Hot Tips for Hot Chiles
1. Making chile rellenos is a messy affair so I tell my students it’s a great “make ahead” dish. The process from stuffing, battering, and frying the chiles can be done early. When guests arrive or your ready to eat just place the baking sheet of prepared chiles into a hot 400 degree oven and bake until heated through and crispy on the outside, about 15 minutes.
2. When choosing Poblano peppers for the rellenos pick chiles that are not too indented and creased. This helps make it easier to batter and fry, it has nothing to do with the flavor of the chile.
3. It is easier to batter the filled chiles if you flatten them slightly with your hand, lay them on a baking sheet and freeze for about an hour before proceeding to the next steps of battering and frying.
A Cook With Us.com recipe Rellenos de Queso / Chile Rellenos with Cheese
Roasted peppers stuffed with either cheese or pork picadillo – a great meal any time of day!
· 6 poblano chiles
· 1 1/2 cups grated Queso Manchego cheese or Monterey Jack cheese
· 1 potato parboiled until soft
· 1/2 C. all-purpose flour
· 3 eggs separated
· oil for frying
If using a gas range, lay chiles over an open flame and char skins of peppers until the
skins blister and turn brownish / black. Put charred chiles in a plastic sack, close it, and
let steam for approx. 20 min. Chiles may also be charred under a broiler or a very hot
oven.
Take the chiles from bag and remove skins by running your fingers down the chile or use the back of a spoon to loosen the skin. Running under water impairs the flavor. Make a lengthwise slit in each chile and remove seeds and membranes carefully.
Mash the potato with salt and pepper and mix into the cheese. Carefully fill each chile with the mixture. At this step it is best to flatten the filled chile lighly with your hand, place on a parchment lined baking pan and freeze for approx. one hour. This makes the chile less slippery and easier to handle for the next step.
Dust the filled chiles with flour. Beat egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Gradually beat in a pinch of salt and the egg yolks. With a perforated spoon or two forks, dip chile into the egg mixture so it is well covered, lower into the hot oil and fry until golden brown, basting the top of the chile with hot oil as it fries. Drain on paper towels. Keep warm in oven until ready to serve. Best garnished with a rustic style tomato sauce*
A Cook With Us. com recipe
Salsa Roja / Red Salsa
This easy to prepare table salsa is perfect for huevos rancheros, taco’s and chips.
· 4 large roma tomatoes
· ½ white onion, rough chopped
· 3 – 4 garlic cloves, peeled
· 1 jalapeno or Serrano chile, stem and seeds removed
· 1 – 2 dried chile de arbol
· ¼ cup cilantro, chopped
· 1 tsp. sea salt
Bring water to a boil in a medium size saucepan; add the tomatoes, chile, and garlic. Reduce the heat and simmer for 5 minutes until the tomatoes are soft. Cool. Remove tomatoes from pan, peel off skin, place in a blender with the onion, garlic, cilantro and salt. Pulse blender until salsa has a smooth consistency. Pour into a saucepan and simmer for 10 – 15 minutes until sauce darkens and thickens a bit. Pour into a bowl and chill before serving. Use immediately for huevos rancheros or chile rellenos.
Baja Fish tacos are all the rage! Chef Lynne from Cook With Us will show you how to prepare the fresh fish, cabbage slaw, and accompaniments for the perfect taco. In this sold out class at the Kitchen Engine we cooked. laughed, and ate…tacos of succulent red snapper fillets and crispy cheesy chile relleno’s.
A Cook With Us.com recipe Baja Fish Tacos / Tacos de Pescado
Baja, Mexico is an anglers paradise. Freshly caught dorado, sierra, wahoo, and red snapper make their way into some awesome fish tacos; but any regional FRESH white fish is good.
1 lb. fresh white fish fillets
3 cloves of garlic, minced
½ cup lime juice
½ cup of finely crushed corn chips
½ cup masa harina
1 tsp sea salt
½ tsp. pepper
½ cup corn or peanut oil
2 egg whites, beaten stiff
16 corn tortillas
Cut fish into two inch fingers. Marinate in lime juice and garlic for ten minutes. Dip each piece into the beaten egg white. Mix the masa and the corn chips in a wide dish, season with salt and pepper. Then dredge fish pieces in the masa/ chip mixture to coat the fish thoroughly
To Fry Fish: Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet on med. high heat. Fry the fish in the hot oil for three to four minutes on each side until the crust is golden and the filet is tender and flakey. Drain on paper towel. Keep warm
To Bake Fish: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Pour ½ cup of oil onto a baking pan. Place one side of breaded fish into the oil, flip over, continue with all pieces. This procedure will ensure that the fish browns and crisps nicely. Bake until the fish flakes and the flesh is cooked through, about 10 minutes. Keep warm.
