Thursday night was my Friday night, and I was determined to party like in Mexico. I called Ryan and told him to plan for a fiesta for two... he was intrigued. Little did he know I would be in the kitchen for half the night preparing a meal that would be devoured in silence in less that fifteen minuets. This was a good thing.
I would love to knit or paint, but my creativity seems to burst out in my good old 1950's kitchen. I'm always surprised that the oven turns on. Anyway, with all this school work I needed to let loose, open some sangria, and make Frida Kahlo's "Chiles in Walnut Sauce". This recipe calls for 28 ingredients, 11 kitchen gadgets/utensils, and 2.5 hours. Don't be intimidated. This dish is amazing.
I found the recipe in this cookbook:
The end result:
Oh my! I made up some Mexican rice, red beans, and set the table with fresh flowers from the garden. We used our wedding china and enjoyed the fruits of my labor. Below is the recipe. I only made up six chiles for our dinner, so I froze the remainder of the walnut sauce and filling for another time. When that time comes, the process will only include roasting the peppers, making the egg batter, and frying the chiles up.
A few tips:
-Make the walnut sauce first and put it in the fridge while you're fussing with everything else. (You will need extra 1/2 and 1/2)
-Use your food processor, if you have one, for the walnut sauce. (Thanks Dad and Carey)
-Have someone help with the coating, dipping, and frying of the peppers. Chances are the peppers will split a little, and a spatula comes in handy when delicately putting the delicious peppers in the pipping hot corn oil.
-Use corn oil. It's the right thing to do.
-Don't be afraid if the peppers split a little or a lot. They are supposed to be tender. The egg batter will really help hold it all together.
-Read all the directions before you begin.
-Have fun and realize you are creating a dish from Frida Kahlo's recipe box! Simply amazing.
Enjoy and let me know what happens...or doesn't. It's always good to hear feedback.
Chiles in Walnut Sauce:
12 poblano chiles, roasted, seeded, and deveined
Flour
6 eggs, separated
1 teaspoon salt
Corn oil
3 pomegranates, seeded
Parsley
FILLING
2 pounds ground pork
1 onion, quartered
2 garlic cloves
8 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
4 cups tomato puree
1 apple, peeled and finely chopped
2 peaches, peeled and finely chopped
2 plantains, peeled and finely chopped
1/4 cup candied citron, finely chopped
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 cup blanched almonds, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon sugar
Salt and pepper
WALNUT SAUCE
2 cups walnut halves
1/2 cup blanched almonds
1 cup queso fresco (or feta)
1/2 cup half-and-half
1/4 cup sherry
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
Rinse the chiles and pat them dry. Spoon some of the filling inside each one, being careful not to overstuff. Spread the flour on a plate and turn each chile in the flour to coat lightly. Beat the egg whites until stiff. Beat the egg yolks with the salt. Gently fold the yolks and whites together to make a batter. Dip the chiles into the batter to cover completely.
Heat about 1/2 inch of oil in a heavy skillet. Fry the chiles, one or two at a time, until lightly browned. Drain on brown paper.
The chiles can be served cold or at room temperature. Dip the chiles in the Walnut Sauce until completely covered. Arrange the chiles on a platter. Cover with a little more sauce, if needed. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and sprigs of parsley.
To make the filling, place the pork, quartered onion, and garlic in a saucepan. Cover with water and boil for 20 minutes. Drain and set aside, discarding the onion and garlic.
Heat the butter in a large skillet and saute the chopped onion for about 4 minutes, until translucent. Add the tomato puree and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the meat, fruit, citron, raisins, almonds, sugar, and salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat for about 10 minutes.
To make the Walnut Sauce, puree all the ingredients. If the sauce is too thick, add more half-and-half.
Here's Frida bidding you good luck...at least I imagine she is. Isn't she lovely?
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