las adelitas

We’re taking a break!

Hey everyone, things have been crazy for Patti and I - she’s starting law school in a couple weeks and I am taking the GRE in less than TWO WEEKS - eek!

We’re taking a break until business settles down, so hold tight and we’ll be back in a couple months.

Ciao Ciao!

-Katrina

Ah yes weekend bliss!

Chiles Rellenos

So these can be a little complicated, but mostly they are time consuming. However, they are so delicious that they are well worth the effort.

What you’ll need:

Chile Pasilla (fresh)

Potatoes

Cheese (queso fresco preferably)

egg

flour

First what you do is toast the chiles on the comal until you can see the skin coming off. If some turns black its ok, its better that they over cook than undercook. After they are toasted you put the chiles in a plastic bag (or something airtight) seal it and let them sweat. While the chiles are sweating, cook the potatoes. I usually cut them in chunks and pan fry them. After they are cooked mix in the crumbled cheese. Then take the egg and seperate the yolk from the egg white. Whip the egg white into meringue. Put some flour in a bowl.

Now you are ready to put it all together. Pull the chiles out of the bag. Carefull, they will still be hot. Peel off as much of the skin as you can. Careful not to tear the chile. The next step you can do two ways, you can slice the chile lengthwise and stuff it that way or you can cut the top where the stem is and stuff it through there. Lenghtwise can be harder to keep together but not having the stem makes it harder to fry, choose the method that works best for you.

Heat oil in pan. To test if the oil is hot enough drop a tiny piece of potato in. If it fries immediately its hot enough. Do not let the oil burn.

Stuff the chiles with the potato and cheese mix. If needed secure with toothpick. Dip chile in egg whites, then in flour coating evenly. Put in oil to fry. after about 1 min flip to other side to fry. Make sure all sides are fried evenly.

Serve with some cream on the side and some salsa. :)

The Savage Detectives by Roberto Bolaño

I recently read The Savage Detectives, and even though I finished it over a week ago, I keep going back to certain passages. Maybe because its set in Mexico City - that place will always be a part of me, dirty and harsh as it is - or maybe because I loved how characters talked about their “utter Mexican-ness” or “one of those apocalyptic Mexico City mornings,” things I understand all too well. This week, instead of a recipe or garden musings, I’d like to share some quotes. Hope you enjoy.

In one chapter Bolaño tells the story through various authors at a literature convention. Each has a unique story and perspective, but all of their interviews end with oddly similar sentences, and I enjoyed the progression of complexity.

Everything that begins as comedy ends as tragedy. -Iñaki Echevarne

Everything that begins as comedy ends as tragicomedy. -Aurelio Baca

Everything that begins as comedy inevitably ends as comedy. -Pere Ordóñez

Everything that begins as comedy ends as a cryptographic exercise. -Julio Martínez Morales

Everything that begins as comedy ends as a horror movie. -Pablo del Valle

What begins as comedy ends as a triumphal march, wouldn’t you say? -Marco Antonio Palacios

Everything that begins as comedy inevitably ends as mystery. -Hernando García León

Everything that begins as comedy ends as a dirge in the void. -Pelayo Barrendoaín

Everything that begins as comedy ends as a comic monologue, but we aren’t laughing anymore. -Felipe Müller