Day 4 - Pepinos Rellenos, Jocon, and rice





Today we had stuffed cucumbers and a chicken dish with a tomatillo/cilantro sauce. I really liked this dish. I know that everyone falls into one of the following categories, you hate cilantro or you love it. We love it in our house. We use it quite often. The Jocon recipe uses a lot of cilantro but when it's cooked down, it's flavor does mellow out. It isn't as strong as the fresh cilantro flavor. I'll definitely make this again.

 

I only put in one jalapeno in the chicken dish and it wasn't that spicey. I try to make my dishes not too spicey so my son will maybe like it and eat it.

 

 

Pepinos Rellenos

Recipe from http://www.food.com/recipe/my-love-of-stuffed-cucumbers-pepinos-rellenos-456725

2 cucumbers

1/2 of a lime (for rubbing)
1 red pimiento chilies (or can use a red jalapeno) (I didn’t this so I used red bell pepper and a dash of cayenne)
3 ounces cream cheese
1 tsp cream
1 tsp basil
1 T green onions, chopped
1 garlic cloves, chopped
salt and pepper, to taste
1 pinch paprika

Cut the cucumbers down the middle, lengthwise, peel and remove the seeds. Rub the cucumbers with lime juice, and salt and pepper. Cut the red pepper down the middle, remove the seeds, and dice into small pieces. Combine the cream cheese and cream together with the remaining ingredients and mix well. Fill the cucumbers with mixture and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Cut into slices and serve. Can serve on a bed of iceberg or romaine.

Jocón

(Guatemalan chicken in tomatillo-cilantro sauce)
Recipe from http://www.whats4eats.com/poultry/jocon-recipe

4 to 6 servings

2 1/2 to 3 pounds chicken, cut into serving pieces
4 cups water
2 tsp salt
1/4 cup hulled pumpkin seeds/pepitas (the green ones)
1/4 cup sesame seeds
2 corn tortillas, chopped, soaked in water, drained
1 cup tomatillos, hulled and chopped
couple large handfuls to 1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 to 5 jalapeños or serrano chile peppers, chopped

Place the chicken, water and salt into a large pot over medium-high flame. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Remove the chicken to a bowl and strain and set aside the broth. Let chicken cool, then remove the meat from the bones and shred it with your fingers. Set aside.

Heat a dry skillet over medium flame. Add the pumpkin and sesame seeds and toast, stirring, until lightly browned. Remove to a coffee grinder and grind to a fine powder. Add the sesame and pumpkin seeds, tortillas, tomatillos, cilantro, scallions and chile peppers to a food processor or blender. Add 1 cup of the reserved broth and process until smooth. If using a blender you may have to do this step in batches.

Return the chicken to the pot. Pour over pureed sauce and add 1 to 1 1/2 cups of the remaining broth to give it a sauce-like consistency. Heat over medium-low flame and simmer for an additional 15-25 minutes. Adjust seasoning and serve with rice.

Jocon Variations:
~Leave the chicken pieces whole if you prefer.
~ If you can't find pumpkin seeds, simply use 1/2 cup of sesame seeds. And if finding sesame seeds is a problem, you can substitute a slightly smaller amount of tahini.
~ Cubed pork can be substituted for the chicken. There is no need to shred the pork, but you may need to simmer it longer for it to become tender.
~ Use any remaining broth to make rice to accompany the meal.