Mexican Dish : Chiles rellenos - Stuffed peppers

"Chiles rellenos" are such a traditional Mexican dish.... I remember when I started dating my husband on 2006 (For those who do not know we met online "e-harmony") I was in Mexico and he was living here, in Wisconsin.... And in one of our conversations, I remember him saying: "I wonder what you are going to cook when we marry, because I don't like Mexican food" I told him I was convinced he would LOVE Mexican food once he really tried it but he was pretty sure he had tried "all kinds of Mexican food" here in Wisconsin, he said he had gone to "very authentic restaurants" (they claimed to be authentic) and he says that he saw Mexican people in the kitchens (well, they were employees there, but it doesn't mean they were really cooking Mexican food) One of the things he told me he hated the most was "guacamole", he basically disliked avocado.... Little did he know how much he would love it one day!

So, on his first trip to Mexico, I made sure he ate not just "our real tacos" (which by the way he couldn't stop eating) but I wanted him to try some other Mexican dishes I knew would change his opinion about "Mexican" food.... So, he tried "Chiles rellenos" and it was "love at first bite" he couldn't believe how delicious that dish was, he was all aaahs and ooohs and wows while he ate.... and that is why I want to share with you such great recipe:

"Chiles rellenos" are roasted poblano peppers, stuffed with "picadillo" (a ground beef "guisado" -stew type of thing but not with too much liquid in it-) or stuffed with "queso fresco" (Mexican style fresh cheese) and then passed through an egg batter and finally fried in very very hot oil.

Here is what you need to make them: (4 people)
For the peppers:
4 poblano peppers (get 6 just in case any of the peppers gets torn if it's the first time you are handling these)
2 eggs (divided)
2 cups of all purpose flour
1 tsp. of salt

For the stuffing:
Queso:
1 8 oz. queso fresco (you can easily get this in a "hispanic or Mexican" grocery store)

OR

Picadillo:
1/2 lb. ground beef
1 potato (cubed)
1/2 white onion (chopped)
1 clove of garlic (chopped)
1/2 cup of crushed tomatoes
1/2 cube of chicken bouillon
1/4 cup of finely chopped cilantro (fresh)
salt and black pepper to taste

Directions:

This dish needs to be made with some time, because of all the steps involved and especially if it's the first time you make them, I would say take your good 2 hours (is not too much work but it takes time, trust me, it's all worth it)

First roast the peppers, One or two at a time, cook peppers directly on the grate for about seven minutes. Periodically turn with tongs or a fork to cook all sides of the skin. (don't worry if it looks black, that will go away when you peel it)



Roasting Poblanos Using the Oven or Broiler

To roast peppers in the oven, preheat the oven to 450° F. Spread the peppers in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet and cook until the skin blisters and begins to darken, about five to ten minutes.

Put the peppers inside a plastic bag so they can "sweat" and then you can remove the skin easier (for about 8 mins.)

While the peppers are "sweating" make the stuffing, if you are using queso, then skip this step and just cut the queso fresco in 1/4" slices, your stuffing is ready.

If you are going to make "Picadillo" (which I highly recommend you go for it!! You can actually make some chiles with cheese and some others with ground beef and then choose which one is your favorite) then you need to:

1. Sautee the onion and garlic (properly season with salt and black pepper)
2. Add the ground beef (brown it, season it with a little more salt and pepper and make sure it doesn't clump, keep it moving so it is really ground) -cover the pot with a tight lid so the meat releases its juices- (medium heat)
3. Once the meat has browned, get rid of about 70% of the liquid, keep it moving so it fries a little bit and the liquid reduces and add the cubed potato, let it all cook until the potatoes are almost cooked all the way through
4. Add the 1/2 cube of chicken bouillion and the crushed tomatoes, cover, reduce the heat and let it all simmer until the potatoes are cooked all the way through.
5. Remove from the fire and add the chopped cilantro.

Once your stuffing is ready, you can go back to your peppers, peel them (remove the thin burnt layer of skin) and get the seeds and veins out (use plastic gloves because the heat of the peppers is all in the seeds and you can get your hands burnt (TRUST ME!), do this very carefully, trying to keep the flesh of the pepper intact and by opening a 1 1/2 inch slit on one side of the pepper with a sharp knife.

