Chile Rellanos 4
Chiles Rellenos (Stuffed Chilies) 5
Enchiladas Ole'
Flying Taco Platter
Red Enchiladas With Cheese
Taco Pie
TURKEY STUFFED TORTILLAS
Vegetable Tamale Pie

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Chile Rellanos 4

Here's one for you -- it's a little different from the standard in
technique, (got the technique from a cook who worked for a major Mexican
restaurant in Houston), but it's pretty easy once you get the hang of
it. It provides a rellano with a puffy, almost souffle-like coating.

6 Anaheim or 4 Poblano peppers (fresh or canned)

Roast peppers under the broiler until the outer skin is blistered and
blackened, turning frequently. Place roasted peppers in a closed paper
bag to steam for about 20 minutes. Remove peppers from bag, and peel off
the blackened outer skin (don't panic if it all doesn't come off -- this
is not the end of the world).

If using canned peppers, omit this step.

Slit peppers down the side trying to keep the remaining pepper intact.
If using fresh peppers, leave the stem on for garnish. If you wish (I
don't bother, but I like 'em hot), scrape out the seeds and veins.

Cut slices of cheddar cheese about 1/2 inch thick, and the general shape
of the pepper (they should fit comfortably inside the pepper). Place
cheese inside pepper, and enclose completely. Roll filled peppers in
flour.

At this point, the peppers may be refrigerated until needed.

At serving time, heat cooking oil in a large deep skillet. The oil
should be to the depth of at least 1/4 inch. Meanwhile, separate two
eggs. Beat the egg whites until stiff. Beat the egg whites until
blended, and beat in 3 Tablespoons of flour, plus a pinch of salt. Fold
the yolks into the whites, trying to deflate them as little as possible.

Spoon about half the above batter into chile-shaped mounds in the fat.
Immediately cover these mounds with the filled chiles, and cover with
remaining batter. When the underside is browned, flip and brown the
second side.

These are best served immediately (with your favorite red or green
sauce, if you like), but they will re-heat fairly well in the microwave.

Sorry if the directions here sound a little confusing -- some things are
easier to do than to explain. Besides, it's 1 ayem here, and I'm not
exactly all there. If you have any questions, just ask.
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TURKEY STUFFED TORTILLAS

2 6inch flour tortillas
1 tsp. veg. oil
1 turkey breast[1/3 lb.]
1 tsp. lime juice
1/4 tsp. hot red pepper sauce
2 thin slices peeled avocado, opt.
1/2 c. shredded lettuce
1 small tomato, cored and chopped
2 thin slices yellow onion separated into rings, opt.
2 tbls. plain low-fat yogurt

1. Preheat the oven to 250 degrees. Wrap tortillas in foil and warm them
for 5 minutes in the oven.

2. In a heavy 10 inch skillet, heat the oil over high heat for 1 minute.
Add the turkey and cook for 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until lightly
browned. Transfer turkey to a cutting board and slice across the grain
in thin strips. In a medium bowl, toss with the lime juice and pepper
sauce.

3. Place equal amounts of all ingrediants on each warm tortilla, fold
over and serve immediately. serves 2.
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Vegetable Tamale Pie

Yield: 4 servings

---------------------VEGETABLE FILLING--------------------------
14 oz Beans, cooked pinto; drained
1 c Onion, white; chopped
1/2 c Pepper, green bell; cubed
2 Pepper, jalapeno; seeded and chopped
2 c Tomatoes, chopped canned; drained
1/2 c Pepper, red bell; cubed
6 oz Cheese, sharp cheddar; grated
8 Olives, ripe; sliced
3/4 ts Garlic
3/4 ts Cumin, ground
3/4 ts Chile powder

-----------------------TAMALE TOPPING----------------------------
1/2 c Flour, all purpose
1 tb Flour, all purpose; (add to
-above)
1 1/2 ts Baking powder
3 3/4 oz Cornmeal, yellow
1/2 ts Baking soda
1/8 ts Salt
1 lg Egg; @ room temp
1/2 c Yogurt, plain
2 ts Margarine; melted & cooled
1 tb Chives; cut to garnish, opt.

Preheat oven to 375oF.

