Scheduled to be released in September 2005, COOKING WTIH BAJA MAGIC DOS will be a must have for all Baja Aficionados! All 175 recipes from the original cookbook have been updated and improved. There are 80 new recipes and stories about Ann and Terry's adventures over the last eight years. The all-new art by Janna Kinkade (cover), Gayle Hazard and Terry Hauswirth is pure magic. 

Ann says: "The original Cooking With Baja Magic was published in 1997 and reflected my life and travels up to that point. In the intervening years, I have had the opportunity to further explore this magnificent peninsula and meet some amazing people. In  2003, my husband Terry and I sold our houses in San Diego and La Bufadora and moved to Buena Vista, midway between La Paz and Cabo San Lucas on the Sea of Cortez. Since then, we have traveled extensively and learned much about our adopted country. The life here suits us perfectly. 

"I always felt more at home in Mexico than in the US and for years I pondered why. Now I know.  I now know that my heart is Mexican. Mi corazón es Mexicano. That is why I am here and I believe that because I am in Baja, the experiences I share now in Baja Magic Dos are more authentic. I’ve also added 80 new recipes — some that I’ve created, many that I’ve discovered and several that were given to me by talented Baja chefs. There are lots more surprises too … more stories, all new art, and more historical and culinary information. There are now 50 restaurant recipes from 31 Baja eateries and two from our favorite US Mexican restaurants."

New recipes from old favorites from the first Baja Magic include Tío Pablo’s in Los Barriles, Pancho’s in Cabo, Caffé Todos Santos and the Buena Vista Beach Resort. Eighteen of Baja’s hottest hotels, restaurants and bars are contributing for the first time here. They are: Hussongs and Taquería Mexico (Ensenada), Pueblo Bonito (Cabo), Posada la Poza and Hotel California (Todos Santos), El Chilar, Hotel Tropicana, Brisas del Mar and Buzzard’s (San Jose del Cabo), El Corral and Rancho Buena Vista (Buena Vista), Tacos Los Barriles (Los Barriles), Ray´s Place (Mulege), Isla Loreto (Loreto), Mr. Azucar´s (La Paz) and the Giggling Marlin (Bahía de los Sueños). The chef on the Spirit of Endeavor, a small cruise ship that sails between Cabo, La Paz and Loreto shared a recipe. My favorite stateside Mexican restaurants, Las Olas (in my former hometown of Cardiff, CA) and Chapala (in my current summer hometown of McCall, ID) also inspired recipes. 

SNEAK PREVIEW!
(Painting by Gayle Hazard)
AVOCADO SAUCE
I love street tacos. Street food is internationally considered to be a defining element of a culture. (Think New York hot dogs) Mexico is famous for its street taco stands, where you can walk up, order and eat standing up right on the sidewalk. One of my favorite places for tacos is Taquería Mexico in Ensenada right next door to Hussongs Cantina. The chef there, Ricardo gave me his recipe for avocado sauce. Thick, rich and creamy, it’s a staple of every street taco stand in Baja and to me, a carne asada taco wouldn’t be complete without it. Makes about a cup.

1 avocado, peeled and seeded
½ cup milk 
1 tsp garlic salt
2 tbsp cilantro, finely chopped

Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor. Blend until uniformly liquid. If desired, add a bit more milk so that it has a creamy but not watery texture. Serve with tacos. This will keep about 24 hours in the refrigerator. 

CHILES TOREADOS
(Painting by Janna Kinkade)

Another street taco stand staple is the chile toreado. It’s basically a jalapeño, guero or serrano chile, grilled on the griddle until slightly blackened on all sides and then marinated in Soy Sauce. Baja locals eat them with lime and more salt. I like them just the way they are and I have been know to eat 10 or so with my order of three tacos! Veronica, the chef at the Los Barriles taco stand, gave me this recipe. Whenever we stop in for lunch, if she doesn’t have any of these ready, she makes me up a batch to eat with my tacos! She uses the yellow guero chiles.

