Chiles Rellenos de Picadillo
From Chef Susana’s words:
Excerpted from ¨Seasons of My Heart, A Culinary Journey Through Oaxaca, Mexico¨.
My Grandmother always told me that a good woman should always know how to make a great chile relleno to keep a man happy. The first time I learned how to make one was not from her, but from the late Miguel Ravago, a chef in Austin, Texas. Even though I have changed the filling and chiles, I still owe the basic method and the batter recipe to the generosity of Miguel, and his teachings. The idea of the sauce underneath comes from Patricia Chagoya, of Oaxaca, who, after listening to me complain that my chiles rellenos were too oily, told me to make a caldillo underneath to catch the grease and offset the chiles. This is one of my favorite dishes of all time. Serve with Arroz Con Chepil or Arroz Criollo Mexicano. You can use any extra picadillo for a taco filling or as a Memela topping.
Makes 6 –7 servings, depending on the size of the chiles
Roasting the chiles
Peeling the chiles after roasting
INGREDIENTS
For the chiles:
12-14 chiles de agua or 6 –7 chiles poblanos
For the picadillo:
2 tablespoons sunflower or vegetable oil
1 small white onion, halved and thinly sliced
5 garlic cloves, finely chopped
Cooking the tomato sauce
½ cup coarsely chopped tomato
Pinch of sugar
1½ cups shredded cooked chicken, pork, or beef
1½ tablespoons pitted and finely chopped green olives
1½ tablespoons raisins
1½ tablespoons toasted and roughly chopped, blanched almonds
1 tablespoon capers, either whole if small or chopped if large
1 small sprig fresh thyme, leaves only or a pinch of dried
¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves
1 piece of Mexican cinnamon, 1 inch long, toasted and ground
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch of sea salt
Tomato sauce with epazote and chile de arbol
¼ - ½ cup chicken stock, (optional)
For the tomato sauce:
2 pounds tomatoes (4 - 5 medium to large round or 16 -20 plum)
¼ medium white onion, thickly sliced
3 garlic cloves
1 chile de árbol , whole, stem on
Chicken with all the nuts and spices integrated
1 tablespoon sunflower or vegetable oil
Sea salt to taste
1 tablespoon fresh epazote leaves, or 1 teaspoon dried
To assemble the chiles:
24 epazote leaves, fresh (optional)
½ cup flour, mixed with salt and pepper to taste
4 large eggs, at room temperature for at least 30 minutes
Pinch of sea salt
2½ cups sunflower, vegetable or oil peanut
The chicken ready to fill the chiles
METHOD
For the chiles:
On an open fire or burner on medium flame, char the chiles until their skins are black and blistered, being careful not to burn the flesh of the chiles. Remove the chiles from the heat and put them into a covered bowl to sweat, about 5 minutes. When the chiles are cool enough to handle, peel off their skins, taking care not to rip the flesh. Make a slit in the side and carefully remove seeds with a small paring knife, keeping the chiles with the stems on. Do not rinse with water or you will wash the oil off chiles and reduce their flavor.
Buen provecho!
For the picadillo:
In a frying pan, heat the oil and fry the onion until transparent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté a moment longer. Add the tomatoes and sugar; cook for 5 minutes. Add the shredded meat, and heat thoroughly over medium heat. Add the olives, raisins, almonds, capers, herbs and cinnamon. Add the pepper and salt. Stir in the stock if needed to moisten the filling. Allow to cook for 5 minutes more, then let the mixture cool.
For the tomato sauce:
On a 10-inch dry comal, griddle or cast-iron frying pan, grill the tomatoes, onion, and garlic until the tomatoes blacken slightly and the onions and garlic become transparent. Toast the chile de árbol on the comal until it turns brown and give off its scent, about 2 minutes.
Remove the tomato skins and discard. Put the tomatoes, onion and garlic in a blender and puree until smooth.
Heat the oil until smoking in a heavy saucepan over medium heat. Fry the tomato mixture in the oil, about 5 minutes, stirring with a wooden spoon. Add the chile to the sauce, lower the heat, stir once more, cover, and let the sauce simmer for 15 minutes. Add the salt and epazote.
To assemble chiles:
Stuff the cleaned chiles with the picadillo mixture, being careful not to fill them too much so that they can close well without bulging. Line the inside seam with the epazote leaves to hold the filling in. Dredge the chiles in flour; shake off the excess flour. Press with your hands to seal the chiles shut.
Separate the egg yolks and whites into two bowls. Beat the whites with the salt with an electric mixer on high until stiff peaks form. Add the yolks all at once, and beat 20 - 30 seconds more or until the yolks are completely incorporated, no more.
Preheat the oven to 350ºF.
In a large frying pan or wok, heat the oil until smoky. Pass each chile through the batter, holding on to the chile by the stem and covering it completely with batter. Place the chile directly in the pan and fry. With the back of a metal spatula, flick oil over the top of the chile to form its shape. Using two spatulas, turn carefully to cook all sides. By holding the chile up on its side with the spatula, it will come out rounded, not flat. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels. Keep warm in the oven. Continue to cook the remaining chiles, one or two at a time. Ladle ½ cup of the tomato sauce into flat extended bowls. Place each chile over the sauce and serve.
Excerpted from ¨Seasons of My Heart, A Culinary Journey Through Oaxaca, Mexico¨
(Ballantine Books, November 1999, ISBN 0-345-42596-0)
Last modified: November, 2008, revised January 2022*
