Chiles Anchos Capones

Ancho (Ahn-cho) Chile (Capsicum Annum) means Wide Chile Pepper. This chile ranges from 3 – 4 on a heat scale of 1 to 10. An Ancho is the dried form of a Poblano Pepper and often is mislabeled as a Pasilla or Mulato Pepper. Anchos have sweet fruity flavor with hints of cherry, prune, and fig. Anchos, combined with the Pasilla and Guajillo, form the Holy Trinity of chiles used to prepare the traditional mole sauces. Scoville heat units are 1,000 to 3,000.

Suggested Use:
Anchos are great in salsa, soups, enchilada and any sauce needing mild heat and chile flavor. Chopped, pureed or ground, they can be added directly to your recipes.

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Ingredients:

10 ancho chiles
1 qt hot water
2 lbs queso anejo or romano cheese, grated
8 cups chicken stock
3 cups small green onions, without the green ends
1 cup pork lard or substitue vegetable oil
1/4 cup flour
Salt to taste

Instructions:

In a dry skillet, lightly toast the ancho chiles without burning them. Soak the chiles for 5 minutes in hot water to soften them, then drain and dry them. With a knife, make a slit in the side of each pod and deseed them. Stuff the chiles with the cheese and set aside. You can tie them to keep the stuffing from falling out if you wish.

Heat the chicken stock and boil the green onions for 3 minutes. Remove the onions from the stock and set both aside.

Heat the lard or vegetable oil until lightly smoking. Fry the chiles on both sides, starting on the open side. Remove the chiles from the oil and drain on paper towels. Fry the green onions in the lard or oil. Remove and set aside. Add the flour to the lard or oil and stir until completely mixed without letting the mixture turn brown. Pour the chicken stock in the pan and stir until no more lumps are seen. Simmer the sauce to thicken for 5 minutes while stirring. Add the chiles and let simmer 2 more minutes. The sauce should be smooth, but not too thick. Add stock if necessary. Serve the chiles immediately with some green onions on the side.

Serves 8 to 10. Heat scale: Mild.

From “Fiery Foods and BBQ” Nov/Dec 2008