No quiero Taco Bell.

Mexican is probably one of my favorite cuisines. Oddly enough, except for the occasional homemade taco salad, I wasn’t introduced to it until later in my teenage years. In high school I worked at a drycleaners with my older sister. We often found change in the pockets of the clothes that people would drop off. If it was a substantial amount, we’d credit the customers bill but if it was under $1 we’d throw it into our “fund”. This fund was used for buying ourselves lunch when it grew to an amount that would feed 3 or 4 people. A suggestion was made to pickup Taco bell or “Toxic Hell” as it is more widely known. At that time, I had never yet had the fortune of partaking in the Taco Bell phenomenon. So with some help, I ordered a “chilito” or chili-cheese-burrito and a soft taco supreme. Chilito’s would grow to be my all time favorite menu item from Taco Bell. After my own personal food revolution (not to be confused with Jamie Oliver’s), I frequented the fast food Mecca less and less. My friend and I stopped for a little Chilito nostalgia on a recent road trip only to find they had been taken off the menu. Blasphemy! It took all my courage not to walk out the door. I opted for some other less intriguing tacos or what have you and we were on our way. So my first experience with Mexican food was not quite what most authentic Mexican restaurants would call “food”.

My taste for the cuisine has matured greatly over the years, leaving Taco Bell to the birds. Don Pablo’s and their tex-mex style became my new favorite. Not that their grilled chicken fajita enchiladas and build-your-own slow roasted pork carnita’s could really be considered “authentic”. It wasn’t until my trip to Cancun, that I came into contact with “real” Mexican food. And oh my god was It amazing. I ordered tacos and what I received was nothing like any taco I have ever eaten. It was a build-your-own taco with a piping hot molcajete filled with fresh cactus, grilled peppers and some sort of white cheese that was not subject to melting under hot temperatures like most cheese that I’m familiar with.

When I moved to south Minneapolis, I was lucky enough to be within close proximity to Pepitos, a popular Mexican hole-in-the-wall (right up my alley) whose reputation preceded itself. On my first visit, I ordered the enchilada style burrito and was pleasantly surprised that the plastic basket and tissue paper presentation did not match the quality or flavor. On my second and third trip, the experience was not quite up to par. The tamale was dry and flavorless and the fajita’s were seasoned as if they were served in some second rate BBQ joint. I was not impressed. I had given up, when a neighbor presented us with a gift card to the place. The fourth trip left me craving more. The chili relleno was outstanding, flavorful and fulfilling.

I found an amazing recipe on food networks website:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/charred-chili-relleno-with-green-rice-recipe/index.html

The result was delectable. The flame roasted poblano peppers paired with the fresh corn, cilantro and homegrown yellow tomatoes created a mouthwateringly light flavor. The Chihuahua cheese and added ground beef made the original vegetarian dish a little more substantial and satisfying. This version is baked Instead of the traditional breaded and deep-fried method. Both techniques are equally good.

The rice on the other hand was not exactly comparable. The use of a generic bag of rice I snatched from the free cart at work may have contributed to its downfall. Mixed with a bite of the relleno, it’s not as noticeable.