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| Poblano peppers, roasted with the outer skin removed |
Rajas. They’re not your everyday condiment. They don’t come in cans or jars (at least not the good kind). And they don’t make themselves. You have to intend to make them. You must plan ahead. At least a little. Why is this, you ask? Because the main ingredient is a fresh chile poblano.
Cooking fresh (or dried) chiles usually requires roasting, de-seeding, and de-steming. The roasting process is important in that it's easy to burn the chiles. The goal is to char them so that the flavor seals in and the skin is easy to remove when cooled. If you’ve never worked with fresh chiles before, I suggest you “cut your teeth” on a rajas recipe.
Now, there are many different rajas recipes out there. Some include sautéed garlic and onions, others a mixture of cream and white cheese. The recipe included here is typical of Zacatecas, a state in central Mexico, and one that I prefer because it highlights the flavor of the poblano pepper.
And best of all, you only need three ingredients.
| Rajas |
Recipe Type: Condiment
Author:
Prep time: 30 mins
Total time: 30 mins
Ingredients
- 6 Poblano peppers
- 1 white onion
- 1/2 cup freshly squeezed Key Limes
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- In a broiler or on a griddle, roast the peppers.
- Allow them to char slightly and remove from the heat.
- Place them in a plastic bag and allow them to "sweat."
- Once the peppers have cooled, remove them from the bag and pull away the outer skin.
- Cut in half and remove the stems and seeds.
- Cut into 1/4 inch strips and set aside.
- Cut raw onion into 1/8 inch thick slices so that they are slightly thinner than the peppers.
- Marinate the peppers and onions in the freshly squeezed lime juice for at least one hour in the refrigerator.
Notes
Serve as a complement to tacos, eggs, enchiladas. Sprinkle with a bit of queso fresco.
Oh, Gilda, this sounds wonderful! And, I have some hatch chillies that have already been roasted! I'm going to make this now. I also cook the chillies with 2" cubes of pork into a sort of stew with onions, of course. And, I cook the chillies with pork and a green mongo bean, Philippine-style although the Filipinoes would leave out the chillies! Yummy.
ReplyDeleteI was actually in Silver Springs this past summer but I was with a friend who was visiting her friends. I'm so sorry we didn't get to meet you and taste some of the famous pizza! Maybe one day in the future, my husband and I will be back in D.C. or Florence. We both dream of spending returning to Florence.
Sincerely,
mary ng
p.s. I do read your site regularly so keep on writing it!
Mary,
ReplyDeleteChilis with pork sounds divine, and I'll have to try green mongo beans one day. Please let me know when you are in Washington or when you are planning to go to Florence. This piece on rajas was written by my god-daughter, Gilda Claudine, (just to confuse things a bit :). I'm so glad you are following our blog.