How Authentic is "Authentic?"

Current Song: “Gods of Second Chance” — Metal Church, “Hanging in the Balance”

OK, I’m a BIG fan of Mexican food. I love the spices and I love the flavor combinations that come together in honest-to-goodness Mexican cooking…it makes me very happy.

Now, to clarify, there are three tiers of Mexican restaurant. I mainly include the first category because of acquaintances of mine who consider Taco Bell the only “Mexican” food they like. They are:

1. In-name-only, if that… : Taco Bell, Taco Grande, Zippy Burritos, etc…
2. Passable, “Authentic” : Chi-Chi’s, Don Pablo’s, etc…
3. Authentic: Little Mexico (Crawfordsville, IN), Los 3 Amigos (Dayton, OH), La Cassita (Richmond, VA), etc.

There’s a confusion, for me, however with category 2.5: almost authentic, which includes 2 restaurants in which I partook this past vacation in Virginia, Su Casa in Richmond, VA and Rancho Villas in whatever town in the next useable exit after the Quantico exit on I-95S. They were two different styles of restaurant, in that Su Casa is almost fast food, but with the “authentic” tag attached. Rancho Villas was a definite sit-down restaurant, but with much more “authentic” looking dishes and, for the record, the service there was phenomenal. They, to me, were better than “passable” as the crap-shoots you get at Don Pablo’s and Chi-Chi’s, but they get their “authentic” in quotes, too, unless someone can clarify something for me.

I have begun to use Chiles Rellenos as a measuring stick of authenticity. I used to use Quesadilla Rellenos, but I’ve only had 2 that were close to what I was used to and most places I’ve been to other than where I normally get them…they just don’t make them. Sad, really. Anyway, I was turned on to how Chiles Rellenos were supposed to be by Patricia at the Cafe where we both worked when she made them as she used to when growing up in Mexico City. I would, therefore, attach the authentic moniker to her cooking without any quotes, as I would figure that being born and raised in Mexico City and only having recently moved to the US would allow her to be considered an expert on cooking the Mexican food I have come to enjoy.

So, why am I making all these distinctions? Because. No, it’s because Su Casa and Rancho Villas served me Chiles Rellenos that were not what I believed they should be. However, they were both consistent with each other. They were also, however, lacking the egg coating I had come to expect…they seemed to simply be poblanos stuffed with a variation on the potato stuffing and coated with melted shredded cheddar. Lara was buoyant over the ones we had at Su Casa and lukewarm about the Rancho Villas version, but, to me — they were both WRONG. They weren’t bad, flavor-wise. I enjoyed them for what they were: cheese-covered poblanos. I am just having a hard time reconciling them as “authentic” when comparing them to what I’ve seen in my Mexican Kitchen cookbook, the recipe Rick Bayless offers up, the recipes on Epicurious.com and, basically, every other recipe I’ve found on the web. I’ve found some variations, Chiles Rellenos con Queso, etc., but even those still have the requisite egg batter that I’d come to expect and most have the picadillo meat stuffing I for which I was longing. Then again, I’ve also found there are almost as many variations as there are cooks, but the common thread seems to be the egg batter. Why, then, would these two restaurants make them differently, other than the amount of work involved? BTW — laziness is not an excuse; it just shows poor planning.

Chiles Rellenos

6 fresh Poblano peppers (Anaheim are also acceptable)
2 potatoes, ~14oz
~1c cream cheese
1 3/4c grated aged Cheddar Cheese
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 eggs, separated
1 c all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp white pepper
oil, for frying

1. Make a neat slit down one side of each chile. Place them in a dry frying pan over medium heat, turning them frequently, until skins blister.
2. Place the chiles in a strong plastic bag and tie the top to keep the steam in. Set aside for 20 minutes, then carefully peel off the skins and remove the seeds through the slits, keeping the chiles whole. Dry the chiles with a paper towel and set aside.
3. Scrub or peel the potatoes an cut them into a 1/2″ dice. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil, add the potatoes, and let the water return to boiling point. Lower the heat and simmer for 5 minutes or until the potatoes are just tender. Do not over cook. Drain them thoroughly.
4. Put the cream cheese in a bowl and stir in the grated cheddar, with 1/2″ teaspoon of the salt and the black pepper. Add the potato and mix gently.
5. Spoon some of the potato filling into each chile. Put them on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour so the filling becomes firm.
6. Put the egg whites in a clean grease-free bowl and whisk them to firm peaks. In a separate bowl, beat the yolks until pale, then fold in the whites. Scrape the mixture into a large, shallow dish and season it with the remaining salt and the white pepper.
7. Heat the oil for deep frying to 375F. Coat a few chiles first in flour and then in egg before carefully adding to the hot oil.
8. Fry the chiles in batches until golden and crisp. Drain on paper towels and serve hot, garnishing with a sprinkle of red chile flakes, if desired, for additional heat.