1/2 medium onions -- thinly sliced 1 teaspoon salt 2 pounds tomatoes -- peel, seed, chop Remove the seeds and veins from the chiles and cut them into strips about 1 1/2 inhes long and 1/2 inch wide. If the chiles seem too picante, soak them in salted water for about 30 minutes. Heat the oil and fry the onions gently, without browning them, until they are soft. Add the chile strips, tomatoes and salt to the onions in the pan. Cook uncovered, over a fairly high flame until the vegetables are well seasoned and the liquid has evaporated--about 10 minutes. This is excellent served like a thick sauce over Torta de Elote. It also makes a very good accompaniment to plain broiled meat, fish, or chicken. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTES : Entered into MasterCook by Garry Howard, Cambridge, MA garhow@hpubmaa.esr.hp.com * Exported from MasterCook II * Rajas De Chile Poblano (Chile Poblano Strips) Recipe By : The Cuisines of Mexico by Diana Kennedy ISBN 0-06-012344-3 Serving Size : 6 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Mexican Vegetables Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 8 chiles poblanos -- roasted and peeled 6 tablespoons peanut oil 1 1/2 medium onions -- thinly sliced 1/2 teaspoon salt In the central and northern part of Mexico, where the chile poblano is used a great deal, to ask for rajas most commonly means strips of chile poblano cooked in this way. It makes an excellent accompaniment for broiled meats. Remove the seeds and veins from the chiles and cut them into strips about 1 1/2 inhes long and 1/2 inch wide. If the chiles seem too picante, soak them in salted water for about 30 minutes. Heat the oil and fry the onions gently, without browning them, until they are soft. Add the chile strips and salt to the onions in the pan, cover, and cook gently for about 8 minutes. You can always prepare these ahead of time and they will keep in the refriegerator for several days. They are inclined to get a bit soggy if you freeze them. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTES : Entered into MasterCook by Garry Howard, Cambridge, MA garhow@hpubmaa.esr.hp.com * Exported from MasterCook II * Thick Sour Cream Recipe By : The Cuisines of Mexico by Diana Kennedy ISBN 0-06-012344-3 Serving Size : 1 Preparation Time :0:00 Categories : Condiments Mexican Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method -------- ------------ -------------------------------- 1/2 pint heavy cream 2 tablespoons buttermilk Many recipes from central Mexico call for cream. it should be slightly sour, liek the creme fraiche of France. I suggest that you make your own, which is far more satisfactory that using the commercial brands. Put the cream and buttermilk into a glass jar and mix them well together. Cover with plastic wrap and set the mixture aside in a warm place, but not too warm (a strong pilot light is too warm; the cream will taste "cooked" and a skin will form) until it is set, about 6 hours. Put the crem into the refrigerator overnight; it will thicken and become more solid. Some creams will sour more quickly, and some become thicker than others. The milk experts inform me that these are uncontrollable factors depending on the culture of the buttermilk, the amount of light and heat to which the cream was exposed before it was used, and even the bateria in one's own kitchen. For Thin Sour Cream you can substitute light for heavy cream. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - NOTES : Entered into MasterCook by Garry Howard, Cambridge, MA garhow@hpubmaa.esr.hp.com