Showing the Colors

Cooking in Green, White & Red

According to culinary legend, among the tri-color dishes served was Chiles en Nogada (recipe follows), typical of the colorful and delicious recipes to celebrate Mexico's national month There's also Flag Rice and Flag Enchiladas. You'll get the idea: Tomatoes, chilies, bell peppers, avocado, nopalitos, celery, green beans, rice, onion and cream, watermelon -- the green, red & white combinations are limitless.

BEVERAGES: Prepare three traditional aguas frescas: Jamaica (very red), Horchata (white) and Limón (takes care of the green). Serve in glass pitchers with lots of ice and you've got delicious refreshment plus a pleasing tricolor design element for the table.

APPETIZER: Nopalito Salad is another traditional dish served during the September celebrations. The tender green slices of the nopal cactus, the vibrant red of fresh ripe tomato and the chopped onions certainly conform to the chromatic theme of the month, plus it's healthy and delicious.

Flag Rice

Green Rice
Ingredients:
1 cup of rice
2 Tbsps. of lard or 3 Tbsps. of corn oil
1/2 onion, finely diced
3 poblanos chilies deveined and puréed with 1/4 of water, then strained
1 1/3 cip of chicken broth
1/4 cilantro chopped
Juice of 1/2 lime
salt & pepper to taste

Add the puréed chilies and cook until thickened. Add the remaining ingredients and when liquid comes to a boil, lower heat, simmer until tender (about 20 minutes).

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

Add the lime juice and chicken broth. Bring to a boil, lower heat, simmer until tender (about 20 minutes).

Red Rice
Ingredients:
1 cup of rice
2 Tbsps. lard or 3 Tbsps. corn oil
1 large tomato puréed 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

Add the purée and sauté until it thickens. Add remaining ingredients. When mixture comes to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer until tender (20 minutes or so). Discard parsley and celery before serving. Note: You can more color to the green rice with peas or green beans; almonds for the white rice; carrots or beets to the red.

Stuffed Chilies in Walnut Sauce

Picadillo Stuffing

Walnut Sauce

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

Heat 1/2 inch of oil in heavy skillet and fry chilies until lightly browned. Drain, dip chilies in walnut sauce until completely covered. Arrange on platter, cover with more sauce and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds.

To make filing: 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 sauté chopped onion until translucent. Add tomato purée 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: purée all ingredients. If sauce is too thick, add more cream.

Flag Enchiladas

The Green Sauce
1/2 kg green tomatoes
4 chilies serranos
handful of cilantro
2 garlic cloves
1/4 medium sized onion

Blend the ingredients with a little water and heat until it begins to thicken a little, add salt and pepper to taste.

The Red Sauce
3 large tomatoes
3 chilies de árbol, parboiled and with seeds and veins removed
1/4 onion
2 garlic cloves

Remove skin of tomatoes and blend with other ingredients (add water if necessary). Season with a little salt and a pinch of cumin and heat until mixture begins to thicken.

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.

Chilies en Nogada

Relleno de Picadillo

Para la Nogada

Cueza bien el lomo de puerco, con ajo, cebolla y sal, enfríe y deshebre. Ase los jitomates, pélelos y lícuelos con ajo y cebolla. Fría el plátano y píquelo.

Para hacer el relleno, fría el jitomate licuado hasta que sazone, añada las pasas, el acitrón, las frutas y las almendras picadas, la carne deshebrada, las calabacitas, papas y zanahorias, el azúcar, sal y pimienta. Baje la flama y cueza unos 20 min.

Aparte, ase, pele y desvene los chiles poblanos, hiérvalos durante unos minutos en agua con sal y hierbas de olor. Escúrralos y séquelos, despues proceda a rellenarlos y enharinarlos.

Bata las claras a punto de turrón, incorpore las yemas una a una, pase los chiles enharinados y rellenos por el huevo batido, fríalos y colóquelos sobre un papel de estraza para que se absorva la grasa, Acomódelos en un platón.

Para hacer la nogada, se licúan las nueces limpias con la crema y azúcar al gusto puede agregarse leche en caso de quedar demasiado espeso, se vierte sobre los chiles y se adorna con los granos de granada roja.

BEVERAGES: Prepare three traditional aguas frescas : Jamaica (very red), Horchata (white) and Limón (takes care of the green). Serve in glass pitchers with lots of ice and you've got delicious refreshment plus a pleasing tricolor design element for the table.

There are countless variations of this dish. For example, Tabachin del Puerto serves a vegetarian Enchiladas Bandera filled with Huixtlocoche (a corn mushrooms), asparagus and tender young ears of corn. The tricolor element is provided by the garnish: green slices of avocado, white cream and red bell pepper.

APPETIZER: Nopalito Salad is another traditional dish served during the September celebrations. The tender green slices of the nopal cactus, the vibrant red of fresh ripe tomato and the chopped onions certainly conform to the chromatic theme of the month, plus it's healthy and delicious.