Various Stuffed Chiles (Recipes)

Chiles Anchos Capones (Stuffed Seedless Ancho Chiles)

The word capon translates as “castrated” but in this case merely means seedless. Yes, dried chiles such as anchos and pasillas can be stuffed, but they must be softened in hot water first. They have an entirely different flavor than their greener, more vegetable-like versions.

• 10 ancho (poblano) chiles
• 1-quart hot water
• 2 pounds queso añejo or romano cheese, grated
• 8 cups chicken stock
• 3 cups small green onions, without the green ends
• 1 cup pork lard or substitute vegetable oil
• ¼ cup flour
• Salt to taste

Instructions:

In a dry skillet, lightly toast the ancho chiles without burning them. Soak the chiles for 5 minutes in hot water to soften them, then drain and dry them. With a knife, make a slit in the side of each pod and deseed them.

Stuff the chiles with the cheese and set aside. You can tie them to keep the stuffing from falling out if you wish.

Heat the chicken stock and boil the green onions for 3 minutes. Remove the onions from the stock and set both aside.

Heat the lard until lightly smoking. Fry the chiles on both sides, starting on the open side. Remove the chiles from the oil and drain on paper towels. Fry the green onions in the lard. Remove and set aside.

Add the flour to the lard and stir until completely mixed without letting the mixture turn brown. Pour the chicken stock in the pan and stir until no more lumps are seen. Simmer the sauce to thicken for 5 minutes while stirring.

Add the chiles and let simmer 2 more minutes. The sauce should be smooth, but not too thick. Add stock if necessary. Serve the chiles immediately with some green onions on the side.

Chiles Chipotles Stuffed with Plantain

The final result of this stuffed chile salad is the pleasantly contrasting flavors of the sweet stuffing, the smoky chiles, and the tangy vinaigrette. Piloncillo is unrefined, dark brown sugar that is sold in Mexico in cone shapes, and you can purchase it in Latin markets.

• 1-quart water
• ¼ cup piloncillo or brown sugar
• 30 large dried chiles chipotles
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup cider vinegar
• ¾ cup olive oil
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• ¼ cup corn oil
• 1 cup finely chopped onion
• 1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
• 1 cup tomato, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 2 cups cubed plantain (¼ inch cubes)
• ¼ cup of grated piloncillo or brown sugar
• 5 ounces fresh goat cheese
• 2 cups of flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 7 eggs, whites, and yolks separated
• 2 cups corn oil
• Mixed lettuce

Preparation:

In a pot, combine the water with the piloncillo or brown sugar and bring to a boil until the sugar is completely dissolved. Turn off the flame, add the chiles and soak for 20 minutes until soft. Make a small slit in the chiles, remove the seeds and veins carefully and let the chiles drain. Set them aside.

To make the vinaigrette, combine the sugar, salt, vinegar, olive oil, and pepper in a jar and shake well. Set aside.

Heat the corn oil in a skillet and sauté the onion and garlic. Add the tomatoes and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the plantains and the piloncillo or brown sugar and simmer until the plantains are completely cooked. Simmer, stirring well, until a soft paste of all the ingredients has been obtained. Remove from the stove, mix with the cheese and stuff the chiles chipotles.

Roll the stuffed chiles in the flour and salt, then shake off the excess flour. Beat the egg whites until stiff, add yolks, and beat until batter forms. Heat the 2 cups corn oil in a heavy pot, dip the chiles in the batter, then fry them quickly until they are a light golden brown.

Serve on a bed of mixed lettuce with the vinaigrette over the top.

Chiles Poblanos Stuffed with Coconut

This recipe requires advance preparation. This is a dessert recipe.

Ingredients:

• 8 fresh poblano chiles, seeded, deveined, roasted, and peeled
• 1-quart water
• 3 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 quart water
• 3 cups sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups freshly grated coconut
• 6 medium dried apricots, cut into thin strips for garnish

Preparation:

Prepare the chiles and make sure they have been washed properly. Let them rest for 15 minutes in plenty of ice cold water with a little salt. Drain the chiles.

