Recipe of the Month: Maestra Evelyn’s Pay de Rajas

This month’s recipe comes from the star of our Faces of Na’atik feature, Spanish teacher Evelyn Cetz Marrufo. While rajas, sliced poblano chiles, are typically a northern Mexican dish, they’re prepared and enjoyed in their own Quintanaroense way in the Peninsula; from kekas (an antojito similar to a quesadilla) to, as we see here, pie form.

Maestra Evelyn took her family’s rajas recipe and made it her own. We hope you enjoy this delicious meal with friends and family.

Ingredients

Pie crust dough:

• 2 ½ c flour

• 12 tbs of salted butter, softened

• 2 eggs, each egg beaten in separate bowls

• ¼ tsp vanilla extract

• ½ c sugar

• Pinch of salt

• Ice water (if needed)

Filling:

• 3/4 of a whole chicken breast

• 6 or 7 poblano chile peppers

• 1 to 2 8 oz (220g) cans of corn (to your preference)

• 1/4 large onion, cut in half

• 1/2 a large onion, julienned

• 12 oz media crema (can be substituted with Mexican crema or slightly thinned sour cream)

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• 1 tbsp oregano

• Salt to taste

Method

Chicken preparation:

• In a medium/large sauce pan, boil enough water to cover the chicken breast with 1/4 onion, 1 tbsp oregano and salt to taste

• Add the 3/4 of a whole chicken breast and boil for approximately 10 - 15 minutes. Pull a piece of the breast apart to make sure it’s cooked inside

• Remove the cooked chicken breast from the water and set aside to cool

• Once cool, use your fingers or two forks to pull the meat apart into small shreds. Set aside

Pie dough preparation:

• On a flat surface or in a large bowl, add the 2 ½ c of flour--no need to sift it

• Make a well in the middle

• Add in the butter, 1 beaten egg, vanilla essence, sugar, and salt

Now, it’s time to get messy!

• With your hands, combine the wet ingredients in your ‘well’, slowly incorporating more flour as you mix

• At this point, if you notice the dough is looking too dry, add in ice water half a teaspoon at a time until the dough no longer looks dry. The dough should be neither too dry nor too wet

• Once you arrive at the desired consistency, form it into a smooth ball

• Wrap it in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator to chill

Pie filling:

While the pie dough chills, you’ll make the rajas.

• First, you’ll need to char the poblano chiles to remove the skin

• If you have a gas stove, turn your burner to high heat and char the chiles, 1 or 2 at a time, over an open flame on the burner

• If you have an electric stove, you can char them on a comal or heavy frying pan (make sure not to crowd the pan) or under the broiler

• When one side blackens, turn it with tongs until all sides are charred

• After you finish one batch, place them in a plastic bag so they “sweat” and their skins loosen

• While one batch of poblanos sweats, begin with another batch until all chiles have been charred and are place in bags

After a few minutes,

• Remove your poblanos from the bag

• Peel the charred skins off with either a paring knife or your fingers

• Remove the stem

• Slice the chile down the middle

• Remove the seeds and veins from the chiles by scraping lightly with a small knife

• Julienne the peeled, seeded and veined chiles

• Coat a skillet heated over medium-high heat with cooking oil

• Add in the garlic and onion and cook for about 2 minutes

• Add the chile poblanos and sauté until they release their liquid and turn the cooking oil green

• Add in the shredded chicken and corn

• Once warmed, add in the media crema, Mexican cream, or thinned sour cream

• Add salt to taste

• Preheat your oven to 375ºF (190ºC)

• Take the pie dough out of the fridge, unwrap it, and divide it into two pieces, one larger than the other

• Wrap and place the smaller piece in the fridge to stay cool while you work with the larger piece

• Using a floured rolling pin, roll out the larger portion of pie dough until it’s ½ centimeter thick

• Place it in a buttered and floured pie dish

• If there is excess dough, trim it off and add to the smaller piece chilling in the fridge  

• Prick the dough all over with a fork and add the rajas poblanas

• Next, remove the smaller portion of pie dough from the fridge, and roll it out until it is also ½ cm thick

• Cut this into strips

• Create a basketweave pattern with these strips for the top crust of your pie

• Brush the second beaten egg on top of the dough strips

• Add a light dusting of sugar to the strips.

• Lower your oven temperature to 350ºF (180° C)

• Bake your pay de rajas in the middle rack of the oven for 40 - 45 minutes until it’s bubbling and the crust is golden brown.

• Serve and enjoy!

Want to eat this delicious food in-person? Come and immerse yourself in Spanish language and Mexican culture!