Heat corn tortillas on a hot comal or griddle until soft and pliable. Fold two tortillas in half and place one or two fish pieces inside, drizzle with chipotle-mayo sauce*, garnish with cabbage slaw, and serve with your favorite salsa.
Makes approx. 8 fish tacos
*Chipotle-cream sauce: Mix together one cup Mexican crema or substitute ½ cup mayo and ½ cup sour cream. Combine with ½ tsp. minced garlic, ½ tsp. cumin, ½ tsp. salt, ¼ tsp. smoked paprika, ¼ tsp. ground chipotle pepper or half of a chipotle pepper in adobo* sauce and a healthy squeeze of lime juice.
* small tins of chipotle chile in adobo can be found in the Mexican section of most supermarkets. A little goes a long way. The remainder will keep for several weeks refrigerated and can be added to many dishes for smoky heat.
A Cook With Us .com recipe Cabbage Slaw for Baja Fish Tacos
Cabbage gives just the right crunchy texture to fish tacos. Radishes, jicama, or green onions can be added to the slaw if desired.
3 cups of shredded green cabbage
1 cup shredded red cabbage
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
½ cup red onion, chopped
½ cup cilantro, chopped
2 Tbl. Olive oil
2 Tbl. Apple cider vinegar
1 Tbl. Sugar
Salt and pepper to taste
Mix all ingredients in a large bowl. Garnish fish tacos with the prepared slaw and a squeeze of fresh lime. Serve immediately.
I really enjoy teaching at the Kitchen Engine in the Spokane Flour Mill. This family run kitchen store is chock full of an impressive array of everything for cooking anything! The class / teaching area is a well stocked kitchen with overhead monitors for easy viewing. In our last class we cooked a perfect paella, rich with the indescribable flavor of saffron and homemade chicken broth. This one-pan meal is great for a crowd and learning a few important techniques ensures great results.
A Cook With Us.com recipe Paella Mixta
Seafood paella, a fragrant mixture of seafood, meat and rice originated along the Mediterranean coast of Valencia, Spain. Essentially a shepherd’s or fisherman’s pot luck meal, the carefully tended paellera set over an outdoor fire beckoned workers to a delicious meal graced with local ingredients seasonally available in the countryside.
1 pinch or ½ tsp. saffron threads
¼ cup olive oil
½ lb. or more Spanish style chorizo* sausage links, cut into rounds
1 chicken cut into 2” pieces with skin intact, leave legs whole
1 med. white onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup dry white wine
6 cups rich chicken broth
1 Tbl. Bittersweet Spanish paprika
½ tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
½ tsp dried rosemary
½ tsp dried thyme
3 cups short grained Spanish rice*
1 – 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 lb. mussels, scrubbed clean
20 large shrimp, peeled and deveined
¼ cup fresh or frozen peas
1 lemon, sliced into eighths for garnish
chopped chives or scallion for garnish
Add saffron to a half cup of warm water and allow to” bloom”. Bring chicken stock to a simmer.
Heat olive oil in the paella pan or a wide bottom skillet over med. high heat. Dry the chicken pieces and season liberally with salt and pepper. Brown the chicken well in the hot oil and remove to a platter. Brown the chorizo in the same manner and remove from pan. Add the onion to the pan and sauté until wilted, add the garlic and continue to cook and stir until soft. Take care not to burn the garlic as it will taste bitter. Add the wine and simmer until most is reduced.
Stir in the simmering chicken stock, ½ cup of saffron water, paprika, parsley, rosemary, thyme and salt. Bring to a gentle boil. Add the rice, (traditionally in the shape of a cross) fresh rosemary sprig, and peas, reduce heat to low, cook uncovered for about 10 minutes without stirring. Bury the chicken and sausage into the partially cooked rice and continue to cook uncovered for another ten minutes. ( Extra broth may be added if the rice is still hard and most of the liquid has been absorbed.) Next add the shrimp and mussels in the rice and continue to cook over low heat until the shrimp are pink and the rice is tender and the broth absorbed.
