Reno Red Chili Recipes

RENO RED CHILI

Steps:

• Remove stems, membrane and seeds from chili pods, cover with water and simmer for 30 minutes.
• Remove pods and blend into paste.
• Reserve the chili water.
• Chop onions.
• Crack cumin with rolling pin or grind with mortar and pestle.
• Brew 1 teaspoon oregano leaves in 1 cup of water.
• Brown meat in several batches, add black pepper while browning.
• Brown onions with meat then remove with slotted spoon and reserve.
• Combine browned meat and onion with the following: cumin, 8 heaping tablespoons of commercial chili powder, 3 cloves garlic (pressed) and MSG.
• Cook ten minutes, using just enough pepper water to keep from burning.
• Stir constantly.
• This cooks the spices into the meat.
• Add chili paste and half of oregano water.
• Cook slowly, adding pepper water as necessary to prevent scorching.
• Add additional oregano to taste, salt to taste.
• The meat should be tender in around 1-1/2 hours.
• Cooking Variations:.
• Add 1 to 2 cans 8 ounce cans of tomato sauce.
• Hand cut meat to about the size of a navy bean.
• (A lot of contestants now use half chili grind and half hand cut).
• Add 2 tablespoons of vinegar 10 minutes before serving.
• Use white pepper instead of black pepper.
• Use masa/corn flour (not cornstarch) to thicken (mix flour with cold water and whisk until smooth, then pour into hot chili while stirring constantly until thickened).

RENO RED CHILI CON CARNE

Steps:

• Brown meat in oil or fat, adding black pepper to taste. Drain meat and add chili powder, cumin, MSG, garlic and chopped onion.
• Cook for 30 - 45 minutes using as little liquid as possible. Add water only as necessary.
• Stir often.
• Remove skins from boiled chile pods.
• Mash the pulp and add to meat mixture. Strain oregano tea, then add to meat mixture along with paprika, vinegar, 2/3 of the beef broth, green chiles, stewed tomatoes and Tabasco sauce. Simmer 30 - 45 minutes.
• Stir often.
• Dissolve masa flour into remaining beef broth then pour into chili.
• Simmer another 30 minutes, stirring often.
• Makes 1 potful.

REAL CHILES RELLENOS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven's broiler and set the oven rack at about 6 inches from the heat source. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil, and place the peppers onto the prepared baking sheet.
• Cook under the preheated broiler until the skin of the peppers has blackened and blistered, 8 to 10 minutes per side. When the peppers are about 80 percent blackened, place them a plastic bag, seal, and allow the peppers to steam as they cool, about 20 minutes. Once cool, remove the skins and discard. Cut a slit lengthwise into the side of each pepper, and remove seeds and veins. To reduce spiciness, rinse out any remaining seeds with water. Pat the peppers dry with paper towels.
• Mix together the shredded mozzarella, Monterey Jack, and Cheddar cheese in a bowl until thoroughly blended. Divide the cheese into 4 portions, and squeeze each portion lightly in your hands to make a cone shape. Insert a cone into the slit in each pepper, and pin the openings closed with toothpicks. Dredge each pepper in flour, dust off the excess, and place on a small baking sheet lined with parchment paper or waxed paper. Place the peppers in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
• To make sauce, blend the stewed tomatoes in a blender until pureed, and set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat, and cook and stir the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cook and stir for about 30 seconds, and pour in the pureed tomatoes, chicken broth, vinegar, oregano, cumin, black pepper, hot pepper sauce, and cinnamon. Reduce to medium-low, and simmer the sauce until reduced by half and thickened, about 20 minutes, stirring often.
• Preheat an oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C), and warm a platter in the oven.
• To make batter and finish the chiles rellenos, mix 1/3 cup flour with salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until the whites form stiff peaks. Lightly mix the egg yolk and flour-salt mixture into the egg whites to make a fluffy batter. Remove peppers from freezer and coat them in flour again; shake off excess flour, and dip each pepper into the egg batter, using a spoon to gently but completely coat each pepper with batter.
• Heat frying oil in a heavy cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers. Gently lay the coated peppers into the hot oil, and fry on both sides until the batter is golden brown and the cheese filling is hot, about 5 minutes per side. Remove peppers to warmed platter while you finish frying. To serve, ladle a generous spoonful of sauce onto plate, and place pepper on sauce. Serve peppers hot with a dollop of sour cream.

AUTHENTIC MEXICAN CHILI RELLENOS

Steps:

• Preheat the oven's broiler and set the oven rack at about 6 inches from the heat source. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place peppers onto the prepared baking sheet, and cook under the preheated broiler until the skin of the peppers has blackened and blistered, about 10 minutes. Turn the peppers often to blacken all sides. Place the blackened peppers into a bowl, and tightly seal with plastic wrap. Allow the peppers to steam as they cool, about 15 minutes.
• Rinse cooled peppers under cold water to peel off the skins, and cut a slit along the long side of each pepper to remove the seeds and core. Rinse the peppers inside and out, and pat dry with paper towels. Stuff the peppers with strips of the cheese.
• Whisk the egg yolks in a bowl with the baking powder. In a second metal bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until the whites form stiff peaks. Gently fold the beaten egg whites into the yolk mixture. Place flour into a shallow bowl.
• Heat the vegetable shortening in a skillet over medium heat. Roll each stuffed pepper in flour, tap off excess flour, and dip the peppers into the egg mixture to coat both sides. Gently lay the coated peppers into the hot shortening. Fry peppers until lightly golden brown and the cheese has melted, about 5 minutes per side.