Poblano Chile Enchiladas with Sweet Red Pepper Rice!

Poblano Pepper Sauce Enchiladas with Sweet Red Pepper Rice! What a treat!  I've been making Enchiladas for many, many years for my family, restaurant and catering clients with much success, I also have to admit to a preference for the Enchiladas Suizas so well known in my beloved Mexico, but I also have to say that for a change of pace I also make all manner of Enchiladas in every color known and each and every one, whether they're traditional to Jalisco, Zacatecas, Guanajuato, Puebla, Queretaro, Veracruz or you name it, they are all wonderful!

As one of the world's great cuisines, Classic Mexican Food is second to none due to it's variety, uniqueness, special adaptability to ingredients locally sourced with the adaptation to the season and of each particular area which then gives an almost unlimited array of flavorful and healthy dishes. Many of Mexico's dishes can be made with the most economical of ingredients but can also be prepared for those tables where cost is not a factor and an elegant meal is desired. Our excellent weather and areas of the country give us so much choice, from land animals both small and large to fowl of all types and all manner of fish and seafood. From the mountains to the deserts, from the beaches and rivers all the way to the tropical jungles, vegetables and fruit without compare can be found, plus add to that year round harvest for grains and legumes can give a full range of healthful ingredients. From the Land of Maize and the Sons of the Sun to the rest of the world!

I love Poblano Peppers and use them in many ways during the year for breakfast (Huevos en Rabo de Metiza) or Snacks (Rajas Poblanas con Elote) to Soup (Crema de Poblano) to a Main Meal (Pastel Poblano) or Gourmet Dish (Chiles en Nogada or Chiles Rellenos) to street food (Tamales de Rajas con Queso o Molotes), you name it we have it and it is great! So let's see how amazing these Enchiladas can be. You can make these as regular Enchiladas and assemble them on each diner's plate or roll them into a baking pan for service baked in the oven, or turn into a casserole like a Lasagna Style Dish, your choice. For this dish you will need:

6-8 Poblano Peppers, nice and firm

1/2 medium Onion, chopped

3-5 Garlic Cloves, peeled and smashed

1/3 - 1/2 cup Sour Cream (or Crema or heavy cream)

1/3 - 1 cup Milk (can be Evaporated Milk too)

1 - 2 tsp Chicken Powder (or use salt & pepper)

Tortillas (from a Tortilleria or hand made)
Oil for frying
Chicken, cooked and shredded
Cheese (can be Oaxaca, String, Chihuahua, Menonite, Jack), grated
Sour Cream or Crema (I'm using the one I made the other day)

First, you must roast the chiles over an open flame so they get black and the skin will blister. This can also be done rubbing them with oil and using the broiler but open flame is best for flavor. Under NO situation rinse the chiles under water, this removes the oils from them which add a lot of flavor. Once they are blackened, place in a closed plastic bag to sweat and cool, once cooled rub the charred skin to leave clean then open on the side with a knife to remove the veins and seeds. Chop the chiles into smaller pieces.

In a pan with a little oil over medium high heat, add the onion and garlic and saute until golden but not browned. Add the chiles to this mix and saute 2-3 minutes. If using a blender ( I use an immersion blender) to make the sauce, place it all in the blender, add chicken powder or salt and pepper, sour cream and milk (start with the lower end measure, process and see, add more if needed) and process to make a rich, semi thick sauce. Taste it to adjust salt level and add as needed. Make sure it's silky smooth. Set the sauce aside.

To the shredded chicken you can leave plain or add sauted onion, garlic, cilantro, veggies, cheese or whatever you decide to add, but plain is also very good since the sauce is very flavorful.

Put a little more oil in the pan and begin lightly frying the tortillas, one at a time, so they are lightly firm but not hard, remember they will be rolled but don't leave them too tender (meaning fry a little bit more) that they will fall apart. This is a very important step because if you don't fry the tortillas they will soak up the sauce, fall apart and be like cardboard and will ruin your dish so don't skip. You can fry them one by one, placing them in a dish until you fry them all and then your assemblage will go faster.

Now you can fill the tortillas, roll them up and place on a plate, in a baking pan or lay them so they cover a casserole dish making the first strata, follow with chicken, cheese, a little sauce and continue like this until you end the casserole with sauce and cheese on the top. The rolled Enchiladas get sauce on the top and cheese, they can be put under the broiler or in the microwave to melt the cheese then they will all be topped with Sour Cream before service. Serve. Enjoy!

Rice with Sweet Red Pepper.-

This is my family's favorite rice, this was also THE rice most requested at all my restaurants and even though I would give the recipe to many, people always complained that they did not obtain the same results. There is no magic to this and I don't cook with measurements but I came up with recipes as a result of the restaurants to share recipes, here goes:

This will make 6 cups of cooked rice. Sometimes we have a plate of rice only....

2 cups white long grain rice
4 cups homemade Chicken Stock, cooked with backs, necks, feet and fat. You want a rich, fat stock
plus you want a salty stock since this is the only chance you will have to add salt to the rice.
1 large Red Bell Pepper, cut into strips
1 small bunch of Cilantro, cut off the last 2 inches of stems
Chicken Stock Powder or Salt & Pepper to taste, the stock should be a little salty
4-5 Tbl Butter
1/4 cup oil

In a heavy pot with tight fitting lid, place the butter and oil over med-high heat until bubbly. Make sure your Chicken Stock is hot or else while you prepare the rice put it in a pot and heat it up. Add the rice and saute for about 1 minute, then add the Red Bell Pepper and continue to saute with the rice until the rice changes color so pay attention, the rice will turn a white pasty color but don't allow it to turn golden and keep sauteing. Once the rice "changes" add the Chicken Stock, mix everything well, place the bunch of cilantro on top, lower the heat to the lowest flame, cover it really well (you don't want any steam escaping, if your pot isn't a good fit put some aluminum foil over top then place the cover and turn the edges of the foil down to insure steam doesn't escape. Set your timer for 12 minutes. When your timer sounds, check the rice by pushing it aside to check if there is any liquid leftover, if there is a lot of liquid cover it back up and try cooking it for another 6 minutes, if very little liquid is left then cook for 2-3 minutes. Taste some grains to insure it's soft, it should not have any hard parts anymore. If there is no liquid then turn off the heat but keep the lid on and allow to steam like this for 5-10 minutes, this will make the rice bloom or flower which is what you want. You're done, serve and enjoy!

Well, there you have it a typical dinner at my house, hope you enjoy it as much as we do. Hope you will try your own spin on these so that you see what a practical and economical meal this makes plus there is nothing like a homemade Mexican Food diner!

I was cooking this very dinner as I'm writing this, the rice just got done and while the Enchiladas aren't done, the separate parts are ready and we'll put them together once we're ready to eat. YUM!