Ancho Chiles With Seafood Filling

CHILES ANCHOS EN ESCABECHE CON GUACAMOLE

Steps:

• Wash the chiles in warm water, carefully slit them open on one side, and remove the seeds and veins.
• Bring the white vinegar, red vinegar, and water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the piloncillo, oil, and salt. Heat until the piloncillo melts. Add the garlic, onions, bay leaves, thyme, peppercorns and allspice. Cook about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the chiles. Place all of the Chiles Anchos en Escabeche in a covered container and marinate one day at room temperature. They will hold, refrigerated, at least 1 week.
• Prepare the Avocado Filling just before serving.
• Drain the chiles and stuff with the Avocado Filling. Arrange on a serving platter and drench with the marinade. Decorate with the onion and garlic drained from the marinade. (The chiles may be sliced in half lengthwise and stuffed, for smaller portions.)
• Mash the avocados with a fork and stir in the onions, cilantro, chiles, and lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

ANCHO CHILES WITH SEAFOOD FILLING

Steps:

• Soften chilies in hot water for 15 minutes. Drain. Slit down center and discard seeds. Drain again. Combine chilies with next 5 ingredients (vinegar - 1/4 teaspoon salt). Let stand 2 hours at room temperature. Drain.
• Heat oil in a skillet over low heat. Add minced white onion and white part of green onion, cover and cook for 10 minutes or until translucent. Add remaining ingredients except for pepper, green onion tops and salt and cook for 3 minutes or until shrimp is pink. Remove from heat.
• Stir in the remaining ingredients (pepper, green onion tops and salt). Cool to room temperature.
• Spoon filling into chilies and arrange on a platter. Serve at room temperature.

RED CHICKEN TAMALES (TAMALES ROJOS DE POLLO)

Steps:

• Place corn husks in a bowl, cover with boiling water, and soak for a few hours. Drain, place on a work surface, and cover with a clean, damp towel.
• Place chicken in a pot, season with salt, and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce heat, cover, and simmer until chicken is cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Drain chicken and shred with 2 forks.
• Heat a griddle over medium heat and toast ancho and mulato chiles until fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Place in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Soak until soft, about 25 minutes. Combine ancho and mulato chiles, garlic, cumin seeds, and about 1/2 cup of the soaking water in a blender; blend until a thick, smooth, mole-like sauce forms, adding more water if necessary.
• Heat 1 tablespoon lard in a saucepan over medium heat and add the sauce; cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Add shredded chicken and cook until flavors are combined and chicken is heated through, about 5 minutes.
• Place remaining lard in a large bowl; beat with an electric mixer until creamy. Add masa harina, chicken broth, baking powder, and 1 1/2 teaspoon salt, and beat until all ingredients are well combined. Test if the masa is ready by dropping a small ball of masa into a glass of cold water; if it floats, it's ready, if not, keep working the dough a little longer.
• Select 1 wide corn husk. Spread about 2 tablespoons masa mixture onto the the corn husk, filling it up to 2 inches from the bottom and 1/4 inch from the top. Add 1 tablespoon of the chicken filling in the center of the masa mixture. Fold sides of husk together, one over the other. Fold the bottom of the husk over the seam of the 2 folded sides. Repeat with remaining husks.
• Place a steamer insert into a saucepan and fill with water to just below the bottom of the steamer. Bring water to a boil. Add tamales with the open side up and cook until filling is heated through and separates from the husk, about 1 hour. Let tamales rest for 15 minutes before serving.

GRILLED ANCHO SHRIMP FILLING

Steps:

• Peel and devein shrimp. Place in a small bowl with ancho-chile powder, cayenne, and oil, and stir until well coated.
• Cover; chill 30 minutes. Heat a grill or broiler. Salt shrimp, and cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side, until cooked through.