Spray an 8"x8" pan with non-stick cooking spray. Into prepared baking
pan, place all filling ingredients. Toss until well mixed; set aside. To
prepare tamale topping, in medium bowl, place flour, cornmeal, baking
powder, baking soda, and salt; stir until evenly mixed. In a small bowl,
beat yogurt, egg and margarine. Add to dry ingredients and stir just
until dry ingredients are moistened. Spoon mixture evenly on top of
vegatable filling. If desired, sprinkle evenly with chives. Bake 35-40
minutes, until filling is hot and bubbly, topping is lightly browned and
a toothpick inserted in center of topping comes clean.
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Chiles Rellenos (Stuffed Chilies) 5

THE PICADILLO
2 pounds boneless pork (see note)
1/2 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 Tbl salt (or to taste)
Note: Use an inexpensive cut of pork. You can buy
shoulder and cut off the meat, then cook it with the
bone and skin to give the broth added richness.

Cut the meat into large cubes. Put them into a large saucepan with the
onion, garlic, and salt; cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, lower
heat and let simmer until just tender, about 45 minutes. Do not over
cook. Leave the meat to cool in the broth.

Strain the meat, reserving the broth, then shred or chop it finely and
set it aside. Let the broth get completely cold and skim off the fat.
Reserve the fat.

6 Tbl lard or the fat from the broth
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
Cooked pork meat (about 3 cups)
8 peppercorns
5 whole cloves
1/2 inch stick cinnamon
3 Tbl raisins
2 Tbl almonds, blanched and slivered
2 Tbl acitron or candied fruit, chopped
2 tsp salt, or to taste
1 1/4 pounds tomatoes, peeled and seeded

Melt the lard or fat and cook the onion and garlic, without browning,
until they are soft.

Add the meat and let it cook until it begins to brown.

Crush the spices roughly (preferably with a mortar and pestle) and add
them with the rest of the ingredients to the meat mixture. Cook the
mixture for a few minutes longer.

Mash the tomatoes a little and add them to the mixture in the pan. Cook
over high heat for about 10 minutes, stirring from time to time so that
it does not stick. It should be almost dry.

THE TOMATO BROTH
1 1/4 pounds tomatoes, peeled and seeded
1/4 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
2 Tbl lard or reserved fat from broth
4 whole cloves
6 peppercorns
2 small bay leaves
1 inch stick cinnamon
1/4 tsp (scant) dried thyme
3 cups reserved pork broth
Salt as necessary

Blend the tomatoes, with the juice extracted from their seeds, with the
onion and garlic until smooth.

Melt the lard or fat in a large flameproof dish at least 3 inches deep.
Fry the tomato puree over high heat for about 3 minutes, stirring to
prevent sticking. Add the rest of the ingredients except the pork broth
and cook over high heat for about 5 minutes, stirring. Add the pork
broth and continue cooking over medium heat for about 15 minutes. By
that time it will be well seasoned and reduced somewhat but still a
broth rather than a thick sauce. Add salt as necessary.

THE CHILIES
6 chilies poblanos

Place the chilies over a fairly high flame or under the broiler (not
into the oven) and let the skin blister and burn. Turn the chiles from
time to time so they do not get overcooked or burn through.

Wrap the chilies in a damp cloth or a plastic bag and leave them for
about 20 minutes.. The burned skin will then flake off very easily and
the flesh will become a little more cooked in the steam.

Make a slit in the side of each chile and carefully remove the seeds and
veins. Be careful to leave the top of the chile, the part around the
base of the stem, intact. (If the chilies are too picante, let them soak
in a mild vinegar and water solution for about 30 minutes.) Rinse the
chilies and pat them dry with paper toweling.

Stuff the chiles with the picadillo until they are well filled out. Set
them aside on paper toweling while you make the batter.

THE BATTER
Peanut or safflower oil
4 eggs separated
1/4 tsp salt
Flour

In a heavy frying pan, heat at least 3/4 inch oil until it starts to
smoke. Meanwhile, beat egg whites until they are stiff, but not dry. Add
the salt and the egg yolks, one by one, beating well after each
addition. Pat the chilies completely dry (or the batter will not adhere)
and sprinkle them lightly with flour. Coat them with the batter. Fry the
chilies in the hot fat, turning them from time to time, until they are
an even gold all over. Drain the chilies on paper toweling and place
them in the tomato broth (it should come about halfway up the chilies in
the pan) and heat over a low flame. Serve immediately.

NOTES: Canned tomatoes are acceptable in this recipe, but if fresh ones
are available, then peel and seed them. Don't forget to strain the seeds
to extract the juice for the broth.

Some chilies have thinner flesh than others, and some look a bit
tattered when you have roasted and cleaned them. It really doesn't
matter, since the batter will seal in the stuffing and juices.

