Chile Rojo

Angelica Garcia
Honors ELA





Angelica Garcia
Mr. Cook
Honors ELA
30 September 2014

I am a Mexican-American, but I connect most to my Mexican roots through the
food that I eat on a daily basis. La comida que me hace la persona que soy hoy en da es
chile rojo. I eat this every week! It is most popular at my grandmas house. When she
decides during the week that it is the best time to make chile rojo my tios, tias and
cousins come over and we have a huge family dinner! This recipe has been passed down
many generations, as my grandma has told me. There are many different ways that it
has been made, but the way that my grandma prepares the chile rojo can possibly be the
best way the food can be prepared. There is no limit to the amount of chile that my
grandma adds to any sort of dish, especially this one!
Chile rojo has a strong flavor due to the amount of chile that is added to the dish.
Not preparing the dish correctly and adding the perfect amount of the mixtures to the
food can cause the food to have an abnormal flavor to it. This is not a good thing. I help
my grandma with preparing the chile and with cutting the meat if she needs me to. The
chile is not hard to prepare, this is because the chile needs to be blended together with a
specific amount of water. After being blended, the chile can not be too watery or too
thick, just right. As I hold the sarten, my grandma adds water half way. As the meat is in
the water, the chile is beginning to blend. As the meat is softened, my grandma pours
the water out of the sarten. I hold the top of the sarten so that none of the meat falls out.
While my grandma and I are preparing the dish, we are making jokes and just having
conversations about life.
One of the most important conversations that I have had with my grandma is
about my dad and how I felt empty without him, but my grandma told me te vas a
llenar con el chile rojo. No tienes que rogar a un hombre que no se siente vaco sin ti.
This made me think, why am I suffering over his mistakes I knew it was a joke coming
from my grandma, but it was the most serious joke she had ever told me. I responded to
her saying, para que voy a sentirme vaco si claro que me voy a llenar con mi comida
favorita, chile rojo! We both started laughing as we think about what we just told each
other. Chile rojo makes me feel complete whenever I consume it.
The chile rojo helps me remember that people do care about me and my well
being. Whenever there is sadness that tries to overcome me, I think of chile rojo and
how it can fill the satisfaction that I am missing. I am satisfied when I eat the chile rojo
because I share with the whole family. Sharing with the whole family means I can
connect with them more.





Ingredients:
1. 2 Tomatoes (chopped and blended)
2. 10 chiles (blended)
3. 1 clove garlic
4. 2 lbs (depending on amount wanted) of meat
5. 1 tbs salt


Preparation:
The meat (depending on desired amount), should be cut into little pieces, and be put
into a pan filled halfway with boiling water. While the meat is in the boiling water, the
chile should be blended together with 1 cup of water. When the meat is done cooking
(after 15-20 minutes), the water should be poured out of the pan. When the water is
done being poured out of the pan, the chile that was blended should be added to the pan
(with only meat). When the meat and the chile are mixed together, they should sit on the
stove for a good 10 minutes in order for the flavors to mix together.