Puffed Ancho Chiles With Guacamole Recipes

CHILES ANCHOS EN ESCABECHE CON GUACAMOLE

Steps:

• Wash the chiles in warm water, carefully slit them open on one side, and remove the seeds and veins.
• Bring the white vinegar, red vinegar, and water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the piloncillo, oil, and salt. Heat until the piloncillo melts. Add the garlic, onions, bay leaves, thyme, peppercorns and allspice. Cook about 8 minutes. Remove from the heat. Add the chiles. Place all of the Chiles Anchos en Escabeche in a covered container and marinate one day at room temperature. They will hold, refrigerated, at least 1 week.
• Prepare the Avocado Filling just before serving.
• Drain the chiles and stuff with the Avocado Filling. Arrange on a serving platter and drench with the marinade. Decorate with the onion and garlic drained from the marinade. (The chiles may be sliced in half lengthwise and stuffed, for smaller portions.)
• Mash the avocados with a fork and stir in the onions, cilantro, chiles, and lime juice. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

PUFFED ANCHO CHILES WITH GUACAMOLE

Steps:

• Slit the ancho chiles carefully down one side, leaving the chiles intact. Discard all the seeds. Heat the canola oil in a skillet until not hot but not smoking. Add the chiles and fry for 1 minute or until they puff. Drain on paper towels.
• Discard all but 1 or 2 tablespoons of the oil in the skillet.
• Sauté the onion in the reserved oil in the skillet. Add the brown sugar, orange juice, vinegar, water, salt and peppercorns to the skillet. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat. Simmer for 30 minutes. Pour over the chiles in a bowl. Marinate in the refrigerator for several hours to 12 hours.
• For guacamole, combine all guacamole ingredients.
• Drain chiles and spoon guacamole into them. Garnish with cilantro.

ANCHO-GUAJILLO CHILE SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat heavy large skillet over medium-high heat 2 minutes. Add all chile pieces; cook just until chiles blister, pressing with metal spatula and turning occasionally, about 30 seconds. Transfer chiles to bowl; add 5 cups very hot water. Soak chiles until very tender, pushing occasionally to submerge, about 30 minutes.
• Working in 3 batches, puree chiles with soaking liquid and all remaining ingredients in blender until smooth. Season sauce with more salt, if desired. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

STUFFED ANCHO CHILES

Steps:

• Wipe the dried chiles clean and carefully cut a slit lengthwise. Shake out the seeds and carefully tear out any of the obvious interior ribs. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet and fry the chilies briefly until they begin to puff and color slightly. Remove and drain on paper towels.
• In the same skillet, fry the sliced onion until it has colored. In another pot, bring to a boil the orange juice, vinegar, sugar (piloncillo is the coarse brown Mexican sugar that can often be found in truncated cone form), salt and pepper; cook briefly at a lower temperature then remove from the burner.
• Add the chiles and drained onions to this sweet-sour marinade, making sure they are all submerged, and let macerate, preferably overnight. Remove and drain the chiles, reserving the marinade.
• The drained chiles may then be filled with a variety of ingredients: freshly made guacamole; potato salad; tuna salad; etc. They may be presented atop a bed of lettuce, topped with crumbled farmer's cheese and drizzled with a little of the reserved marinade, if desired.

GUACAMOLE

Steps:

• Season the tomatoes with salt and place in a large strainer or colander to drain. Let drain for 2 hours or overnight.
• In a bowl, combine the tomatoes, onion, garlic, and all the chiles. This is best done a couple of hours ahead of time, so the flavors of the chiles meld with one another and the tomatoes.
• Shortly before serving, halve, pit, and peel the avocados and then chop them medium-coarse. Add the avocados and cilantro to the tomato mixture, season with salt, and stir to mix.