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MAMA RITA’S RECIPE COLLECTION

Pork-Stuffed Roasted Chiles

El ataúd de los valientes

The dramatic name comes from the regional recipe in the collection. Its heart is roasted green chiles filled with pork and chile pasado, with an optional sweet pinole accompaniment.

From the family’s collected recipes · English home-kitchen adaptation

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Yield
6 stuffed chiles
Preparation
40 minutes
Cooking / elapsed time
1½–2 hours

Ingredients

Stuffed chiles

  • 6 large fresh chilaca or Anaheim chiles; poblanos are a wider alternative
  • 500 g (1.1 lb) pork shoulder, cut into small cubes
  • 40 g dried chile pasado (roasted, peeled, and dried green chile)
  • 1 medium white onion, chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 bay leaf and ½ teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 tablespoon lard or neutral oil
  • 1½ cups unsalted broth or water, plus more as needed
  • ¾ teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste

Optional creamy pinole and apples

  • 75 g unsweetened pinole (toasted ground corn; not raw masa harina)
  • 1 cup whole milk and 1 cup evaporated milk
  • ½ cup water, plus more if needed
  • 30 g grated piloncillo, or to taste
  • ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
  • 1 apple, cored and thinly sliced
  • 1 teaspoon butter

Method

  1. Soften the pork and dried chile.

    Cover the chile pasado with hot water for about 20 minutes; clean and chop it. Brown the pork in the lard, add the onion and cook 5 minutes. Add garlic, bay, oregano, salt, and broth. Cover and simmer 60–90 minutes, or until fork-tender, adding water as needed.

  2. Roast the fresh chiles.

    While the pork cooks, blister the fresh chiles under a broiler, turning them. Cover in a bowl for 10 minutes, then peel. Slit one side and remove the seeds, keeping the stems and shells intact.

  3. Finish the filling.

    Add the chopped chile pasado to the tender pork and simmer uncovered 10–15 minutes. Reduce until moist but not watery, shred or chop the pork, remove the bay leaf, and adjust salt.

  4. Make the optional side.

    Whisk the pinole into the milk, evaporated milk, water, piloncillo, and cinnamon. Simmer gently 10–15 minutes, stirring until spoonable and fully hydrated; add water if too thick. Separately sauté the apple in butter until tender and lightly golden. Serve it over the pinole. The sweet side can also be served afterward.

  5. Fill and heat.

    Heat the oven to 180°C/350°F. Put the chiles in a lightly oiled baking dish, fill with the hot pork mixture, and bake 10–15 minutes until hot throughout. Serve with the pinole if using, or with rice and beans.

Kitchen notes

Chile pasado matters

It means roasted, peeled, dried green chile. It is not the same ingredient as dried pasilla. If unavailable, use two additional freshly roasted green chiles; the flavor will be different.

For cooked dishes, cool promptly and follow the storage and reheating guide. Follow the shorter storage directions above where given.