meeting # 8

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Date: Thu Oct 2008 20:00 CT

Title: viva la poblanos

Authors: Steph & Nathan
Categories: gastro-ph, Mexican\\

Mexican! 

What Nathan and I enjoyed the most about this meeting was that we could use our favorite implements: the black chamba, the broiler, the immersion blender, a sieve and open flames. We made horchata, tomato salsa, arbol chile salsa, garlic & orange guacamole  and lime-garlic soup (from Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything) as appetizers.  The horchata took a little magic.  After we ground the rice and let it settle for a day, we soaked it overnight and then on the third day we added cinammon, water and milk until it tasted right.  For the main course we had huaraches (corn masa cakes stuffed with black beans)  and stuffed poblano peppers.

As Chris is painfully-aware, the main courses needed to be assembled.  The huaraches were topped with arbol chile salsa, chorizo and romano cheese.  The poblano peppers were stuffed with a million-ingredient concoction of fruit and roasted pork.  They were then topped with a white walnut sauce and pomegranate seeds.  The green, white and red colors of the dish are supposed to represent the Mexican flag.

I first encountered the stuffed poblanos in El Paso at my friends' traditional Mexican wedding.  The day after the wedding, there was a send-off party for the bride and groom in which the mariachi band from the wedding came and played.  It was awesome! Here's a picture of one of the band members:

Since that day, I begged the bride (Martha) to give me the recipe.  She said that it was an old family recipe and would be difficult to get, but she came through in the end.  Yayay for Martha!

After dinner, Sophia and Ali served a delicious flan which I certainly hope they will tell me how to make.