Friday, May 22, 2009

Chile Rellenos

I did one more thing that I can scratch off of my to-do list. I learned to make Chile Rellenos!

My friend Claudia R heard me talking about it one time and she said she would teach me how to make them. I took her up on it! Karen wanted to learn too, so we planned on meeting at Karen's house - which by the way, is a great place for a cooking class :) Claudia's mom, Rosario, was part of the teaching crew as well.

So here is my not-really-a-recipe for chile rellenos. Yumm!

Ingredients:
Poblano Chiles (preferably with stem)
Oaxaca cheese, grated (or Monterey Jack)
Flour
Eggs
Oil

Directions:
  1. Place whole chiles in a hot iron skillet turning until skin blisters on each side. Place charred chiles in a plastic bag to steam. Peel skin off of chiles, careful not to break open the flesh.
  2. Make a small incision at the top of the chile and clean out seeds (about an inch and a half or two from the stem area straight down).
  3. Stuff hollowed chili with grated cheese. If the slit opens too much, secure with a toothpick or two.
  4. Use electric mixer to beat whites until they hold a stiff peak like meringue. Gently mix in eggs.
  5. Pour 1-inch of oil into a heavy deep skillet over medium to medium high to heat. When you think the oil is hot, test the edge of a chile-it should sizzle vigorously.
  6. Fill pie plate with flour and dredge stuffed chile on all sides. Shake excess flour. Dip flour coated chile into egg mixture, pulling out straight up by the stem.
  7. Carefully lay batter coated chile into skillet and baste with spoonfuls of hot oil. When they’re golden underneath, gently turn the chiles over. Fry until the other side is richly golden.
  8. Place cooked chiles on a plate lined with paper towels to soak up excess oil until ready to serve.
Variations:
Fill with cooked chicken or ground been instead of or in addition to cheese.
Smother with green chile or Tex-Mex tomato sauce.

I like rellenos smothered with green chile. Claudia is from Texas and says they don't really eat green chile there. She made a simple sauce with sauted onions and bell peppers simmered with crushed tomatoes. But they are also good just as they are.

Thanks Claudia!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Yuum! Sounds d'lish! I love chile rellano's.