If extra liquid is needed to finish the cooking process, add only very hot water or broth as needed. When the cooking process is complete, remove pan from heat, cover, and let rest for a few minutes.
Serve paella right from the pan. Garnish with lemon slices placed in a ring around the pan and sprinkle with chopped chives or scallions.
Homemade aiole, ( garlic sauce ) is a typical accompaniment, usually served on the side.
Serves 8 – 10
* Spanish chorizo sausage can be ordered on line at La Tienda, but that option is expensive. I found a good chorizo at Pilgrims in Coeur d’ Alene, it wasn’t too highly flavored with Mexican spices and the texture was soft but slice-able. Other options could be a mild Italian or linguica sausage
* Spanish short grain rice, Bomba or Calaspara is most preferred because it is firm and absorbent and will soak up all the lovely juices of the paella. It is available online and in specialty markets. However, medium grain rice is a good substitute as it has a similar plump tender texture and is easy to find in American supermarkets. Long grain rice is a bit too hard and Asian varieties are too glutinous and gooey. Italian Arborio rice used in risotto is a good substitute also.
Socarrat is the crispy golden rice that sticks to the base and sides of the pan and is so prized by paella aficionados. Turn up the heat at the end of cooking to obtain socarrat.
In Spain paella is traditionally cooked by the men over an open fire. It can be prepared completely on the stove or baked in an oven after bubbles rising from the pan look thick and most of the rice appears at the surface.
There are a variety of ingredients that may be cooked in a paella. Tomatoes, red or green peppers, Italian beans, rabbit, squid, calamari, whatever is fresh local and in season.
Serve with a pitcher of icy Sangria
Sangria
Sangria is the perfect summer party drink. Served in a icy glass pitcher, it invites with it’s sparkling ruby color and delightful citrusy fragrance.
2 oranges, sliced
1 lime sliced
1 can pineapple chunks with juice
1 cup fruit in season, choose berries, grapes, peaches etc.
1 bottle red wine (Merlot or Cabernet ) approx. 4 cups
2 cups orange juice
1 bottle sparking apple cider ( Martinelli’s)*
Ice
In a large glass pitcher place all the fruit, wine and orange juice. Let beverage sit for an hour or more to infuse the fruit flavors. Add the sparkling apple cider and ice, stir and serve each glass with a garnish of fresh mint or a wedge of lime.
*The Martinellis may be substituted with one cup of apple juice and 2 cups of club soda.
Some like a sweeter drink, optional sugar may be added to the fruit mixture.
Peras con Piloncillo, Tequila y Chocolate /
Pears with raw Sugar, Tequila and Chocolate
An impressive dessert, easy to prepare, very light and scrumptious!
• 2 ½ C. water
• 1 T grated lime peel
• 1 stick cinnamon
• 1 cone piloncillo in chunks or 1/3 C. brown sugar
• 1/3 C. white tequila
• 6 firm pears, peeled with core removed and stem intact
• 6 oz. Mexican chocolate
• 1 can crema or creme fraiche
• 1/2 C. toasted almond slices
Place the water, lime peel, cinnamon and piloncillo in a saucepan and boil until sugar dissolves. Add the tequila and pears, cover and simmer gently until the pears soften. Do not let pears get mushy.
While pears are cooking melt chocolate in a small saucepan over low heat. Add a little hot water to chocolate if it does not seem to be melting smoothly.
Carefully remove pears from pot with slotted spoon. On dessert plates or platter, ladle cream in a circular pattern. Trim bottom of the pears evenly so they will stand upright on the serving platter and place them onto the cream. Drizzle melted chocolate on pears and garnish with sliced almonds.
Ensalada de Jicama y Naranjas / Jicama and Orange salad
This fruity crunchy salad complements spicy dishes perfectly
• 1 small jicama, peeled and diced
• ½ cucumber, scored and thinly sliced
• 3 oranges, peeled, sliced and quartered
• Oil and vinegar dressing
• Green leaf lettuce
Mix together the jicama, cucumber and oranges. Toss with dressing and chill until ready to serve.