24 jalapeño, guero or serrano chiles 
1 tbsp vegetable oil
½ cup soy sauce
4 limónes (Mexican limes) or key limes, quartered
Garlic salt to taste

Heat the oil in a griddle or in a fry pan. Blister the chiles until cooked through and slightly blackened. Remove and put in a bowl of soy sauce. Sprinkle with lime and garlic salt. Let sit about 30 minutes or up to 24 hours, and serve. Warning! These can be pretty hot, so proceed with caution. They are great stuffed inside a street taco!

HOTEL BUENA VISTA’S WORLD FAMOUS NACHOS
(All following photo art by Terry Hauswirth)

I spent 33 years as a tourist in the East Cape village of Buena Vista, midway between La Paz and Cabo San Lucas on the Sea of Cortez. In 2002, Terry and I were married on the sand at the Hotel Buena Vista Beach Resort. Then in 2003 we sold everything in the States and northern Baja and moved to Buena Vista. In honor of our favorite hotel in our new home, we’re sharing their most celebrated recipe. Hotel guests rave about these nachos, and eat them by the platterful. In fact, reading the recipe alone is guaranteed to give anyone who’s done happy hour at the swim-up bar serious flashbacks. 

Yeah … it’s about 4:00 in the afternoon and you’re perched on an underwater barstool. In front of you is a piña colada, Margarita or cold cerveza. Up comes my favorite bartender, Ricardo (or my other favorite bartender, his brother Ramiro) with a huge plate of nachos. You and your three new best friends dig in. Heaven on earth! This will feed four hungry fishermen (or women).

2 - 3 cups totopos (tortilla chips)
1 can refried beans: heat on stove with 1 tbsp bacon fat and 1 tsp milk 
sliced pickled jalapeños from can (to taste)
1 cup Monterey jack cheese, grated
1 cup guacamole (see previous recipe)
¾ cup salsa fresca
On serving platter, place a layer of tortilla chips. Scoop hot refried beans over chips. Put on as many sliced jalapeños as your palate can handle. Sprinkle cheese over everything. Nuke for one minute or until cheese is melted. Top with guacamole and salsa fresca. ¡Ay, yay yay!

POSADA LA POZA’S FLAUTAS DE ATÚN AHUMADO 
SMOKED TUNA FLAUTAS

Sometimes the honeymoon has to precede the wedding; that was Terry’s and my conclusion. We got married two days after Thanksgiving in 2002. We chose the date because my family was scheduled to spend Thanksgiving at the Buena Vista Beach Resort, like we always do. We figured that it would be a small, intimate wedding. Wrong! By the time we left for Baja Sur, 28 friends had made airplane and hotel reservations. There promised to be great revelry, but romance and privacy? Hardly!

We headed north an hour up the Pacific coast to Todos Santos. We’d heard about an amazing new resort there and wanted to check it out. You’ve heard me say before that in Baja the worst roads lead to the best places. There should be a deserted beach involved. Privacy, beauty and ample wildlife are essential. Camping is the order of the day, because rarely is there a world-class, boutique hotel at the end of one of these awful roads. There are a few scattered up and down the peninsula, but not many. The road leading from Todos Santos to Posada La Poza proved to be very bad. We bumped and twisted, dodging rocks and mud puddles in our low-slung Neon, praying all the while that we wouldn’t get a flat tire. 

Finally, we passed through a dense palm grove, and brilliant gold, ochre and orange buildings sprang up in front of us. We parked and walked through the gate. Lush cacti and flower-filled gardens embraced us. There was a saltwater pool next to a lagoon that fronted a magnificently deserted stretch of beach. The owner, former Swiss banker Juerg Wiesendanger and his Czech artist wife, Libusche welcomed us personally and gave us a tour of the grounds. 

