The Vore's Favorite Meal

Being from Denver, originally, has given both the Vore and I a love of Mexican food. Even my parents have a love of the Southwest and Mexico, sometimes I wonder if it's genetic! There is a large Hispanic population on Denver, mostly concentrated around Federal Blvd. Lots of good authentic restaurants and grocery stores. So most of the food I make is inspired by the flavors of Latin America. One of the Vore's favorite dishes is one based on the meal we had at my dad's wedding in Santa Fe, Chile Rellanos. They were the best we've had. These are my interpretation. Chile Rellanos are great with rice and refried beans. Chile Rellanos 1 recipe blue corn batter(below) 5 smoked chilies (see Smokin Chilies in the park) 1 8oz package softened Fat Free Cream Cheese 1 ear corn on the cob, grilled. or 1c cooked corn 3 Tbs pickled jalapeño juice 1c shredded Fat Free Cheddar Cheese 2-3c Panko bread crumbs In a food processor combine the cream cheese, jalapeño juice, half of the corn and half of the shredded cheese, blend until smooth. In a separate bowl add the remaining corn and cheese and the blended cheese mix. Fill the smoked chilled with the cheese mixture. Put in the freezer for 5-10 min, or until the cheese starts to become firm. Cover each chili in the batter and then the bread crumbs. Cook for 15-20 min at 350. The breadcrumbs should start to turn golden brown. Blue Corn Batter 1c blue corn meal 1Tbs pickled jalapeno juice 2Tbs canola oil 1/4c soy milk Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Use to batter Chili Rellanos, tofu, or veggies.

Smokin' chilies at the park

The Vore just got a new toy, a radio. So we took it with us to the park for our weekly BBQ. I knew we'd have plenty of time to kill before the Vore was bored with his new toy, so I decided to bring some chilies I had just gotten at the farmers market. The chilies grown in Kansas aren't as spicy as those I'm used to. The chilies grown in New Mexico are spicy, something to do with the dry climate ,according to the Vore. Regardless of the actual heat of the chili, I always loved them smoked. Well if I'm going to be accurate, grilled.

It's really easy if you have a grill. The Vore prefers grilling with a hardwood charcoal, it burns hotter and longer than the standard stuff, plus it adds the flavor you would get from a traditional smoking method with out the extra time. Just cook the chilies until the skin is charred. Put in a Ziplock bag to cool, this makes the skins easier to remove. When the chilies are cool enough to handle rub, or pull, the skin off. You now have chilies that are ready for any application you would like.

If you don't have a grill, or the time to grill. Put the chilies on a sheet pan in the oven for 5 min per side. The oven should be set to broil and the rack will need to be at it highest level. The skin will start to blister and turn black. It will look different from the char you get on the grill, the taste will be a little different too, not as smoky, be still delicious.

Later this week I'll be making Vegan Chili Rellanos. I'll probably also add them into my Vegan Corn Casserole. I think chilies make the world go round, so they tend to pop up everywhere in my cooking!

Note: (7/28/09) Chilies contain a chemical called capsaicin; it's what causes the heat. Different chilies contain different amounts of capsaicin; they are measured on the Scoville Scale. The bell pepper is a 0 on the Scoville scale, but a habenaros is near the top (just below police grade pepper spray.) Whatever the amount of capsaicin, if you are working with chilies you will want to wear latex gloves when you are working with them. The only way to effectively get rid of the capsaicin if you get it on your skin is by soaking in milk. Milk alternatives do not contain the ingredient that causes the chemical bond to break up so you'll need to use real dairy milk. So just wear gloves, especially if you're using chilies with a large amount of capsasin like habenaros.