Line a platter or individual plates with the lettuce leaves and arrange salad on top.
Dressing:
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• ¼ cup white wine vinegar
• ½ tsp. salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 1 tsp. dry mustard
• ¾ cup olive oil, or mixture of vegetable and olive oil
Combine all ingredients except oil in a closed container, shake well to combine. Slowly pour in the oil and whisk until blended.
Arroz a la Mexicana / Mexican Rice
“A la Mexicana” means, prepared with onions and tomatoes. This popular rice dish is often served as one of many courses in a typical “comida” or main meal.
• 2 C. long grain white rice
• 4 T. vegetable oil
• 2 roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• 1 white onion, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2- 3 whole serrano chiles
• 4 C. chicken stock*
• 1/2 C. carrot, diced in small uniform pieces
• 1/3 C. green peas fresh or frozen
• 1 T. chopped cilantro or parsley
Soak rice for 5 minutes, rinse, and drain well. Heat oil in a large skillet over low heat; add the garlic, onion, and chiles and sauté for 2 minutes.
Add rice and stir until all the grains are coated with oil, sauté and stir until the rice looks translucent and the grains separate.
Add tomatoes, stock, carrot, and peas, season with salt and pepper. Turn heat to high and bring to boil, reduce heat to a low simmer; cook uncovered for 25 min. or until all liquid is absorbed. Stir the rice occasionally as it cooks, add more water if needed to continue the cooking process until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.
Serves 6
* The most flavorful Mexican rice is made with the best chicken stock, which is of course, homemade. But, prepared bouillon cubes or boxed chicken broth work fine also.
Easy Mole Poblano / Mole Poblano Facil
Our version of mole sauce is a busy cooks secret.
• 4 dried ancho chiles
• 4 dried guajillo chiles
• 3 dried pasilla chiles
• 2 chipotle chiles
• 3 large roma tomatoes
• 5 cloves garlic, skin removed
• 1 med. white onion, quartered
• 2 cup chicken broth
• 1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 Tbl. vegetable oil
• 1 Tbl. anise seed
• 1 Tbl. coriander seed
• 1 Tbl. black peppercorns
• 1 tsp Mexican oregano
• ½ tsp. Mexican cinnamon, ground
• ½ tsp. cumin
• ½ disc Mexican chocolate
• 1/8 cup grated piloncillo* or dark brown sugar
• 2 Tbl. toasted sesame seeds
Cover dried chiles with water in a saucepan. Simmer for 15-20 minutes until softened. Remove from water and let cool. Open the chiles and remove seeds, place in a blender. Add the onion, garlic, peanut butter, one cup of broth and salt to the blender. Puree until the mixture is smooth.
Heat the oil in a heavy skillet. Strain the contents of the blender into the hot oil. Stir and cook over low heat for 5-10 minutes until the mixture darkens and thickens somewhat. Add another cup of broth and let simmer.
Finely grind the anise, coriander, and black pepper in a molcajete or spice grinder. Add 1Tbl.of the spices to the sauce. (More seasoning may be added later if needed) Add the oregano, cinnamon and cumin next. Add half a disc of Mexican chocolate and the piloncillo; stir the sauce continuously until chocolate melts completely. Continue to simmer until the sauce thickens to the consistency of a med. thick tomato sauce, approx. 15 – 20 minutes. Adjust salt and seasonings if needed.
Serve mole sauce over baked chicken or turkey breasts garnished with sesame seeds.
*Piloncillo is Mexican raw sugar sold in very small to very large cones.
We had a blast filming this dating/ cooking segment for the Hispanic Food Network. Good energy flowed; we laughed, cooked, and made new friends. The concept ala Nancy Bates from “Single Mingles” is simple, “If you can happily cook a meal with someone you just might be able to find love with that someone too.” My trusty “love-o- meter,” my internal compatibility needle…pointed straight up at a couple of bachelors and bachelorettes who will be hooking up for sure!
Four couples; Four Mexican dishes.
Each couple worked diligently on their Cook with US recipe; gathering ingredients, prepping and cooking the food and finally plating the delicious creations. We feasted on authentic Chicken Mole cooked in a traditional cazuela or clay casserole. The Mexican rice with chiles, carrots, and peas was perfectly executed by our young chefs as an accompaniment. A fresh salad composed of escarole, oranges, jicama, and mango presented a colorful refreshing platter. Individual dessert dishes of pears in tequila and chocolate with crema and fresh mint left us sweetly content.
