Rajas Tacos

Photo: flickr user julesjulesjules m

Ingredients

6 Poblano chiles

4 Onions

2 tablespoons Oil

4 Cloves garlic, minced

Chopped cilantro

2 tablespoons Mexican cream

1 teaspoon Salt

cup Queso ranchero, crumbled

Preparation

Rajas can be eaten either as a taco filling or as a vegetable side dish to a fairly bland main course. I like them with sausages. Queso ranchero is a Mexican cheese that is tangy, mildly salty and melts softly. It-and many other Mexican dairy products, including the slightly sour cream-is available in almost all supermarkets these days. Cacique makes a particularly good one.

Roast peppers either under broiler, on grill or over gas burner until skin begins to blacken, about 10 minutes. Place in bowl and cover with damp towel to finish steaming. When cool, peel thin, blackened skin and discard.

Remove seeds and stems and tear flesh into coarse shreds.

Cut onions in half, then in half-moons less than 1/2 inch thick. Combine in skillet with oil and cook, covered, over low heat until onions have thoroughly wilted and softened and are beginning to brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Remove cover and raise heat to medium. Add garlic and 1 tablespoon cilantro and cook until garlic is soft, about 5 minutes. Add pepper shreds and heat through, about 5 more minutes.

Just before serving, add cream, stir to combine and cook just long enough to thicken, 1 to 2 minutes. Add salt, plus more to taste if necessary. Do not over-salt; cheese is somewhat salty. Remove from heat and add crumbled cheese and more chopped cilantro to taste.

4 side-dish servings or 6 servings as taco filling.

Kitchen Tip To prepare tortillas for soft tacos, either toast them lightly over an open flame or wrap them in a kitchen towel in bundles of 10 and put them in a steamer. After steaming for 1 minute, turn the heat off and let them in the pan for 10 minutes before serving.