With only seven rooms, this place is all about privacy and romance. For the three days we were there, we were the sole occupants of two chaise lounges under a palapa, nestled between the pool and lagoon. Our major activity was bird watching. Pelicans soared by, riding the warm air currents. Occasionally they dive bombed, scooping fish out of the water. Frigate birds glided along the surface, touching down like prehistoric seaplanes, snatching up shrimp, fish or crabs and sailing off. Lease terns, cranes and ducks shared the waters with them. The cries of the birds blended with the pounding of the surf, the steady splash of the pool’s waterfall and the hum of dragonfly wings. Terry told Juerg he’d never seen me so relaxed. 

Whenever we were hungry or thirsty, the bar and restaurant were only steps away, and Juerg was always willing to make us whatever we wanted. Having trained under a famous Swiss chef, Juerg doesn’t just cook. He prepares gourmet cuisine. When we got tired of bird watching, eating and drinking, we walked in the gardens trying to identify the different flowers, trees and cacti. We hiked through the jungle to the beach and interrupted a beachside pelican convention. We could’ve borrowed mountain bikes and explored nearby beaches, but we were too lazy. We did spend an afternoon wandering through town, exploring the numerous galleries and checking out the restaurants. At sunset, we made the mandatory climb up to the Whale Deck and counted whale spouts as the sun sank — pink-orange, red and purple — into the Pacific. This is one of Juerg’s amazing creations. Serves eight.

12 jalapeño chiles
1½ pounds smoked tuna
3 medium sized shallots
6 cloves garlic, minced
12 leaves fresh basil
¾ cup chopped Italian parsley
1 bunch cilantro, stems removed and finely chopped
Celery salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tbsp olive oil
Salad garnish
2 cups corn or canola oil
20 corn tortillas or 16 flour tortillas 
Toothpicks

To make the filling
Buy one larger piece of smoked tuna as the small pieces tend to be dry. Instead of cutting the meat, tear the fiber apart in small pieces with two forks. Place in a bowl.

If you have a gas stove, lay the jalapeños over the open flame and char skins well, turning with tongs frequently until they’re uniformly blackened and stop snapping. The more charred they are, the easier it is to remove the skins. If you have an electric stove, place chiles in a large skillet on high heat. Turn frequently as above. Remove chiles to plastic bag, close it and let stand for 10 minutes. Remove from bag, place in ice-cold water and remove the stems, skins, veins and seeds. 

Chop the shallots and put them for one minute in hot water. Rinse then with cold water and put it in the bowl, together with the chopped garlic. Add basil, parsley and cilantro. Season with celery salt and olive oil. Mix well. 

To make the flautas
For the presentation, prepare either a big plate to be put in the center of the table or prepare individual plates with some salad garnishment leaving sufficient space (half the plate) for the flautas. 
Heat the oil in a large skillet. Warm up the tortillas on stove or in microwave for about half a minute, so they are flexible to roll. Put the filling in a line of 1½ inch on the tortilla and roll it. Fix with a tooth stick. Put all the rolls on a plate.

Prepare some paper towels in a basket to soak up excess oil after frying. Fry four tortillas at the same time until they become golden on all sides. Do not overdo frying. The tortilla has to be crispy, but still a little flexible. Put the fried ones in vertical position in a basket to let the oil drip. Keep them warm until the last one is fried.

Cut each fried tortilla roll into even sized pieces (2 pieces for corn tortillas, 3 for flour) and put them on prepared plate(s).
 

BEACHCOMBER COCONUT SHRIMP

Christine went to high school with Nina in La Jolla, CA. Then they lost touch for nearly 30 years until we ran into each other in Buena Vista in 2001. Christine and her husband, Leo had just bought a house here. Now they’re not only our good friends, but our neighbors too! When we visited them in Florence, Oregon a few summers ago they took us to their restaurant/tavern in Old Town Florence, the Beachcomber. There was a Baja specialty, coconut shrimp on their menu, so of course Terry ordered it. And lo and behold … I loved it! So here it is. Make sure those shrimp are nice and crispy and be brave and leave the seeds in the jalapeños! As Christine says, “Mo hottah, mo bettah!” They have since sold the restaurant, but the recipe lives on. Serves four to six.