Stuff your peppers with about 3 slices of cheese or 3 tablespoons of picadillo (it also depends on the size of the pepper) they shouldn't be too full that the food comes out or too thin that there isn't enough stuffing inside.

Put the all purpose flour in a bowl and in a separate bowl beat the egg whites until they form peaks, still beating on high with your electric mixer slowly fold in the egg yolks, so the batter stays really frothy.

Now in a pan (deep enough for your oil but not too deep that is hard for you to handle the peppers, you can use something as deep as a wok) start heating the oil, this is one of the main secrets of chiles rellenos, the oil should be really, really hot, ALMOST bubbling, you can test it by adding a little bit of the egg batter and it should fry pretty quick and you should see it "sizzle" immediately. While the oil heats up pass your chile relleno (carefully) and ONE at a time by the flour until the pepper is lightly coated with flour, then immerse the pepper in the egg batter (trying to keep the open side of the pepper up) you can handle the pepper by its tail and tip, quickly put the pepper in the oil and turn it so it is all fried up, the fried egg will prevent the food from coming out of the pepper, once it's all fried and it looks beautifully golden all around put your chile relleno on a plate (lined with paper towel to absorb the excess of oil), Do this for each pepper and THERE YOU GO! Your very own CHILES RELLENOS!

You can serve chiles rellenos with rice and refried beans or rice and lettuce salad, corn tortillas are a MUST. I will share the recipe for a very easy rice tomorrow.

Provecho!

Paloma.

Fantastic Way to Make Delicious Easy Rice

This rice recipe I will share with you is really, really simple...

Rice is a very "Mexican thing to eat" (not only Asian people eat rice) ... If you go to a Hispanic Store you will find HUGE bags of rice, and trust me.... As a Mexican I know if we buy a bag like that, we will go through it really quick

Rice goes great with most Mexican dishes, its mild flavor goes great with the way we cook meat, peppers, etc... Besides, it is a great "filler".

This recipe makes a lot of rice (for about 6 people, so you can cut it by half to try it first)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of Long Grain Rice
• 3 1/2 cups of chicken broth (another way of measuring the liquid for the rice, is that there should be about an inch of water above the level of the rice)
• 1 or clove of garlic
• 1/4 white onion (chopped) - or 1/2 white onion if the onion is small.
• 1 tomato (fresh) or 2 tablespoons of tomato sauce
• 1/2 cube of tomato bouillon.
• 1 1/2 tbsp. vegetable oil (it can be olive oil)
• 1 cup of canned mixed vegetables or canned cubed carrots -rinse well- (optional)
• 1 stem (with leaves) of cilantro
• 1 serrano pepper (optional)
• Salt to taste (about 2 tsp.)

Directions:

1. Fry the rice in the oil until it is not translucent any more, it should be an opaque white. (medium heat)

2. Add the onion and garlic and turn the rice around with a spoon (wooden spoon is ideal) keep frying until the rice turns into a light golden color.
3. Add the chicken broth and tomato (fresh or canned), season with salt and add the tomato bouillon, leave it uncovered until it starts boiling.

4. Once it is boiling, add the canned vegetables and the serrano pepper.

5. Cover the pot of the rice and decrease the heat just so it simmers for about 25 minutes. (see next step though)
6. Check the rice after the first 15 minutes of simmering test it for doneness and check the water, if it seems to be too dry and the rice is still hard add 1/4 to 1/2 cup of water.

7. Add the cilantro and cover again, let it keep cooking for the remaining time (still low heat).

8. Remove from the fire and serve.

Provecho!

Paloma.

MOLE!!!

Hola amigos! I know you are probably thinking the title for this post is weird.... but do not worry, I will not write about lumps on the skin or about an infiltrated person in a team or anything like that.... I am talking about MOLE SAUCE (Mole is pronounced like... hmmm, like "mo- as in moment" and "-le as in legs")

There are many different kinds of "MOLE" in Mexico, and some of them are nothing at all like the rest (sometimes I even wonder why they are called mole), but I would say the most popular MOLE is "Mole Poblano", it takes its name from its state of origin "Puebla" and it is such a delicious dish, you have to TRY IT! and that's the type of mole I will focus on today.

