Bacon Chile Rellenos Food

BACON WRAPPED CHILE RELLENOS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Place poblano peppers directly on oven rack, and let them roast for 10 - 15 minutes, until skin is separating from the flesh and starting to char. Remove from oven and let cool. Once cool, peel the skin, split down lengthwise, and remove seeds and membranes.
• Stuff each pepper with 1 oz of cheddar cheese, and fold pepper around cheese. Wrap with 2 pieces of bacon, and lay on a baking sheet. Bake in preheated oven until bacon is crispy, about 10 - 15 minutes.

CHILES RELLENO

Steps:

• Preheat oven to high broil. Wash peppers, pat completely dry, and place them on a baking sheet. Broil for several minutes, turning halfway, until very blackened on both sides.
• Place chiles in a plastic bag and tie the bag, or place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap to allow them to steam. Set aside for 5-10 minutes until they are cool enough to handle.
• Open the bag and gently peel the charred outer skin off of the chiles-it should come off easily.
• Starting at the top stem of the chiles, use a knife to make a small slit into the side of each chili about 1.5 inches long. Use your finger or a small spoon to gently remove the seeds and membrane, (being careful not to tear the peppers). Cut the cheese into chunks and carefully stuff a few pieces in to fill each chili.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
• Prepare the batter. Separate the egg whites into a small mixing bowl, and the egg yolks into a large, deep mixing bowl. Whip the egg whites with an electric mixer until stiff peaks. Set aside.
• To the bowl with the egg yolks, add milk, 1/2 cup flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Gently fold in the beaten egg whites.
• Add ¼ cup of flour to a shallow bowl or plate and gently coat chiles in flour on both sides-they only need a light coating, which will help the batter adhere to them.
• Check the oil to make sure it's ready by adding a small drop of batter to it. It should gently sizzle and begin to cook and turn golden.
• Lay one of the chiles into the batter and gently spoon batter over it to cover it in a thin layer. Pick the chili up carefully by the stem and lift from the batter, allowing any excess to drip off, and then carefully lay it in the hot oil. Cook for 1-2 minutes, until golden brown on the bottom, and then flip to the other side.
• Transfer to a wire cooling rack lined with paper towels. Serve warm, topped with salsa roja.
• Serve with: Authentic Mexican Rice and Refried beans

CHILE RELLENO RECIPE

Steps:

• Roast the peppers: Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil and place poblano peppers on top. Set your oven rack directly underneath the broiler and turn the broiler on.
• Broil poblanos for 5 minutes, or until the skin is blackened and blistered. Carefully flip them over and broil for another 5 minutes, or until the skin is blackened and blistered.
• Remove them from the oven and loosely cover the baking sheet with aluminum foil or plastic wrap to keep in some of the heat and help them steam. Let them sit for 5 minutes.
• Peel the peppers: Peel and rub off as much of the loose skin on the peppers as possible. It doesn't have to be perfect, just as much as you can.
• Cut a small slit down the middle of the peppers with a knife. (If you don't want the peppers too spicy, you can remove some of the seeds. I like to leave them in as poblanos aren't typically super spicy to me, but that's personal preference.)
• Stuff the peppers: Carefully stuff the peppers with the cheese. Some of the peppers will be extra fragile because of the roasting process and may tear - that's okay. Just do the best you can.
• Gently close the opening of the peppers and secure it shut with 1-3 toothpicks. Use as many as you need to ensure that the cheese won't ooze out during the frying process. Set aside.
• Prepare for frying: Heat the oil frying oil in a large saucepan or deep skillet over medium-high heat. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and set aside. While oil is heating up, prepare the batter.
• Make the batter: Separate the egg whites from the yolks into two separate bowls - the whites into a large mixing bowl and the yolks into a small bowl. Using an electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form.
• While continuing to beat the egg whites on low, add in the egg yolks one at a time until all of them are fully mixed in. The batter should be light, fluffy and smooth.
• Coat the peppers with batter: Place the flour and salt into a separate shallow bowl or plate. Mix together to combine. Gently roll the stuffed peppers in the flour mixture, then give them a gentle tap to remove any excess. Then dip them in the egg batter and gently place them in the hot frying oil.
• Fry the chile rellenos: Fry the peppers for 3-5 minutes per side, until the batter is golden brown and crispy. Try not to overcrowd the peppers in the pan - I usually fry 2 at a time depending on the pan I'm using.
• Transfer the peppers to the lined baking sheet to drain off any excess oil.
• Serve: Immediately serve chile rellenos on a plate with some salsa, freshly chopped cilantro and some cotija cheese. (Don't forget to remove the toothpicks when you first cut into the peppers! You can try to remove them before serving onto plates, but I find it easier to remove them when you first cut into them.)
• Add tomatoes, onion, garlic, jalapeno, cilantro and salt to a blender. Puree until smooth.
• Heat olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add blended salsa and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally for 8 minutes. Remove from heat, taste and season with more salt if desired.

BACON-CHILE RELLENOS

Steps:

• Heat oven to 375°F. Carefully remove stems from chiles; cut each in half lengthwise and again horizontally to make 4 pieces. Remove and discard seeds. Spoon about 1 teaspoon cheese into each chile quarter. Wrap half slice of bacon around each.
• On cutting board, unroll dough; separate dough into 8 triangles. From center of longest side to opposite point, cut each triangle in half, making 16 triangles. Place chile, cheese side down, on dough triangle. Bring all points of triangle to center of top; press lightly to seal. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.
• Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove from cookie sheet. Serve with salsa.

BACON-CHILI RELLENOS

Steps:

• 1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Cut each pepper in half lengthwise then again horizontally to make four pieces per pepper...16 in all
• 2. Spoon one tsp of cheese on top of each pepper piece. Wrap half slice of bacon around each.
• 3. Unwrap dough. Separate into triangles. Cut each triangle in half making 16 triangles. Place chili, cheese side down on triangle. Fold over filling and fold remaining points over first point. Place on ungreased baking sheet.
• 4. Bake 12 to 15 minutes or until golden brown. Serve with salsa. Each can of crescents will make 16 pieces.