Leo’s Coconut Shrimp
2 lb jumbo shrimp
1 cup flour
1 cup cold beer or ice water
½ tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
1 egg 
1 cup shredded coconut
1 cup corn or canola oil

Peel, devein and butterfly shrimp, leaving tail on. Rinse and drain. In mixing bowl, combine flour, beer, sugar, salt, olive oil and egg. Slightly chop coconut in food processor and pour onto plate for rolling. 

Heat oil in deep fryer or deep skillet to medium high heat. Dip shrimp in batter and roll in coconut. Cook in oil until golden brown and crispy on each side. Drain on paper towel.

 Christine's Dipping Sauce
 1 cup orange marmalade, mango or pineapple preserves
 2 fresh jalepeños, minced 

For spicier sauce, do not remove seeds. Mix with marmalade and leave in refrigerator for an hour to give flavors a chance to blend. Arrange shrimp on a platter with dipping sauce in a bowl in the middle and serve.

SOPA ROMPE CATRE — BROKEN COT SOUP

Next time you’re in La Paz, you have to visit Marcelo, the owner of Mr. Azucar’s (Mr. Sugar’s) Restaurant and Bar on 5 de Febrero, about four blocks off the malecón. He is an imaginative, competent chef whose story-telling abilities are legendary. His menu is extensive and his prices very good. So is the weekend musical entertainment. When I met him in 1997, he gave me the recipe for La Cola de la Sirena and it came with a story as delicious as the dip itself. This Broken Cot Soup is no different. He explained to me that when it’s really hot and sticky in Mexico, people sleep on canvas and wood cots under a fan or outdoors. The married folks tend to get a little rowdy sometimes and have been known to break their cots and end up on the hard ground. He claims that this soup will induce such behavior because the catfish in it is an aphrodisiac! I can’t vouch for the story, but if you try it and you break your cot, please let me know! This recipe serves about eight and the broth is wonderful with meat and nopales soup too!

2 pounds catfish fillet (no bones) cut into large chunks
1 pound crabmeat, cut into chunks
1 pound shrimp, skinned and deveined but with head attached
8 large tomatoes
2 tbsp vegetable oil
5 cups water
4 guajillo chiles, lightly toasted
20 chiles de arbol, lightly toasted
2 ancho chiles, slightly toasted
6 epazote leaves
2 medium white onions, puréed 
10 cloves garlic, puréed
3 tbsp cider vinegar
¼ cup caldo de camarón o pollo (shrimp or chicken bouillon powder)
Salt and pepper to taste
8 large chunks queso fresco or feta cheese

In a large skillet, sauté tomatoes in oil until blackened and softened. Mix in bowl with one cup water, guajillo, arbol and ancho chiles. Add epazote, onion, garlic, vinegar and shrimp bouillon. Purée in food processor until completely liquefied.

In Dutch oven, place puréed chile mixture. Add remaining water, catfish, crab and shrimp. Bring to boil and simmer for three to four hours. Serve immediately with a chunk of queso fresco on the side. Now, prepare to play “crash the cot” tonight!

EL CHILAR ESQUITES CALLOS DE ALMEJA
CORN KERNELS AND SCALLLOPS WITH CHILE MAYONNAISE

El Chilar is one of the most happening restaurants in San Jose del Cabo. Located just across from the telephone company, it is on the cutting edge of Nuevo Mexican cuisine. Each of the three owners, Ulises Méndez, Armando Montaño and Mónica Martinez de Montaño is especially talented in his/her own way. Ulises is the general manager and a wine connoisseur. He has built El Chilar’s wine list into the largest and most moderately priced in all of Los Cabos with 94 wines as of 2005. He specializes in the wines of Mexico (See Baja’s Boutique Wineries in the Bar section) and Latin America and offers an unprecedented 21 by the glass. All foods are paired with a particular wine and all wait staff are trained to know which wine to recommend with each dish. 

