Best 3 Stuffed Ancho Chiles Recipes

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.

POTATO- AND CHORIZO-STUFFED ANCHO CHILES

Steps:

• Rinse chiles, then cover with cold water in a bowl and soak, weighted with a sieve (to keep submerged), until completely rehydrated (most will turn a brighter red), about 8 hours. Do not drain chiles.
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350°F.
• Remove 1 chile from soaking liquid and, working over chile bowl and sieve, cut a slit down one side with scissors and let interior liquid and loose seeds drain into sieve. Carefully cut out seedpod, leaving stem intact and letting any easily loosened seeds fall into sieve, then discard seedpod. Repeat with remaining chiles, arranging seeded chiles, cut sides up, in 1 layer in a 13- by 9- by 2-inch (3-quart) baking dish.
• Reserve 1 cup chile-soaking liquid for sauce. Turn chile seeds out of sieve into a shallow baking pan and spread evenly, then toast in oven, stirring occasionally, until dry, fragrant, and a few shades darker, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool seeds in pan on a rack, then finely grind in grinder (you will have about 1 tablespoon).
• Purée tomatoes, including juice from can, in a blender with reserved soaking water, ground chile seeds, and 1/2 teaspoon salt until smooth, then transfer to a 3-quart heavy saucepan and boil, stirring occasionally, until sauce is thickened slightly and reduced to about 2 cups, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Peel potatoes and cut into 1/3-inch cubes (about 2 1/2 cups). Cook in a 3-quart pot of boiling salted water until tender but not falling apart, 6 to 8 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse under cold water to stop cooking.
• Stir together potatoes, chorizo, cheese, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl, then fill chiles generously with stuffing (about 1/2 cup each; slit will not close over it). Pour sauce around (not over) chiles, then cover dish with foil and bake until sauce is bubbling all over, 35 to 45 minutes.

TUNA- AND POTATO-STUFFED ANCHO CHILES

Steps:

• Bring 3 cups water and piloncillo to boil in medium saucepan. Add white vinegar, canela, and salt; simmer until piloncillo has dissolved, stirring often, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Add chiles and soak until softened, occasionally pressing to submerge, about 1 hour; drain. Pat chiles dry; slit lengthwise and remove seeds.
• Cook red-skinned potatoes in pot of boiling salted water until skewer easily pierces centers, about 35 minutes. Drain. Cool, peel, and cut potatoes into 1-inch cubes.
• Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Season tuna with salt. Grill until light brown at edges but pink in center, about 3 minutes per side. Cut tuna into 1-inch cubes. Whisk together 1/4 cup oil and next 5 ingredients in large bowl. Fold in potatoes and tuna. Season with salt. Fill chiles with tuna-potato mixture.
• Whisk remaining 1/4 cup oil, apple cider vinegar, and cilantro in medium bowl. Season with salt. In large bowl, toss greens with 2 tablespoons vinaigrette to coat. Divide salad among plates. Top with chiles and avocado slices; drizzle with some of remaining vinaigrette.
• *Mexican raw sugar shaped into hard cones. Smaller chunks are sometimes labeled panocha. If neither is available, substitute and equal weight of packed dark brown sugar.
• **Mexican cinnamon sticks with a delicate, floral flavor.