Como Mejorar la Alimentacion del Obrero y Campesino (1936) – Chiles Campesinos
Hernandez, Ana Maria. Como mejorar la alimentacion del obrero y campesino. Chihuahua, Mexico: Imprenta Modelo. 1934. P. 46. [TX716.M4 H47 1934]
By Gabriela N. Salas, an undergraduate nutrition student at UTSA
Chiles Rellenos is one of my favorite Mexican dishes. As you can see from the formatting, this particular recipe from Como Mejorar la Alimentacion del Obrero y Campesino for chiles rellenos is quite old. Unlike today’s cookbooks, which separate ingredients and instructions, this text is written all together in one block.
In my version of the dish, I substituted vegetable oil and Pam Cooking Spray for lard. Also, the recipe says to use ancho peppers, but I chose to substitute for one red, one yellow and one green, for presentation purposes. In addition, it requires fresh whole garlic. Instead of using whole garlic, I blended garlic cloves to make a paste to increase the flavor. The flour makes for a great breading when seasoned with adobo seasoning, black pepper, and oregano. Most of the products I used (tomatoes, peppers, eggs and onion) were organic and had no added pesticides. Note that the recipe says to peel the tomatoes, but I simply chopped them finely along with the onion. Also, it recommends using fresh cow cheese, but I chose to use shredded pepper jack cheese to melt inside of the stuffed peppers. This dish was delightfully tasty and I cannot wait to make it again!
Chiles Campesinos
Chiles Campesinos: 10 chiles anchos colorados, un queso de vaca fresco, 3 huevos, 20 tomates, una cebolla, dos dientes de ajo, 6 cucharadas de manteca, una cucharada de harina. Los chiles los abres, los desvenas y los rellenas con el queso rebanado, la manteca la pones en una sartén a la lumbre y cuando esté bien caliente vas friendo los chiles que los habrás pasado por los huevos batidos a que queden de un bonito color dorado. Los tomates los pelas, los picas muy finamente lo mismo que la cebolla y los ajos, en una cazuela de barro pones una cucharada de manteca, cuando esté bien caliente le pones la harina cuando empieza a dorar. Le pones el recaudo, bien frito le pones un pozuelo de agua, lo sazonas de sal y con este caldillo sirves los chiles.
Campesino Chiles:
10 red ancho chiles,
queso fresco
3 eggs
20 tomatillos
1onion
2 cloves of garlic
6 tablespoons lard,
1 tablespoon flour
- De-vein the chiles and fill with grated cheese.
- Lightly beat the eggs in a bowl.
- Heat 5 tablespoons of lard in a skillet over medium heat.
- Dip the chiles in the eggs and then fry.
- Remove the tomatillo husks. Chop the tomatillos, onion, and garlic finely.
- In a dutch oven or large pot, put 1 tablespoon of lard, and place it over the heat.
- When the lard is hot, add the flour and stir until it begins to turn golden.
- Place the tomatillos, onion, and garlic in the dutch oven, add water, and season with salt. Serve this broth with the chiles.
Librarian’s Note: In general, “tomate” is translated as “tomatillo.” However, in most recipes, including this one, using tomatoes will also produce a tasty dish, though somewhat different from the original.