The menu changes monthly. El Chilar is the name of the chile bush, so it’s understandable that every entrée features chile. Chef Armando wants clients to understand that because chile is used in a dish, it doesn’t automatically mean that it will blow your head off. On the contrary, if used subtly, chiles enhance the flavor of the food. Armando takes traditional Mexican recipes and fuses them with Asian and European ingredients, giving his cuisine a contemporary Mexican flare. His use of local organic produce makes it even more interesting. 

Mónica is a public relations whiz. Her warm, friendly personality makes diners feel immediately welcome and special. She is decorating an epicurean corner of the restaurant with contemporary exhibitions of fine Mexican art and art crafts so people can enjoy and learn more about Mexican artists, culture and traditions. Dining at El Chilar is an amazing experience and one not to be missed on any visit to San Jose. In summer 2005 the trio opened a wine bar next door to their restaurant, where people can enjoy a glass of wine or cocktail while waiting for their table in comfort. 

Armando told me this recipe reminds him of the corn and scallop cocktails served right after church on Sundays in plazas all over Mexico. It’s made with mayonnaise, so Ulises suggests enjoying it with a Pinot Grigio or a Monte Xanic Sauvignon Blanc. Serves four.

2 cups fresh corn kernels
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp chopped garlic
1 tbsp chopped epazote
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp butter
1 lb small scallops
2 cups mayonnaise
Chile piquin powder to taste
Salt and pepper to taste
2 limónes (Mexican limes) or key limes
Queso cotija (can use feta) to use as garnish 

In skillet, sauté corn in butter. Add garlic and epazote and a little water to make it slightly juicy. In another skillet, melt butter and olive oil. Sear the scallops over high heat for a minute on each side. Add to corn and then add in mayonnaise, chile powder, salt and pepper. Serve in shrimp cocktail glasses and garnish each serving with a halved lime and a sprinkling of cheese. 

CAFFÉ TODOS SANTOS TENTH ANNIVERSARY SALAD

When I tell my friends who’ve been to (or live in) Todos Santos recently that Marc Spahr gave me the recipe for his Tenth Anniversary Salad for Baja Magic Dos, their eyes light up and then start to glaze over. This salad is famous in Baja Sur and it is amazing. While Marc created it in 2003 to commemorate his ten years in business, he didn’t get around to having his tenth anniversary party until February 2005. Sounds like Baja, huh? Oh … and he asked me to let everyone know that he finally attended a professional cooking school for two weeks — in Paris during the summer of 2004! This recipe will feed four people and it’s guaranteed to totally blow your mind (and your taste buds) in a thoroughly wonderful way! 

2 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut in strips 
1½ cups coconut milk
1 cup Thai peanut sauce
1/8 cup Thai curry paste
½ tsp yellow Indian curry powder
¼ package Juto-Naga Udon noodles (about 1 cup Thai rice noodles) cooked and cooled
3 cups exotic leaf lettuce (mixed baby field greens)
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup pistachios
½ cup dried mango, cut into ¼ inch strips
¼ cup toasted sunflower seeds
½ cup jicama, cut into ¼ inch strips
2 tangerines, peeled and sectioned 
1 cup dried chow mein noodles
½ cup crumbled feta cheese

In large skillet, combine Thai peanut sauce, coconut milk and curries. Add chicken strips and dried mango strips and cook until chicken is done. Remove chicken strips and grill over barbecue until golden brown to give them a smoky taste. Set the mango strips aside to cool. 

Pour the coconut milk-curry-peanut sauce mix into a bowl and cool by placing another bowl of ice underneath it. (This will now become the salad dressing.)

