This dish consists of large chiles or bell peppers stuffed with meat or cheese, coated with a light batter, and fried. They are served in a light tomato broth.
There is always an exclamation of pleasure and surprise when a cazuela of golden, puffy chiles rellenos sitting in their tomato broth is presented at the table. If you have eaten those sad, flabby little things that usually turn up in so-called Mexican restaurants in the United States as authentic chiles rellenos, you have a great surprise in store. Here is yet another prime example of the fine feeling the Mexicans have for texture in their food: you bite through the slightly crisp, rich chile poblano to experience the crunch of the almonds and little bits of crystallized fruits in the pork filling. Then there is the savory broth to cut the richness of the batter.
Chiles poblanos are imported in great quantities to large centers of Mexican population here in the States but very few find their way to the East. (Maybe this was true in 1972 when this book was published, but these days they are readily available here in Cambridge. To me, bell peppers are no substitute.) I am afraid the bell pepper is about the only suitable substitute for appearance and size--you can always spike them with a little chile serrano.
Assembling the chiles may seem like a long laborious task, but it is no more complicated and time consuming than most worthwhile dishes, and this dish is certainly worthwhile.
Prepare the picadillo:
Cut the meat into large cubes. Put them into the pan with the onion, garlic, and salt and cover with cold water. Bring the meat to a boil, lower the flame and let it simmer until just tender--about 40 to 45 minutes. Do not overcook. Leave the meat to cool off 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.
Melt the lard 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 and add them, with the rest of the ingredients to the meat mixture. Cook the mixture a few moments longer.
Mash the tomatoes a little and add them to the mixture in the pan. Continue cooking the mixture over a high flame for about 10 minutes, stirring it from time to time so that it does not stick. It should be almost dry.
Prepare the tomato broth:
Blend the tomatoes, with the juice extracted from their seeds, with the onion and garlic until smooth.
Melt the lard and fry the tomato puree over a high flame for about 3 minutes, stirring to prevent sticking. Add the rest of the ingredients and cook them over a high flame for about 5 minutes, stirring.
Add the pork broth and continue cooking the broth over a medium flame 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.
Recipe by: "The Cuisines of Mexico" by Diana Kennedy