You can prepare the stuffing and sauce the day before and skin and clean
the chilies. Do not stuff the chilies until about 2 hours before
cooking. If you do prepare the chilies 2 hours ahead, do not put them
into the broth. Place them in a rimmed cookie sheet lined with several
layers of paper toweling and reheat in a 350F oven for about 20 minutes.
This method has the added advantage that the paper absorbs quite a lot
of grease. Then place the chilies in the broth, or pour hot broth over
them and serve with hot tortillas.

In Mexico they are served by themselves, just before the main course.
But in fact they make a very good main course, in which case you could
serve two small chilies, one filled with the pork picadillo and the
other with cheese (see below), accompanied with white rice and hot
tortillas. Any leftover picadillo will freeze very well; reheated, it
makes a good filling for tacos. The tomato broth will also freeze and
con be used for tortitas.

CHILIES RELLENOS DE QUESO (Chilies Stuffed with Cheese)

Chiles poblanos and anchos can be used for this recipe. Follow the
instructions for preparing the chilies in the Chilies Rellenos recipe
and stuff them with cheese instead of picadillo. In Mexico native
cheeses are used, but you can substitute a good melting cheese like
Muenster or Jack. Then follow the instructions for the tomato broth and
frying. If stuffed 2 hours ahead, reheat for only 5 minutes.
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Red Enchiladas With Cheese

Yield: 6 servings

1 c Onion; Finely Chopped, 1 Lge
2 ea Cloves Garlic;Finely Chopped
1/4 c Vegetable Oil
1/2 c Chicken Broth
4 c Tomatoes; Chopped, 4 Medium
1 tb Red Chiles; Ground
1 ts Salt
1 ts Cumin; Ground
1 ts Oregano Leaves; Dried
1/8 ts Pepper
12 ea Corn Or Flour Tortillas; *
12 oz Mozzarella Cheese; Shredded
1 x Dairy Sour Cream

* Tortillas should be 6 to 7 inches in diameter. Cook and stir onion and
garlic in oil in a 10-inch skillet over medium heat, until onion is
tender. Stir in remaining ingredients except the sour cream, tortillas,
and cheese. Heat to boiling then reduce the heat. Simmer, uncovered, for
30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. Dip
each tortilla into sauce to coat both sides. Spread 2 Tbls of the chease
on each tortilla and roll up. Place seam sides down in an ungreased 13 X
9 X 2-inch baking dish. Pour remaining sauce over enchiladas and
sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake, uncovered, until the cheese is
melted, about 15 minutes. Serve warm with the sour cream.
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Flying Taco Platter

Yield: 2 servings

1 cn Bean dip
8 oz Carton of sour cream
1/2 pk Taco seasoning
Taco sauce
Hot banana peppers, chopped
Chopped onions
Any kind of cheese, grated
Tomatoes, chopped
Lettuce, chopped

Spread bean dip on bottom of platter or pizza pan. Mix together sour
cream and taco seasoning; spread on bean dip. Add approximately 3 to 5
tablespoons of taco sauce and remaining ingredients. Serve with
Tostitos. I use Monterey jack with jalapeno cheese.
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Taco Pie

1-1/2 lb ground beef 1 med jar Taco sauce
4 lg corn tortillas 1 8 oz pkg shredded chedder cheese
1 can (8 oz) tomato puree

Brown ground beef, drain. Combine taco sauce and tomato puree. Line
dutch oven with aluminum foil. Place 2 tortilla shells in duch oven.
Place 1/2 of ground beef on top, pour 1/2 taco sauce over top. Place 2
more tortilla shells on top and place in rest of beef and pour remaining
taco sauce on top. Sprinkle with cheese. Cover and bake until cheese is
melted. Variations: Add chopped onions, mushrooms or tomatoes to meat.
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Enchiladas Ole'

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef or ground chicken 2 tbs Butter
1 onion, chopped 1 tsp Chili Powder
1 can cream of mushroom soup 1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 oz diced green chilies, drained 1 cup cheddar or jack shredded
1/4 cup milk 8 corn tortillas

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Brown and crumble meat in skillet;drain. In
a medium saucepan, melt butter, add chili powder and onion and saute
until onion is tender. Stir in soup, sour cream, green chilies. Mix well
and remove from the heat. Reserve 3/4 cup of the sauce and set aside. To
remaining sauce, add cooked meat and 1/2 of the shredded cheese; stir to
combine. Along center of each tortilla, spread about 1/4 cup of the meat
mixture and roll up, placing seam side down in a greased 12-by-8-inch
baking dish. In a small bowl, combine reserved sauce and milk; spoon
over filled tortillas. Cover dish with foil. Bake for 15 minutes, remove
foil, and sprinkle with remaining cheese (and sliced black olives if
desired). Bake uncovered 5 more minutes or until cheese melts.
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