In large salad bowl, place a layer of Thai noodles. Add lettuce, nuts, feta cheese, tangerines, cranberry, mango, jicama, chicken strips and Chow mein noodles. Toss lightly with dressing and serve immediately.
 

TROPICANA BREAKFAST RELLENOS

Brad and Diane from Washington, who are friends of Nina and John, spent a week at the Tropicana Inn in San Jose del Cabo over Thanksgiving recently. We ran into them there and both were raving about the breakfast rellenos. They said they ate them every morning. Nina and I made a vow there and then to get the recipe for Baja Magic Dos. We highly recommend staying at this hotel if you go to San Jose. It’s centrally located, spectacularly built and decorated and the restaurant and bar are as good as it gets! Be sure and try this for breakfast. Better yet, try it tomorrow and then start planning your trip! Serves four. 

Salsa ranchera
2 green bell peppers, thinly sliced
2 white onions, thinly sliced
2 lb tomatoes, thinly sliced
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp oregano
2 bay leaves
Salt to taste

Rellenos
4 poblano chiles, blistered
3 cups salsa ranchera (Salsa section or use Salsa Veracruzana from preceding recipe) 
1 tsp epazote
Salt and pepper to taste 
½ lb jack cheese, shredded
2 tbsp butter
8 eggs
½ lb queso Chihuahua, shredded

To make salsa ranchera
In large skillet, sauté bell pepper, tomato onion until done. Add oregano, bay leaf and salt. Cover and simmer on low heat for fifteen minutes.

To make rellenos
To blister the chiles: If you have a gas stove, lay the chiles over the open flame and char skins well, turning with tongs frequently until they’re uniformly blackened and stop snapping. The more charred they are, the easier it is to remove the skins. If you have an electric stove, place chiles in a large skillet on high heat. Turn frequently as above. Remove chiles to plastic bag, close it and let stand for 10 minutes. Remove from bag, place in ice-cold water and remove the skin, veins and seeds. Do not remove stem!

In saucepan, heat ranchera sauce. In medium bowl, scramble the eggs. Add crushed epazote, salt and pepper. Melt butter in skillet and cook the eggs until done. Make a slit in each chile and stuff with ¼ of the eggs. Put on a cookie sheet and top with combined cheeses. Broil for a minute or until cheeses are bubbling and almost brown on the edges. Move to warm plate and cover each relleno with ranchero sauce. The Tropicana serves this with fried potatoes or beans on the side. 
 

HOTEL CALIFORNIA SHRIMP AND
SMOKED MARLIN OPEN-FACED RAVIOLI

For years, day-trippers coming from Los Cabo to Todos Santos have flocked to the Hotel California, hoping to see “mirrors on the ceilings and pink champagne on ice.” Don Henley burst that bubble a while back when he denied any connection between the Eagles and the hotel. That’s too bad. He should stop by next time he’s down here. Once he tours the grounds and samples the gourmet fare served in La Coronela Restaurant, he just might change his tune. Hotel California’s new owners, John and Debbie Stewart have recreated this former eyesore into an architectural, artistic and culinary masterpiece.

For John, whose previous career was designing restaurants and office buildings, this project was the dream of a lifetime. He indulged his passion for brilliant, bold colors, colonial Mexican architecture and furniture, metal and glass sculptures, exotic plants and art. Truly a celebration of the senses, the Hotel California explodes with purples, reds, hot pinks, oranges, periwinkles, and pulsating shades of green and golden yellows. The old blends gracefully with the new, as original tile floors and 100-year-old beams merge with the best modern Mexico can offer. 

The patios, pool and terraces are private and lushly landscaped. Hotel guests have a choice of 11 luxuriously appointed, wildly imaginative rooms and suites. They can sit on a balcony overlooking the town and watch the sun set in the Pacific as the choir sings in the church across the street. This is a perfect place for weddings, honeymoons or just to get away and wander along cobble stone streets, exploring Todos Santos’ art galleries, restaurants and historical buildings. Venture out of town and enjoy some of the most spectacular surfing beaches on the west coast.