When my mom and grandma' were here these past weeks (Yes, they are already gone and I am missing them so much!) they made "mole con pollo" (mole with chicken) .... Mole Poblano is a combination of chilies, spices, nuts, seeds and chocolate, it is such a rich sauce! but it requires too many ingredients and time to make it from scratch (which of course is the best), But I must say I have never made mole from scratch... Now, there are many brands that offer good "MOLE", basically the "paste" and you can just "make it your own" by adding some little touches that will make it more "homemade like".

The Brand I suggest you to use is: "Doña Maria"

That would be the base for the sauce.

To make your own "Pollo con mole" you will need:

Ingredients:

1. 2 pounds of chicken (legs and thighs)
2. 1/2 white onion
3. 2 cloves of garlic
4. 2 tbsp. of salt
5. 1 cup of Mole Dona Maria (the whole container of 8.25 oz)
6. 1 slice of bread (white or even 1/2 hot dog or hamburger bun)
7. Approx. 2 oz. of chocolate (chocolate "abuelita", "ibarra" or "Goya" -those are the brands to use-)
8. 1/2 tsp. sugar
9. 2 tbsp. chunky peanut butter
10. 1 pinch of salt, ground black pepper and garlic powder

Directions:

Put the chicken in enough water (2 inches of water over the top of the chicken), add the 1/2 white onion, cloves of garlic and 2 tbsp. salt, cook it all together until the chicken is cooked (no pink juices running).

While the chicken cooks, fry the slice of bread in some vegetable oil and set aside, it should be just a little golden, separately fry the chocolate just for a little bit (about 2 mins).

Once the chicken is cooked, use 2 cups of the liquid of the chicken and blend it with the rest of the ingredients (mole paste, bread, chocolate, sugar, peanut butter,  pinch of salt, black pepper and garlic powder)

Put the sauce in a big pan, start the low fire until it starts bubbling, add 2 more cups of the liquid of the chicken and the pieces of chicken until it all starts bubbling, make sure the chicken legs and thighs all get covered by the sauce. (note: If it is too thick you can add one 1/2 to 1 cup of water to it)

Done! You have "Mole Poblano" right in your kitchen!

Serve hot with rice and refried beans or lettuce salad. Have corn tortillas to go with it too!

If you are enjoying this blog... share it with others... tell your friends about it.... I am really trying to share about Mexican cuisine... 

Provecho!

Paloma.

Mexicana Huevos

For 2 people:

Ingredients:

• 4 eggs
• 1 small red tomato (or half a biggger one) chopped (in cubes)
• 1/4 white onion (finely chopped)
• 1 or 2 chopped serrano peppers (serrano pepper is a hotter kind of pepper, you can use jalapeno or even green bell pepper if you want to avoid the heat, but serrano is the traditional pepper to use)
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil
• Salt to taste

Directions:

Add the oil to a pan, wait for the oil to warm up so you can sautee the vegetables, stir in the peppers and onions, sautee (season with salt). Once the onion is clear add the chopped tomato and fry a little bit longer (about 2 more minutes, until the tomato releases some of its juices), add the eggs and season with salt again, scramble the eggs and keep the eggs moving until they are cooked the way you like them.

I do not like eggs that are way too cooked (they shouldn't be dry, plus remember, the tomatoes will make it seem like the eggs are still too moist, but it's not the egg itself, it's the juice of the tomato)

Serve with refried beans, sliced avocado with salt (optional of course) and corn tortillas.

Provecho!

Paloma.

How to make EASY corn tortillas

Buenos dias amigos!

After writing yesterday about hard shells and real tortillas, I thought I should start looking for a video that would show you how to make them really easy.... So I went to youtube and found this video, watched it and liked it a lot because it really shows how easy making tortillas is.

There are just a few things I would like to explain first though:

1. Be careful when pressing the tortilla in the tortilla press, if you press too hard then you will only get a super-thin tortilla, so thin that it will be impossible to remove from the press or too hard to handle and transfer to the hot pan to cook. You will find what's best for you after the first 1 or 2 tortillas you attempt to make.

2. The lady in the video used a griddle to cook the tortillas, I use a "comal" which is like a Mexican griddle type of thing, is just a flat iron pan, it does not have to be non stick... tortillas will not stick to the "comal".

