Featured in the November 1999 issue of Texas Monthly

Chile Rellenos with Guajillo Sauce from Taco Milagro, Houston

Guajillo Sauce

1 pound ripe Roma tomatoes
1 pound tomatillos, husks removed
1 large white onion, peeled and cut into eighths
6 cloves garlic, peeled
1 ounce guajillo chiles (approximately 4 chiles; guajillos are about 4 inches long, reddish-brown, and smooth-skinned; they are sometimes labeled "cascabel" chiles in stores); or use dried New Mexico red chiles
1/4cup finely chopped fresh cilantro
2 teaspoons brown sugar
11/2teaspoons salt

Preheat broiler. Place the tomatoes, tomatillos, onion, and garlic in a single layer in an ovenproof pan. Broil until lightly blistered and charred, turning occasionally (15 to 20 minutes). Cool.

Wearing rubber gloves, stem and seed the guajillo chiles, then lightly toast in a dry skillet over medium heat. Transfer to a bowl and soak in water until softened (15 to 20 minutes). Drain and discard water. Place broiled ingredients and softened chiles in a blender, add water as necessary, and blend to make a coarse sauce (about 30 seconds). Transfer to a saucepan, bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer for 15 minutes. Just before serving, stir in the cilantro, brown sugar, and salt.

Poblano Chiles

12 large poblano chiles
8 ounces Monterey Jack, grated
8 ounces Muenster, grated
4 ounces pecans, lightly toasted and
coarsely chopped
8 ounces dried apricots, cut into very small cubes
6 tablespoons sour cream or crème fraîche, thinned to a pourable consistency with milk or light cream
12 or more cilantro sprigs

Lightly oil chiles and char over an open flame or under a broiler. Let chiles cool and peel off skin. With a small knife, carefully make a slit down one side of each chile and remove seeds and pod but not stem. Combine cheese, pecans, and apricots and carefully stuff the chiles. Lightly grill over charcoal or place in a 350-degree oven just until the cheese begins to melt.

To serve, spoon guajillo sauce on each chile, drizzle with sour cream, and garnish with cilantro sprigs. Serves 6.

If any one thing has changed the face of Mexican cooking in Texas, it is the chiles you can get your hands on today. Not all that long ago, jalapeños were the only fresh chiles to be found in grocery produce sections. As for dried chiles, forget it. The few pitiful specimens there were came in little cellophane packages that had been exported prior to the reign of Montezuma. These days, almost any big-city supermarket will have gleaming bins of poblanos, anchos, serranos, chiles de árbol, chipotles, pasillas, guajillos, and more. What was novel yesterday is commonplace today.

This recipe draws on that abundance. A poblano chile, with its fresh flavor of green beans or bell peppers (without the metallic undertones), forms the base. It balances the unctuous cheese filling and serves as a foil for the sauce, which is made from dried, garnet-red guajillos. A smooth, shiny-skinned chile whose seeds rattle when it is shaken, a guajillo is quite picante and has a distinctive flavor somewhere between the sweet tanginess of cranberries and the astringency of strong tea. Although it is common for chiles rellenos to be fried in batter, here they're simply roasted, emphasizing the not-so-subtle interplay of chile on chile.
Patricia Sharpe

Produce
Roma tomatoes
tomatillos
large white onion
garlic
guajillo (or New Mexico red) chiles
cilantro
poblano chiles
pecans

Grocery
brown sugar
salt
Monterey Jack
Muenster
dried apricots
sour cream or crème fraîche