When you visit the hotel, make time for a leisurely lunch under the pagoda-style palapa at La Coronela Restaurant. Breathe in the fragrance of tropical flowers; listen to live Mexican music with a backdrop of softly tinkling fountains. John Stewart lured Chef Dany Lamote away from Calgary, Alberta. Born in Belgium, Dany studied culinary arts in Brussels. He immigrated to Canada in 1979 and settled in Calgary. There he was a chef and partner in many successful restaurants, from small European style bistros and cafes to fine dining establishments. Local organic ingredients influence his style of cooking. As a passionate traveler he loves to fuse the cuisines of different cultures in his recipes. For 15 years he was a culinary instructor teaching in small private schools. Here in Mexico he draws from Baja California ingredients to create a fresh, innovative seasonal menu at the Hotel California.

Chef Dany offers this explanation about this unique, popular dish: “The concept of open-faced ravioli is between lasagna and ravioli. The dish is made in a frying pan. The ingredients are stacked and assembled at serving time instead of being baked in the oven. Most of the shrimp comes from the Sea of Cortez as well as the marlin. We smoke the marlin in our Texas smoker, parked outside the restaurant. After having the smoker inside on the patio for ambience and smoking out our customers a few times, we decided that it was a better business practice to move the smoker outside. My preferred wood for smoking is a fruitwood.” Serves four.

16 lasagna pasta sheets 
1 tbsp olive oil
16 jumbo shrimp
1 cup white wine 
½ lb sliced smoked marlin or smoked salmon 
1 cup whipping cream 
¼ cup finely chopped cilantro 
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook the lasagna sheets according to package direction. Drain and allow to cool off. Rub with olive oil to prevent sticking. 

Poach the shrimp in white wine for five minutes or until they turn white. Add the cream and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper and add the pasta sheets. Bring to a boil and let the cream thicken a bit. 

Stack by alternating the shrimp and pasta. Garnish with the smoked marlin. 

CHILES EN NOGADA

Suzanne lives next to a chile field in Todos Santos where poblanos are grown every year. After the chiles have been harvested in early June, she’s invited to pick any leftover chiles for herself and her friends. Terry and I visited in mid-June and she made us this amazing creation for dinner. There were no pasas (raisins) anywhere in town, so we bought a box of Raisin Bran and fished out enough raisins to make this famous and elegant Mexican dish. The next morning she took me out and we had a field day (literally) picking chiles. We filled giant grocery bags with fresh chiles. I went home and went on a poblano binge! This is Suzanne’s recipe and it serves four.

8 poblano chiles
4 tbsp butter 
2 white onions, finely chopped
1½ tbsp flour
½ tsp white pepper
½ tsp nutmeg
6 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup raisins
1 green apple, peeled and cut in chunks
½ cup mango, peeled and cut in chunks
½ cup pineapple, peeled and cut in chunks
1¼ cup crema media ácida or sour cream 
6 cups cubed cooked chicken
1½ cups chopped walnuts blanched in boiling water for 2 minutes

If you have a gas stove, lay the chiles over the open flame and char skins well, turning with tongs frequently until they’re uniformly blackened and stop snapping. The more charred they are, the easier it is to remove the skins. If you have an electric stove, place chiles in a large skillet on high heat. Turn frequently as above. Remove chiles to plastic bag, close it and let stand for 10 minutes. Remove from bag, place in ice-cold water and remove the skins, veins and seeds. Do not remove stems.

Melt butter in frying pan at medium heat. Add onions and cook until limp. Stir in flour, pepper and nutmeg and stir until bubbling. Add chicken broth, raisins and apples. Cook, stirring until softened. Add mango and pineapple. Gradually stir in media crema. Add chicken and heat thoroughly. 

Place two chiles on each plate, or arrange all chiles on a platter. Fill each chile with chicken and sauce mixture. Sprinkle walnuts over top and serve.