One way to keep
stories (even people) alive is through cooking. I learned
this from my Italian Grandma Lena – and learned it again during my time in
Mexico where the kitchen is the epicenter of life.
Then yesterday, I
had a chance to practice this lesson, bringing the tastes of Mexico into my Mom’s
Peoria kitchen.
We were planning to
cook Talapia for a small pre-Labor Day dinner party with my aunt and uncle and
some of mom’s friends. But on a visit to the Peoria farmer’s market I was inspired
by a pile of brilliant green locally-grown Poblano chiles; then at the Potsdam
organic meat market some lean fresh ground organic chuck caught my eye. And the menu began to unfold…ahhh, Chile
Rellenos con Picadillo.
As mom and I began
what would be a day-long chopping process, I was reminded of my virgin Chile
Relleno experience early in my Peace Corps Mexico service. Three of us Peace Corps trainees were sent to
the site of Katy and Nate in Matahuala, the high plains desert of central Mexico,
to learn some of the ropes of Peace Corp life.
The highlight of the visit had little to do with work; it was Nate’s
Chile Rellenos.
Those babies were
so hot that the fumes, as they baked in the over, got us all high. We had to
step outside into the hot desert afternoon for some breaths of fresh air before
sitting down to our meal. As we ate,
sweat dripped off our foreheads. We gulped beer and fanned ourselves with
napkins to quell the heat; but the chiles were so tasty we couldn’t stop ourselves.
The next morning we
chile virgins paid the price: Monteczuma struck and we three were all holed up in our hotel rooms, unable to make the day’s tour.
I knew I had to
tame it down for my mom and her Peoria friends. Using Poblanos versus Seranos would help. I remembered, also, that Nate
had added extra chopped pepper into the stuffing; I would pass on that.
Combining memories
of cooking picadillo with the Zama Mamas (my host ‘family’ in Mexico) with a little help
from some online recipes, and a desire for a healthy variation on a usually
greasy theme, here’s what I came up with…Chile Rellenos Peoria Style – Gluten, Grease
and Montezuma-Free.
Chile Preparation
Roast peppers on an
open flame (gas stove or grill) until skin turns brown-black
Set peppers aside in
paper bag or covered bowl for skins to loosen (15-30 mins)
Peel skin off each
pepper – make incision vertically from stem to tip – remove pit and seeds,
careful not to disrupt the stem
NOTE: Do not touch your eyes for the next 24 hours!
Relleno de Picadillo – Hamburger Stuffing
1.5 lb lean
(organic) chuck
Sauté 1 medium
onion (Vidalias are in-season and sweet) + couple cloves minced garlic
By the way, I use
coconut oil - a lighter, healthier, tastier alternative and cooks at a good
high temp.
Add/sauté hamburger,
removing lumps
Add to hamburger as
it cooks: salt, black pepper, oregano
and thyme (fresh from Aunt Marilyn’s garden), cinnamon, cumin, chile powder –
all to taste
Roast 3-4 Tbsp
sliced almonds (or pine nuts) and sauté 1 cup sliced carrots – add to hamburger
mixture
Dissolve in a cup
of water 4 Tbsp tomato paste + 2-3 Tbsp chipotle chiles in adobo sauce (La
Costaña is a good Mexican brand and generally available) – stir into hamburger
mixture.
Stuff and Bake
Stuff the peppers –
spooning the picadillo carefully in through the incision – lay in a Pyrex dish
with opening up – cover the opening with slices of jack cheese or chunks of
goat or ranchera cheese (optional)
Bake at 400 degrees
for 20 minutes – let list under foil for another 20 minutes or until ready to
serve.
Salsa Roja – Red Sauce
Boil 5-7 Roma
tomatoes (or equivalent)
Remove tomato skins
– puree tomatoes in blenter (or Mom’s Bullet)
Saute 1/3 of an
onion and a clove of garlic in Coconut oil – add the fresh tomato puree
Add salt, black
pepper and fresh chopped cilantro leaves to taste
Simmer for 10
minutes.
Ready to Plate
Drizzle each chile
with 3 Tbsp of salsa
Serve with black
beans, quinoa with carrot and squash (not Mexican, but a great rice alternative),
and Pico de Gallo (beak of the rooster, fresh avocado, tomato and lime
salad to cool the spice)
Buen provecho!