3. You will notice that she uses a plastic bag in the tortilla press (you will see what I am talking about once you watch the video) that step is REALLY IMPORTANT and can't be skipped, if you don't use it you will only have pieces of dough stuck to your tortilla press instead of a beautiful tortilla.

4. Homemade tortillas like these, have to be used right away, they are not good when stored, same thing with the dough, you just make the dough for the tortillas you will eat and eat the tortillas you made, once you have practice making tortillas you will find that is very easy and it doesn't take you long.

5. Homemade tortillas are great to go with your Mexican food or to make your very own tacos, but they are not good to make entomatadas, flautas, enchiladas, etc.... When I share recipes for those dishes I will specify that you cannot use your homemade tortillas. And that is because the thickness is really different from those store bought tortillas or the ones you can get in a "Tortilleria", the consistency and flexibility is different and they are not great to be fried, these tortillas have to be eaten right off the "comal".

So, here is the video I found on how to make tortillas with MASECA.

If you have any questions please let me know!



Provecho!

Paloma.

Tostadas de Pollo

Hola amigos! I just want to give a quick update from my very Mexican Kitchen.... which is even more Mexican now that my mom and grandma' are here spending some days with us!

I haven't cooked anything! but I am still eating real Mexican food! From tostadas to a potato/carrot soup, it's been great! So I thought I should share a "Chicken Tostadas" recipe with all of you...

There are different ways to make chicken tostadas, these are the ones we had last week:

Ingredients:
(for 4-6 people)
- Corn Tostadas (12)
- 1/2 a can of Refried Pinto Beans (these brands are easy to find in USA and they are very good: "La Preferida", "Goya" "Adelita" "La Costena" "La Sierra"
- Cooked and shredded chicken (you can use leg quarters or chicken breast, or even mix the two) approx. 2 pounds. (just boil your chicken with enough water, salt, 1/2 white onion and 3 whole cloves of garlic, once it is cooked, let it cool a little so you can handle it and shred it)
- 3 red tomatoes (chopped or thinly sliced)
- chopped (in stripes I would say, julianne) lettuce (about 1/2 a lettuce, or more)
- 1/2 big white onion (chopped)
- 4 oz. queso fresco (Mexican fresh cheese, it's not too hard to find) (crumbled, you can easily crumble it with your fingers)
- 1 thinly sliced avocado (1 big avocado or 2 small ones)
- Mexican style sour cream (if you can not find Mexican style sour cream just use more queso fresco)
- Salsa verde (optional)
- Salt to taste

Directions:

- Spread a thin layer of the refried beans on all of your tostadas
- Add the shredded chicken (equally on all the tostadas)
- add the rest of the vegetables (lettuce first, then avocado, onions, tomatoes)
- Add the crumbled queso fresco and then each person can add the sour cream and salsa.
- Add a pinch of salt to each tostada on top and voila! You are set to go to have a wonderful Mexican meal!

Today we will be having "POLLO CON MOLE" for lunch... I will share the recipe with all of you soon! So, stay connected!

Provecho

Paloma.

Guacamole - Recipe

Hello my friends! How are you? I've been meaning to write something lately but the nausea hasn't allowed me to! I am actually taking a brave step at this very moment, trying to write about food... when I don't really feel like it... But I want to keep my promises and share with you a recipe....So, I chose an easy and delicious one (very healthy too!): Guacamole!

I know there are many versions "out there" and some are authentically Mexican, although, with Guacamole I like to keep it simple, fresh and really really natural... I can tell you that if a guacamole recipe calls for "Taco Mix" is not authentically Mexican then... and you should discard it immediately

The way I make guacamole is really simple and here are the ingredients you need:

(serves about 5 people)
2 Avocados (Hass) - (See the final note to know how to pick a good avocado)
2 Red Tomatoes (they can be roma tomatoes)
1/2 white onion (if it's too big use a little less)
1/2 lime (juice, always use fresh juice) - you can add more to taste
1 cup of chopped cilantro (fresh cilantro only)
salt to taste
(optional serrano pepper) I usually do not add the pepper because my daughter loves guacamole, so that's why it's optional, it depends if children or people who can't tolerate any heat will eat it too, if you are going to go for it then start with 1/2 a serrano pepper and experiment with that, add more if you think you can handle it.

