At home, we always had rice, beans, salsa y un tipo de carnita.  With those key ingredients you were never short of a good meal.  Especially with frijoles in the house. One day you get ricos frijo, another day rico Litos and then the following ricos frijolitos! I know– bad joke.  Blame my dad, he’s told this joke since I can remember.

If you’re  from Michoacan, you’ve probably heard of  Morisqueta. It’s really just rice, beans and red chile. You can add meat if you want, which is really carne con chile.

Growing up I was never really asked what I wanted to eat. So I never knew this amazing combination had a name until Abuela said one day, “a que hacer morisqueta”.  I was so excited thinking I was going to try a new dish! Here I was … waiting for morisquetaaaaa!!!! Turns out, it was a dish I had been enjoying for years.

We got a good laugh that day. But enjoyed un platillo bien simple, Mexicano y delicioso.

Ingredients

• refried Beans
• steamed rice

Sauce

• 2 chiles California 
• 8-9 chiles Japoneses (Add more for spiciness.)
• 3 tomatoes
• 1 a garlic clove (Abuela only uses ½.)
• Cotija cheese (optional)

Instructions

• If you have frijoles de la olla, heat up some lard and add 4 cups of beans, 1-2 cups of bean broth (or water), and salt to taste. Mash them to make refried beans.
• Add 2 cups of washed rice in a pot, add 4 cups of water and salt to taste.
• Place over medium-low heat and cook without uncovering rice until it is cooked through.
• Roast the chiles.
• Cook tomatoes in water until soft.
• Blend chiles, tomatoes, garlic and salt to taste.
• While the refried beans are still simmering, pour the chile sauce over the beans and mix well.
• Simmer for 2-3 minutes.
• Serve rice along with the beans.
• Sprinkle it with cotija cheese.

For a heartier meal, add meat of choice to your chile sauce to make carne con chile. Serve rice, beans and the carne con chile.

Usually, you place the rice on your plate first then add the beans or carne con chile over the rice.  But Abuela always loved to serve them side by side.

Link to original video.

It is said that your eyes show the strength of your soul.

And I could definitely see it in the eyes of my Abuela.

In  her 87 years, she saw generations being born…Deaths of those she loved.

She Experienced joys and heart aches… like many of us.

What a bitter sweet thing.

Yet, she continued…

Strong women aren’t born, they’re forged in the fires they’ve had to walk through… Paving the way for those who come after.

Abuela has passed down her mantel– her apron. And I carry her essence that comes forth when I need it… Maybe even when you need it.

INGREDIENTS

2 cauliflower heads

6 eggs

1/4 c of flour

3-4 tomatoes

1/4 of an onion

1 garlic clove

1 tsp of cumin

Cotija Cheese

Cooking oil or Lard

Water

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Rinse cauliflower.
2. Boil cauliflower until soft then set aside to cool down.
3. Cut into small pieces.

4. Make egg batter by mixing egg whites until nice and fluffy.

5. Add yolks, flour and salt to taste.

6. Dip each cauliflower pieces in egg batter and fry in lard or oil.

7. To make tomato sauce, blend tomatoes, onion, garlic, salt and water.

8. Heat up a pan and add 2 tbsp of lard or oil.

9. Add 2 tbsp of flour and mix quickly to make a roux.

10. After is it well blended, add tomato mix.

11. Add cumin and let it simmer for for 2-3 minutes.

12. Sprinkle in Cotija cheese to liking and check for salt.

13. Add cauliflower and simmer for 3-4 minute.

14. Add more Cotija cheese if you like.

Serve with rice and or beans.

Full Video.

Growing up in a home where we ate Chiles Rellenos once a year but never used the word LENT– I still looked forward to that season. Not because I was religious in any way, but because it would be those celebrated days like Christmas where I would try special dishes and gather around the table as a family. The word Lent didn’t become part of my vocabulary until we started making cooking videos and was forced to translate the recipes. Matter of fact, there were many words I wasn’t familiar with. For example, Sancochar. I thought to myself, “How on earth do you translate that?” I guess some words are meant to be translated are some aren’t. Nevertheless, here I am cooking a recipe my Abuela left me with, to now share with my little family and yours.

INGREDIENTS

10-12 Chiles Poblanos

7 Eggs

Cotija Cheese

Montrrey Jack Cheese

1/4 cup of all purpose flour

Salt

Oil or Lard

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Wash and dry the chiles
2. Roast chiles on all sides on a comal or directly on the fire.
3. After roasting them, place in a plastic bag or anything with a lid to steam them.
4. Once skin begins to detach, peel the skin off.
5. You can remove seeds and membranes but my abuela always left them. Just don’t eat them or se te va a la visicula. LOL
6. Cut your cheese into small pieces and add 1-2 pieces of cotija cheese and Monterey cheese.
7. Add egg whites to a bowl and mix until nice and fluffy.
8. Mix in the egg yolks on a lower speed adding salt and flour.
9. Add oil or lard to your cooking pan.
10. Once it’s nice and hot, dip chile relleno into the egg batter and place into your pan with oil.
11. Fry for about 2-3 minutes on each side.
12. Place on a plate covered in paper towels.
13. Serve with rice and beans.

POTATO PATTIES

If you have left over egg batter, you can enjoy some delicious potato patties by adding 2-3 cooked and mashed potatoes, salt and 1 cup of shredded cotija cheese.

Fry them on each side for 3 minutes or until golden brown.

*****Original Youtube recipe from 2012

Chiles rellenos en caldillo recipe: