Chiles Rellenos de Atún de Vigilia

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Cast iron comal or heavy skillet for roasting poblanos and tomatoes
• •12-inch clay cazuela or wide heavy saucepan
• •High-powered blender
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Balloon whisk or hand mixer for the egg capeado
• •Toothpicks for closing the chiles

Instructions

1. 1

   Roast the poblanos

   Heat a dry comal over medium-high heat. Roast the chile poblano directly on the comal, turning with tongs, until the skin blisters and blackens in patches all over. The flesh should soften but not collapse. Put the chiles in a covered bowl for 10 minutes so the skins loosen. Peel with your fingers or a towel. Do not rinse them under water. Water steals flavor, and flavor is why we came to the stove.

   Choose poblanos that are broad and straight. Twisted chiles tear when you fill them. The stem is your handle, so keep it attached.
2. 2

   Open and seed

   Make one lengthwise slit in each peeled chile, starting below the stem and stopping before the tip. Use a small spoon or your fingers to remove the seed cluster and loose veins. Leave the chile whole. If you tear one, do not panic. The egg capeado will help seal small mistakes, but it will not rescue careless hands.

3. 3

   Cook the vegetables

   Bring a small pot of salted water to a boil. Add the diced potato and carrot. Cook 6 to 8 minutes, until tender but not falling apart. Add the peas during the final minute. Drain well and spread on a plate so the vegetables stop cooking. A watery filling makes the chile weep in the cazuela. No me vengas con atajos.

4. 4

   Make the picadillo

   Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a wide skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the minced garlic and chopped jitomate and cook until the tomato loses its raw smell and the oil begins to show at the edges. Stir in the tuna, potato, carrot, peas, olives, capers, raisins, most of the toasted almonds, bay leaf, thyme, marjoram, canela, clove, black pepper, and salt. Cook 5 to 7 minutes, stirring gently, until the mixture is moist but holds together. Remove the bay leaf and let the filling cool.

   The olives and capers bring salt. Taste before adding more. Convent food is disciplined, not timid, but it should not taste like a brine jar.
5. 5

   Roast the caldillo base

   On the same comal, roast the 1 1/2 pounds Roma tomatoes, the onion quarter, and the unpeeled garlic cloves. Turn them until the tomatoes are softened and blotched with dark spots, the onion edges brown, and the garlic skins char lightly. Peel the garlic. Blend the roasted tomatoes, onion, garlic, and vegetable broth until smooth.

6. 6

   Fry the caldillo

   Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a clay cazuela or wide saucepan over medium heat. Strain the blended tomato mixture into the hot oil. It will hiss. Add the bay leaf, thyme, canela, whole clove, and salt. Simmer 15 to 20 minutes, until the caldillo turns glossy and brick red, thin enough to spoon but not watery. Remove the bay leaf, thyme sprig, canela, and clove. The tomato must taste cooked. Raw caldillo is laziness in a bowl.

7. 7

   Fill the chiles

   Spoon the cooled tuna picadillo into each chile poblano. Fill generously, but do not force the chile open like a suitcase. Close the slit with one or two toothpicks if needed. Pat the outside dry with a towel. Moist chiles reject the flour, and then the egg slides off. Cooking is a chain of small decisions.

8. 8

   Whip the capeado

   Put the flour on a shallow plate. Beat the egg whites with 1/4 teaspoon salt until they hold firm peaks. Beat the yolks lightly, then fold them into the whites with a gentle hand. This is capeado, not pancake batter. It should be airy enough to cling to the chile and puff in the oil.

   If there is grease in the bowl, the whites will not rise. Wash the bowl well and dry it before beating. Así se hace y punto.
9. 9

   Fry the chiles

   Heat the mild olive oil or safflower oil in a wide skillet over medium heat until a drop of egg sizzles immediately. Dredge one filled chile lightly in flour, shaking off the excess, then coat it in the beaten egg. Fry 2 to 3 minutes per side, turning carefully, until the capeado is golden and set. Work in batches so the oil stays lively. Drain on a rack or paper towels.

10. 10

    Settle in caldillo

    Bring the caldillo back to a gentle simmer. Lay the fried chiles into the sauce in one layer and spoon caldillo over the tops. Cook 5 minutes, just long enough for the egg coat to drink a little tomato and for the filling to warm through. Do not boil hard. A violent pot tears delicate food.

11. 11

    Serve in Talavera

    Arrange the chiles in a deep Talavera platter with plenty of caldillo around them. Scatter the reserved toasted almonds over the top. Serve with arroz blanco and warm corn tortillas. This is a Poblano Lenten main dish, not a side, not a snack, and not something that needs cheese or crema to explain itself. Recetas probadas y garantizadas.

Chef Tips

• •For vigilia, use olive oil in the guiso and caldillo, and a clean mild oil for the capeado. Do not put lard into a Lenten Friday refectory pot and then call it discipline. La manteca es el sabor in the dishes where it belongs. Here the calendar rules.
• •Tuna packed in olive oil gives the best filling. Tuna packed in water works, but it is a compromise. Drain it hard and add another spoon of olive oil so the picadillo does not taste dry.
• •Do not rinse roasted poblanos under the faucet. Peel them with your fingers or a towel. A little char left on the flesh is flavor, not dirt.
• •If you skip the egg capeado, you can still make a good stuffed poblano. You have not made this Poblano chile relleno de vigilia. Some steps are the recipe.
• •The caldillo should be tomato-forward and lightly perfumed with canela and clove, not sweet. If your tomatoes are flat, roast them harder on the comal before blending. Start at the market, not the stove.

Advance Preparation

• •The tuna picadillo can be made 2 days ahead and refrigerated. Cool it completely before filling the chiles.
• •The caldillo can be made 3 days ahead. Reheat gently and thin with a splash of water if it tightens in the refrigerator.
• •The poblanos can be roasted, peeled, seeded, and refrigerated 1 day ahead between towels in a covered container.
• •Fry the capeados the day you serve them. You can hold the finished chiles in the caldillo for up to 2 hours and rewarm gently, but they are best when the egg coat is still tender.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 620g)