Listening to Pati Jinich gush about rajas con crema on a recent video call made me hungry. The chef, TV personality, and author of Treasures of the Mexican Table (2021) described how the venerated vegetable dish celebrates chiles with a pure, hauntingly delicious preparation.
Just char a few chiles and wrap them tightly in foil to steam; peel off the blackened skins; slice the tender flesh into lengths (“rajas” means “strips”); and sauté them in butter with sliced onion and perhaps garlic, tomatoes, or corn. Then, pour in “a copious amount”