Boil the water with the sugar until a syrup is obtained, remove from the flame and add the vanilla extract. Let cool.

Submerge the chiles in the syrup overnight, drain them and submerge them again, leaving the chiles for another 2 hours in the syrup. Repeat this once more until the poblanos are caramelized and sweet. Discard the remaining syrup.

Make fresh syrup by bringing the water to a boil with the sugar and boiling for 5 minutes. Remove from stove, add vanilla extract and let cool. Generously stuff the chiles with the fresh coconut, using only the white part of the coconut. Spoon a teaspoon of the syrup over each of the chiles and serve at room temperature with thin strips of dried apricots for garnish.

Roasted Poblano Peppers with Wild Mushroom Stuffing

For the peppers:

• 2 Poblano peppers, roasted, peeled, and seeded

You can roast the peppers one of two ways: either in the broiler of a gas oven, or over the flame of a gas burner. When I am roasting more than one pepper, I find it most convenient to use the broiler. Turn the peppers as the sides char. Place the roasted peppers in a plastic bag to cool. The steam will help the skin loosen. When the peppers are cool enough to handle, you can rub the skin off with your fingers. You might want to wear rubber gloves to handle the chilis. And be sure not to touch your eyes! Then carefully slit each chili up one side and remove the seeds. Set aside.

For the stuffing:

• olive oil
• a small yellow onion, diced
• 3 or 4 cloves garlic, finely diced
• 8 oz wild mushrooms
• 2 young zucchini, thin and not very long, diced
• 2 medium Roma tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
• 2 cups cooked rice

Preparation:

Pour just enough olive oil into a 10 or 12 inch skillet to cover the bottom of the pan. Heat over low flame. When hot, add the onion. As the onion softens, add the garlic. As the garlic turns golden, add the zucchini.

The zucchini skin will turn bright green; when this happens, gently fold in the mushrooms. Add the tomatoes when the juice just begins to run out of the mushrooms. Stir gently, cooking until the tomatoes wilt. Remove from heat and combine the vegetables with the rice.

Spoon the filling generously into the prepared poblanos. I served these plain, but you can also make a simple sauce by sauteeing a couple of peeled tomatoes in some olive oil with a bit of garlic.

Poblano Chiles stuffed with Scrambled Eggs & Bacon (Chiles Rellenos con Huevos Revueltos y Tocino)

Chiles Rellenos come in many forms. The term literally means stuffed chile, basically any chile, not necessarily a poblano. You could also use ancho or pasilla chiles, after rehydrating them; but beware: the heat would be much more intense. If this recipe seems daunting, don’t let it scare you. The extra 10 minutes needed to prepare the chiles is well worth it and you can’t beat the presentation. Try these breakfast Chile Rellenos for another great brunch, served with refried beans and tortillas.

Ingredients:

• 4 large fresh poblano chiles
• 4 slices bacon, chopped
• 1 tomato, diced
• ½ onion, diced
• 8 eggs
• ¼ cup cream
• 1 cup manchego cheese, grated
• 1 cup tomato puree

Instructions:

1. Roast and clean the poblano chiles.
2. Place the bacon in a large frying pan and cook until crisp. Remove from the pan and drain all the grease, except 1 tablespoon.
3. Sauté the onion in the bacon grease for a few minutes, add the tomatoes and continue cooking for another 2-3 minutes.
4. Crack the eggs into a medium bowl and stir in the cream. Add salt to taste.
5. Add eggs to the frying pan and finish cooking. Stir the bacon in.
6. Stuff each chile with the egg mixture. Place 1/4 cup of grated cheese on top and broil until the cheese is melted. (If you do not have a broiler, you can melt the cheese in an oven.)
7. Heat the tomato puree. Spoon 1/4 cup of the puree on each plate and place the chile on top.