Cooking Green, White & Red

Showing the Colors

According to culinary legend, among the dishes served was Chiles en Nogada, typical of the colorful and delicious recipes to celebrate Mexico's national month.

You get the idea: tomatoes, chiles, bell peppers, avocado, nopalitos, celery, green beans, rice, onion and cream, watermelon -- the green, red & white combinations are limitless.

Flag Rice

To prepare all three kinds of rice in this tricolor dish, begin with the same technique: soak the rice in very hot water for 15 minutes; then drain it, rinse it in cold water, drain it again. Saute the rice in fat or oil for about a minute, add the onions and garlic. Stir until the grains separate and the rice sounds like sand, then add the other ingredients.

Green Rice

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of rice
• 2 tbsps. of lard or 3 tbsps. of corn oil
• 1/2 onion, finely diced
• 3 poblanos chiles deveined and pureed with 1/4 of water, then strained
• 1 1/3 cup of chicken broth
• 1/4 cilantro chopped
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• salt & pepper to taste

White Rice

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of rice
• 2 tbsps. of lard or 3 tbsps. of corn oil
• 1/2 onion, grated
• 1 garlic clove
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• 2 cups chicken broth
• salt & pepper to taste

Red Rice

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of rice
• 2 tbsps. lard or 3 tbsps. corn oil
• 1 large tomato pureed with 1/2 onion, garlic, salt and pepper
• 1 1/3 cup chicken broth
• Juice of 1/2 lime
• 1 celery stalk
• 1 sprig of parsley
• salt & pepper to taste

Stuffed Chiles in Walnut Sauce

• 12 poblano chiles, roasted, seeded and deveined
• 6 eggs, separated
• flour
• 1 tsp. salt
• corn oil
• 3 pomegranates, seeded

• 2 pounds ground pork
• 1 onion, quartered
• 2 garlic cloves
• 8 tbsps. butter
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 4 cups tomato puree
• 1 apple, finely chopped
• 2 peaches, peeled and chopped
• 2 plaintains, peeled and chopped
• 1/4 cup candied citron, chopped
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup blanched almonds chopped
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• salt and pepper to taste

• 2 cups walnuts halves
• 1/2 cup blanched almonds
• 1 cup queso fresco (or feta)
• 1/2 cup half-and half
• 1/4 cup sherry
• 1 tsp salt

Rinse chiles and pat dry. Spoon some of the filling inside each, careful not to overstuff. Spread flour on a plate and coat each chile lightly. Beat egg whites until stiff. Beat yolks with salt. Gently fold yolks and white to make batter. Dip chiles into batter to coat completely.

Heat 1/2 inch of oil in heavy skillet and fry chiles until lightly browned. Drain, Dip chiles in walnut sauce until completely covered. Arrange on platter, cover with more sauce and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds. To make filling: Place pork, quartered onion and garlic in a pan. Cover with water and boil for 20 minutes. Drain, set aside, discarding onion and garlic. Heat the butter in large skillet and saute chopped onion until translucent. Add tomato puree and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the meat, fruit citron, almonds, sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Cook over medium heat for another 10 minutes. To make walnut sauce: Puree all ingredients. If sauce is too thick, add more cream.

BEVERAGES:

Flag Enchiladas

• 1/4 kg corn tortillas
• 2 chicken breasts, cooked and chopped
• 200 g grated cheese, such as Manchego or Queso Fresco which is best crumbled
• 1/4 cream, half-and half

• 1/2 kg green tomatoes
• 4 chiles serranos
• handful of cilantro
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/4 medium sized onion

The Red Sauce

• 3 large tomatoes
• 3 chiles de árbol, parboiled and with seeds and veins removed
• 1/4 onion
• 2 garlic cloves

Using warm tortillas, wrap the chicken into tacos, fry them lightly in a little oil, then arrange on a platter. Cover half in the green salsa and the other with the red.

For the white: decorate with cream, slices of cheese and onion.

MORE COLOR:

APPETIZER: