Ole Authentic Chiles Rellenos Recipes

CHILES RELLENOS (AUTHENTIC)

Steps:

• Roast chiles 3" under broiler, rotating until charred and blistered, about 3-4 minutes.
• Place chiles in a sealed plastic bag or bowl covered with plastic wrap until cool enough to handle and skin is loose enough to peel.
• Peel off skins under cold running water, then make a small slit three-quarters down length of chile and discard seeds, leaving stem attached.
• Cut cheese in six 3/4 - 1" thick slices slightly smaller than the chiles.
• Stuff each chile with 1 piece of cheese.
• Roll stuffed chiles in flour, shake off excess and set aside.
• In medium size frying pan, melt butter over medium-high heat.
• Add onion and garlic, cook, stirring until golden (about 10 min).
• Add tomato puree and oregano, season to taste with salt.
• Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 15 minutes and keep warm.
• Crispy Egg Coating.
• Seperate 4 eggs.
• In large bowl, whip egg whites with salt until firm peaks form. (make sure they are firm).
• Beat egg yolks until well blended and fold into egg whites.
• Pour oil to a depth of 2-3 inches or so and heat to 425 degrees or med-high.
• Dipp each chile in egg coating and drop into oil and cook about 2 minutes until golden brown on each side, turning once with a fork or spatula.
• Drain on paper towels.
• Top with tomato sauce or enchilada sauce.
• Optional toppings, chopped cilantro, green onions and sour cream.

OLE! AUTHENTIC CHILES RELLENOS

Steps:

• PREPARE the SAUCE: HEAT 1/3 cup corn oil in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat; CHOP 1 medium onion together with 4 cloves of garlic in a food processor; SAUTE the onion and garlic mixture in corn oil until translucent and golden, and almost caramelized. ADD 1/3 cup flour to the saute mixture, until flour is lightly browned (the color of brown mustard); SPREAD the mixture evenly as it cooks. PLACE into the large bowl of a food processor enough fresh ripe Roma tomatoes to yield approximately 1 1/2 cups pureed, and one stem-removed seeded fresh jalapeno pepper; PROCESS both until pureed. SCRAPE the sauteed onion and garlic mixture from saucepan using a flexible spatula into the bowl of the food processor with the tomatoes and jalapeno, submerging the onion and garlic roux into the puree. PROCESS mixture until all ingredients until finely pureed. POUR pureed mixture into the same medium saucepan. STIR into the sauce mixture 5 cups water, 2 teaspoons salt, 1 1/2 teaspoons crushed Mexican oregano (crush between fingers) 1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper, and 1 large bay laurel leaf (and 1 pinch ground cinnamon and 1 pinch ground cloves if desired). BRING mixture to boiling while whisking; REDUCE heat to medium and cook for about 45 minutes, or until desired consistency is reached, whisking occasionally. COVER slightly vented so steam can escape; KEEP sauce warm over lowest heat, whisking as needed to refresh consistency until served, or reheat and stir before serving.
• ROAST fresh peppers if not using canned; KEEP stems intact; PLACE under broiler and broil on each side until evenly blistered slightly blackened; IMMEDIATELY place peppers into a large plastic ziplock bag and allow to steam for a few minutes; REMOVE skins from each pepper (they should slide off easily now); CUT a slit lengthwise down the middle or side of each (just big enough to slide in a stick of cheese or a mound of shredded cheese); CUP each pepper with one hand and pour gently running water into slit to flush out seeds.
• SOAK fresh or canned chiles in brine for a few minutes; CUT cheese into 6 long thin sticks (OR) shred cheese then thinly mound and mold 6 portions; REMOVE chiles from brine and blot with paper towels.
• STUFF each chile with one cheese portion then slip into pepper slit (if a chile tears don't worry, flour and egg batter will seal it well enough).
• POUR oil into an electric wok or an electric skillet (or enough oil into deep fryer); SET heat control to 265°F.
• MEASURE flour into a sifter or fine mesh collander; DUST each of the chiles well with flour on all sides and set aside (for torn chiles, apply extra flour at the seam then overlap slightly).
• BEAT egg whites in a medium bowl with one pinch salt, using an electric mixer until stiff peaks form; BEAT egg yolks in another bowl with one tablespoon flour and 3/4 teaspoon salt; ADD yolk mixture all at once to egg whites; FOLD together lightly but thoroughly while keeping the egg mixture fluffy.
• COAT one chile evenly with egg mixture, using rubber spatula if necessary to "frost" chile; HOLD chile by the stem; PLACE place carefully onto the hot oil; REPEAT with the remaining chiles, frying no more than 2 or 3 at a time.
• FRY until golden on all sides, turning once with spatula until done, about 5 minutes total; DRAIN between paper towels (if necessary, rellenos may be individually reheated in a microwave (100% power) for 15-20 seconds).
• SERVE over a pool of warm SAUCE, or top with your favorite pico de gallo or salsa and a dollop of sour cream, and cilantro sprig to garnish; SNAP your fingers and shout,"OLE"!

CHILES RELLENOS

Steps:

• Char the chiles.
• Turn a gas burner on high. Char the chiles on the burner grate, turning with tongs (Marcela is a pro and uses her hands!), until blackened all over. Or char the chiles under the broiler.
• Let them soften.
• Transfer the charred chiles to a heavy-duty resealable plastic bag and close. Let stand 10 minutes. The chiles will steam in the bag, making them soft and easy to peel.
• Remove the skin.
• Gently rub the chiles with paper towels to remove as much skin as possible. It's okay if a few flecks remain-they'll add flavor, so don't rinse them off.
• Open the chiles.
• Using a paring knife, make a slit across the top of a chile just below the stem, leaving the stem intact. Starting from the middle of the slit, slice lengthwise down to the tip of the pepper (cut through only one layer). Open the chile like a book and pull out the seeds and inner membranes. You may need to use a paring knife to loosen the top of the seedpod. Repeat with the remaining chiles.
• Prepare the sauce.
• Puree the tomatoes, onion and garlic in a blender until smooth. Warm the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the tomato puree and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally; the sauce will be broth-y. Season with salt and pepper and keep warm.
• Make the filling.
• Place the cheese in a bowl, then add the oregano, crumbling and rubbing it with your fingers to release its flavor. Season the mixture with salt and pepper.
• Stuff the chiles.
• Fill each chile with about 1/4 cup cheese mixture. Fold in the sides to cover the filling, then thread 2 toothpicks across the seam to form an X. You will probably need to make a second toothpick X to secure each chile so the filling doesn't leak out when you fry.
• Mix the batter.
• Beat the egg whites with a mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Add the egg yolk and beat 3 more minutes.
• Batter and fry.
• Heat about 1 inch vegetable oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 375 degrees F.
• Dredge: Pour flour into a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper. One at a time, coat the stuffed chiles with the flour.
• Batter: Holding each chile by the stem, lower it into the egg batter to cover completely. Let any excess batter drip off.
• Fry: Add the chiles to the hot oil, 1 or 2 at a time; fry, flipping once with tongs, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.
• Eat!
• Place a fried chile on each plate and pour the warm sauce over it. Serve immediately.

BAKED CHILES RELLENOS

Steps:

• Set an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.
• Roast peppers on the top rack of the preheated oven until the skins are charred, about 5 minutes per side. Remove from the oven and allow to cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Set the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• While peppers are cooling, whisk eggs, flour, milk, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl until smooth. Slice the queso fresco into eight even rectangles, just shorter than the length of the peppers.
• Carefully peel off the waxy skin of the cooled peppers. Gently cut a slit down the length of the peppers and use a spoon to remove the seeds and membranes.
• Spread about 1/4 cup of the milk mixture on the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Wrap each pepper around a queso fresco rectangle. Place each chile/cheese wrap seam-side down in a single layer in the baking dish. Cover with remaining egg mixture. Sprinkle Cheddar cheese over the top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the egg mixture has risen and the cheese is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

AUTHENTIC RESTAURANT QUALITY CHILES RELLENOS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Remove visible fat from chicken. Rub chickens pieces with chipotle in adobo, lime juice, olive oil, ground cumin seeds, coriander, and cilantro.
• Place chicken in a baking dish. Bake until done (about 40 - 45 minutes) until cooked through and juices run clear.
• Allow chicken to cool until cool enough to handle. Shred meat, chop well and set aside. Scrape juice remaining in pan onto the shredded meat.
• Roast the chilies by holding over a gas flame with metal tongs until the skin is blistered all over. Chilies can also be broiled in the oven, keeping an eye on them so they won't burn.
• Place blistered chilies in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let sit for about 10 - 15 minutes to soften skin. Remove and peel blistered skin from stem end down. It is important to keep peppers intact. Set chilies aside.
• In a skillet, saute corn with scallions in a butter until warm, but not mushy. Turn into bowl and add 1 teaspoons chili powder. Crumble in the feta cheese. Add Monterrey jack, chopped pecans, and chicken. Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and pepper.
• In a separate bowl, combine ground 1/8 cup ground cumin seeds, chili powder with cornmeal; set aside.
• In another bowl, combine eggs and milk; set aside.
• Slice top rim of the chilies stem end across 3/4 of the way to form a lid. Carefully remove seeds (it's o.k. to let some seeds remain).
• Fill chilies with chicken stuffing, carefully starting at stem end, being careful to keep chilies intact. It's much easier to fill by using your hands as a spoon tends to tear chilies.
• Dip chilies in egg/milk mixture and then roll in cornmeal. Placing chilies on a wax or plastic lined cookie sheet. Refrigerate for 15 minutes or more.
• Heat oil to 375 degrees F. Deep fry the chilies in batches. Drain, keep warm and serve.
• Serve with dollops of sour cream or with sour cream sauce. (Make sour cream sauce by blending sour cream, buttermilk or milk to the right consistency. Add a little chopped cilantro if preferred and I sometimes add grated lime peel and/or sprinkle lime juice to taste. Add a bit of salt if desired).
• NOTE: Toasting cumin seeds and then grinding them adds a smoky intensity. You can use pre-ground cumin, but note that the flavor won't have the same depth and character. I've used both and prefer the toasted seeds. If toasting the seeds, please keep an eye on them as they toast very quickly and just as quickly they burn. Spices can easy be ground in an electric coffee grinder dedicated solely for grinding spices.