CHICKEN ENCHILADAS WITH ANCHO CHILE CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Ancho Chile Cream Sauce:.
• Bring 2 cups water to boil in small sauce pan. Remove pan from heat, add Ancho chiles, soak 30 minutes. Reserve 6 Tbsp of liquid, drain rest of liquid.
• Cut stems off of chiles, cut open and scrape out seeds. Combine Ancho chiles, reserve liquid and garlic in blender and puree.
• Combine cream and chile puree in heavy skillet.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat, simmer for 3 minutes. Whisk in lime juice, season with salt. Strain sauce (not really necessary).
• Enchilada Filling:.
• Mix 1 3/4 cup sour cream, canned chiles, green onion, cilantro and cumin in large bowl.
• Mix in shredded chicken, mushrooms, 1 cup of cheese, tomatoes, 3 Tbsp of Ancho Chile Cream Sauce, salt and pepper to taste.
• Assembly:.
• Bring remaining Ancho Chile Cream Sauce to a simmer, cook tortillas in sauce for 15 seconds, coating both sides. Place tortilla in baking dish, spoon 1/2 cup of filling down center of tortilla. Roll tortilla closed, arrange seam side down.
• Repeat. May need another small glass dish for all enchiladas.
• Cover with foil and bake 30 - 45 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with 1 cup of cheese. Bake uncovered until cheese melts, approximately 5 minutes.
• Serve with sour cream, guacamole and pico de gallo.

ANCHO CHILI-SPICED TILAPIA

Steps:

• Combine the first 6 ingredients; sprinkle over fillets. Cook fillets in a large nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily with a fork., Meanwhile, combine the mayonnaise, lime juice and oregano in a small bowl. Serve with fillets.

CHILES ANCHOS RELLENOS DE QUESO (CHEESE-FILLED ANCHO CHILES)

Steps:

• Make the caldillo con crema:
• In a blender or food processor, combine the tomatoes, onion, and garlic and blend until smooth. For a smooth sauce, push through a fine-mesh strainer if needed.
• In a large skillet, over moderate heat, melt the butter. Add the tomato caldillo mixture and fry, stirring occasionally, until it changes color and reduces slightly.
• Just before serving, gently warm the crema Mexicana in a saucepan, then whisk in the tomato caldillo mixture, bring to a simmer, and season to taste with salt.
• Make the chile rellenos:
• In a medium saucepan, bring 1 quart of water to a boil, along with the piloncillo, thyme, oregano, and bay leaf.
• Heat a comal or cast-iron skillet over low heat and dry-roast the chiles until just tender. Transfer to the boiling water, then turn off the heat and let the chiles soak for 3 to 4 minutes. Remove the chiles from the water and using a small, sharp knife, make a lengthwise slit down one side of each. Carefully remove the seeds and, if possible, the skin. (The stem of the chile should remain attached, so if the skin is difficult to peel, leave it on.) Season the insides of the chiles with salt, then stuff with the cheese, dividing it equally.
• In a large sauté pan, over moderately low heat, melt the butter. Add the chiles and cook, flipping gently, to melt the cheese.
• Spoon the caldillo con crema onto a platter or individual plates, top with the chiles, and serve immediately.

ANCHO CHILE RELLENO

Steps:

• Purée tomatoes, onion, and garlic with water and 3/4 tsp salt in a blender until smooth. Strain through a medium-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing on and then discarding solids.
• Heat 1/4 cup oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Add tomato mixture (it will spatter) and simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly and a pool of oil forms around bubbles, about 20 minutes. Stir in enough of boiling-hot water to reach the consistency of a thin broth. Season with salt. Keep warm over low heat.
• While sauce simmers, slit 1 side of each chile lengthwise and remove seeds and veins, keeping chiles intact. Fill each chile first with about 3 Tbsp packed Oaxaca cheese and then with about 2 Tbsp queso añejo and close chiles around filling as well as possible.
• Put flour in a wide bowl and carefully dredge chiles in flour (make sure filling doesn't fall out), gently knocking off excess, and reserve on a plate.
• Heat remaining cup oil in a 12-inch heavy nonstick skillet over medium heat until it shimmers.
• Meanwhile, beat egg whites with a pinch of salt using an electric mixer at medium-high speed until they just hold soft peaks. Beat yolks briefly to loosen, then fold into whites with a rubber spatula gently but thoroughly.
• Working in batches of 3, dip floured chiles, one by one, in egg batter to coat, transferring to skillet. Fry chiles, turning once with a slotted spoon, until batter is golden all over, about 1 minute. Transfer chiles as fried to warm tomato broth, turning to coat, then let stand 2 minutes so they absorb some of broth. Serve chiles with broth.
• Note: Look for chiles that are soft and pliable enough not to need soaking.
• Chiles can be stuffed and coated with flour 1 day ahead and chilled.
• Tomato broth can be made 1 day ahead and chilled (covered once cool). Bring to a bare simmer before frying chiles.