We are happy to share our recipes, invite your friends over for a scrumptious Mexican feast and watch the show while you are at it. Channel 4 KXLY in the greater Spokane area. It airs Sunday May 30, 2010, In the Kitchen with Mike Gonzalez.
Can’t wait to see the footage for the last shoot we did for “In the Kitchen” with Mike Gonzalez. It airs Sat. April 10th at 10:00. We fired up the BBQ for the stuffed peppers and they were amazing. It was a fun time with friends, music, and delicious food. This is the recipe that we did for the show. Enjoy!
A Cook With US Recipe
Stuffed Jalapeño Peppers / Jalapeño Rellenado
Skewers of Jalapeno peppers stuffed with jumbo shrimp and creamy goat cheese. Grilled on the Barbie, Delicious!
• 20 large jalapeno peppers
• 20 large prawns
• 20 strips of bacon
• 1 C. cilantro, chopped
• ½ C. garlic, chopped
• 12 oz. queso cotija or feta cheese ( goat cheese )
• ½ C. onion, diced
• 1 tsp. fresh ground pepper
• 1 Tbl. oregano, crushed
• 1 Tbl. olive oil
• 10 skewers, 10 toothpicks
Prepare peppers: Make a pocket for the stuffing by slicing off a quarter of the jalapeno lengthwise, remove the seeds and veins with a small spoon, wash and set aside.
Prepare filling: Crumble goat cheese into a bowl, add garlic, cilantro, pepper, oregano, and oil. Mix thoroughly. Set aside. Clean and de vein shrimp, leave whole.
Stuffing peppers: fill prepared pocket of the jalapenos with the cheese mixture. Place a shrimp onto the cheese. Beginning near the stem wrap a bacon strip securely around each filled pepper, insert a toothpick at the end, leaving the toothpick exposed.
Skewer peppers: While holding the pepper firmly insert a thin wooden or metal skewer* lengthwise through the pepper. Use two peppers per skewer.
Cook peppers: To barbecue; place skewers on a grill at a med. low heat. Grill until bacon is crisp and the pepper is soft, turn often. Cook approx. 45 minutes or until done.
To bake; place in 375 degree oven for approx. 30 minutes or until done. Remove toothpicks before serving.
* soak wooden skewers in water before using to prevent them from scorching or burning.
Red Snapper Veracruz / Huachinango Veracruz
This famous dish combines chiles from the New World with the very Spanish addition of capers and olives.
• 2-3 LB. Red snapper fillets ( rockfish)
• 3 Tbl. lime juice
• 2 tsp. sea salt
• 12 small new potatoes
• 2 Lbs. roma tomatoes or 1- 28oz. can of diced tomatoes in juice
• 1 white onion, cut into eighths
• 1 green pepper, julienne
• 1/4 c. olive oil
• 3 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 3 bay leaves
• 1/3 c. chopped parsley
• 1 t. Mexican oregano
• ¼ c. chopped green olives
• ¼ c. raisins
• 2 Tbl. capers
• 3 pickled jalapeno peppers, halved lengthwise
Cook potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain, when cool enough to handle peel and slice. Rub fish fillets with lime juice and salt. Set aside to marinate.
Peel and chop tomatoes, crush into chunky puree, strain and reserve the juices.
Heat oil in a heavy skillet over med. heat, add onion, cook for one minute, add garlic and cook until onions are tender but not browned. Add chopped tomatoes, green pepper, bay leaves, 1/2 the parsley, oregano, and half the reserved tomato juices, simmer at fairly high heat until sauce reduces, about 5 min. Add olives, raisins, capers, and remainder of tomato juice and continue to simmer for five more minutes. Season to taste with salt & pepper.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Coat bottom of baking dish with sauce, arrange fish fillets atop sauce, surround with sliced potatoes. Spoon remaining sauce over the fish. Bake covered for 15 min. Uncover baking dish and continue to cook until fish is opaque in center, approx.15 min. Sprinkle with remaining parsley and garnish with the jalapeno halves or slices.