What you need to do is chop all the ingredients (except the avocado and lime of course), mix them and set them aside, mash the avocados, you can make guacamole as clumpy or smooth as you like, do not blend it in the blender though, just use a fork, add the lime and salt and mix it all together with the tomatoes, onions and cilantro you set aside.

I leave the avocado last because it tends to get dark (oxidation), the lime will help prevent that oxidation, some people leave the seeds of the avocados in the guacamole believing this will keep it from darkening, the truth is that it doesn't, what happens is that guacamole gets dark from being in contact with oxygen, and the seeds kind of help the avocado around it (the one that touches it) to be in contact with oxygen, there is nothing special or magic about the seed, it could really be anything (even a light bulb LOL!) So, what would work better is some "Saran Wrap", place the guacamole in the container that you will serve it and cover it tightly with Saran Wrap, so the lime and the wrap will really help you keep a nice looking guacamole.

 Note: The "bump" on top of the pic is the "lime squeezer". By the way, get one of those if you don't have it.

There you have it, I hope you make it and enjoy it! you can have some tortilla chips to eat it as a snack or put it in your next "Real Tacos"

Note: To know how to pick ripe avocados click here 

Step 2

Pick that avocado up and examine the stem end. If the avocado is ripe, you will be able to pull the stem out very easily. If the stem is already missing, or your not sure how easy it was for you to pull out the stem, read on.

Step 3

Hold the avocado in your hand and gently squeeze it. An unripe avocado will feel like a stone. An over-ripe avocado will feel loose under the skin. A ripe avocado will feel the same as if you were to squeeze the palms of your hands.

Step 4

Know when the varieties of avocados are in season. Haas avocados are available year-round but at their peak from April to November. Fuerte are available from November to July. Reed are available from March to September. Booth, Lula and Taylor are available from the end of June through February. Zutano are available from October to May. Bacon are available from November through July.

Read more: How to Pick Ripe Avocados | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/how_2300768_pick-ripe-avocados.html#ixzz0toOb1ohR

Provecho!

Paloma.

A guilt free Snack... WITH FIRE!

Hello my friends! I hope you are enjoying this blog so far! Today is a hot day in Wisconsin (it's been pretty hot this week) and it got me thinking of what I would be eating if I was in Mexico right now... and I know that for sure I would be stopping one of those "carritos de fruta ambulantes" (mobile fruit stands) which you can find in any street of Mexico, especially during Summer!

But... I can make my own here... at least it will be pretty close to it:

What you will need to make your own "fruta con chile" "fruit with chili powder" (yes, now you know where the fire is!) is:

Note: You can use any of the following fruits... or all of your favorite ones in the list below and mix them.... I highly recommend to use JICAMA (you will see what it is below) and cucumber too!

Cucumber (peeled and sliced)
 Jicama (peeled and sliced) (jicama = jícama = yam bean = Mexican yam bean = ahipa = saa got = Chinese potato = Mexican potato = Chinese turnip  Pronunciation: HIH-kuh-ma)
Slices of a fresh coconut
Cubes of Watermelon
Mango (in slices or cubes)
Orange wedges
Slices of pineapple

FRESH lime juice (about 1/2 lime per cup of fruit), 
Salt to taste
Chili powder (you can use ground bird pepper "chile piquin molido" or the bottles with chili powder  for fruit ... Brands "Tajin or Trechas")

and you are good to go!

If you are going to go for Mango... it's better if that's on its own with the lime, salt and chili powder and not mix it with other fruits... if you go for the other fruits (and the jicama root) they can ALL BE MIXED TOGETHER... it will look BEAUTIFUL! The amount of chili powder will be according to the amount of heat you can tolerate... so start with a little bit and taste it and add more as you like.

Here is an example of jicama with chile:

There you have it! The refreshing flavor of Mexico on your table! I hope you go for it and try it! Whenever I've been on diets and trying to lose weight I've found that eating "jicama and cucumber" like this really satisfies my cravings and I don't need "chips" and things like that.... Jicama has only 46 calories per cup and cucumber even less!!! cucumber has only 16 calories per cup... So... even if you are on a diet you can live the Mexican experience too!

Enjoy!

Paloma.