Chiles Rellenos Authentic Food

AUTHENTIC CHILE RELLENO RECIPE

Steps:

• Char the poblanos: Char the peppers over the open flame of your gas stove, turning occasionally until all sides are blackened. Transfer to a heat proof bowl, cover and let cool to room temperature. If you don't have a gas stove you can also do this on a grill or under the broiler.
• Make the Salsa Ranchera: Turn the broiler to high and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. Place tomatoes, onion, garlic, and serranos on the baking sheet and place under the broiler. Check every 2-3 minutes and turn the vegetables so the blacken on all sides. The garlic will cook much faster than the other vegetables. Remove each ingredient as it is done cooking. This should take anywhere from 9-15 minutes.
• Blend the salsa ingredients. Remove the skin from the garlic and the stem and skin from the serranos. If you are sensitive to heat you can also remove the seeds of the serrano peppers too. Place all the blackened vegetables into a blender along with the 2 teaspoons of salt, the oregano, and the cup of water. Blend on high until smooth.
• Fry the sauce. Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in a small Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the sauce (careful it will splatter) and fry in the oil until the color deepens and the sauce is fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. Cover and keep warm.
• Peel the peppers. Carefully remove the blackened skin from the peppers. Try your best not to rip or break them. Get off as much as you can and rinse the rest off under running water.
• Stuff the peppers. Cut a slit down the side of each pepper and remove the seeds with your fingers, again being careful not to rip or break them. Rinse out any remaining seeds under running water. Fill each pepper with 3/4 to 1/2 cup of shredded cheese depending on the size of the pepper-you will use all the cheese. Place 1-2 fresh epazote leaves inside each pepper if using. Seal closed by threading a toothpick through the opening.
• Make the batter. Beat the egg whites in a bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment on medium-high until they are stiff. Turn the mixer to low and add the yolks one at a time until they are completely incorporated. Add a generous pinch of salt and mix that in as well.
• Heat oil. Heat the cup of oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
• Batter the chiles. Place flour in a pie plate or shallow baking dish. Season generously with salt. Coat the chiles, one at a time, in the flour, dusting off any excess then dip the chiles into the mixing bowl and cover with the egg batter. I like to use a small spatula to "paint" the batter onto the chiles until they are thoroughly coated.
• Fry the chiles. Once the oil is hot (test by sticking a wooden chopstick in the oil, if it is immediately covered in bubbles the oil is ready) add the chiles, two at a time. Adjust the oil temperature as they are cooking. If the oil starts to smoke, turn it down if it becomes too cool, turn up the heat.
• Flip the chiles. Once the chiles are golden brown on one side, flip using a fish spatula and cook until golden on that side. Keep flipping and frying until they are golden all over and they are warmed through, about 5-8 minutes.
• Drain the chiles. Remove to a paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain the excess oil and sprinkle with salt. Repeat with remaining chiles. Then serve immediately with Salsa Ranchera.
• Make in advance. The chiles keep great if you want to make them ahead. Keep them warm for up to an hour in a low (200°F) oven. Or make, let cool, and refrigerate then reheat in a 350°F oven until hot, about 15 minutes.

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.

CHILES RELLENOS

Steps:

• To prepare the chiles:
• Position a rack on the upper most shelf of the broiler element and preheat. Put the chiles on a foil-lined broiler pan and broil, turning occasionally with tongs, until the skin is charred, about 10 minutes. Transfer the chiles to a bowl, cover, and cool for 10 minutes.
• Carefully rub the charred skin off the chiles. Using a small knife, make a lengthwise slit along the side of each chile to form a pocket. Carefully cut out and discard the seeds.
• Cut the cheese into 6 (1/4-inch-thick) slabs, about 3/4 the length of each chile (your chiles probably vary in length, so tailor the cheese to the chiles). Slip the cheese pieces into the pocket of each chile so they're 2/3 full. (If the cheese protrudes from the chiles, just cut a little off.) "Sew" each chile shut with a wooden skewer or long toothpick. (The skewers should be longer than the chiles, so they can be easily pulled out after frying.)
• Whisk the flour, baking powder, cumin, and salt in a large bowl. Stir in the beer to a make a smooth batter.
• In a large, wide, heavy-bottomed pot, pour in the oil to a depth of about 3 inches. Heat over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer inserted in the oil registers 365 degrees F.
• Put the flour for dredging on a plate. Working in 2 batches, dredge the chiles in the flour (the dampness of the chiles creates a light paste with the flour that seals over any tears), dip in the batter, and carefully add to the oil. Fry, turning the chiles once, until golden brown and crispy, about 4 minutes per batch. Using tongs, transfer the chiles rellenos to a dry paper towel-lined baking sheet to drain. Sprinkle with salt, to taste. Gently pull out and discard the skewers.
• Heat the sauce. Spoon some of the sauce on a plate and set 1 chile relleno on top. Repeat with the remaining sauce and chiles. Serve.
• In a blender, combine all the ingredients and puree until smooth.
• Transfer the tomato puree to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer until slightly thick, about 10 minutes.
• Yield: about 3 cups

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.

AUTHENTIC CHILE RELLENOS

Steps:

• Place the chiles directly on the burner of a gas stove until mostly blackened on each side.
• Put the cooked chiles in a plastic vegetable grocery bag for 30 minutes. Toss them around a bit so that the bag doesn't get a hole in it from the heat.
• Peel the blackened skin from the chiles with your fingers. It's not important to get every bit of skin off.
• Slice each chili on one side from stem to bottom.
• Remove most of the seeds and membranes. (If you like them really hot, omit this step).
• Cut the cheese into 1/2 wide slices and as long as the chiles.
• Stuff the cheese into each chile.
• Roll in flour.
• Beat the egg whites until stiff and gently fold in the yolks. (If doubling the recipe make two batches of stiffened egg as the eggs will fall quickly).
• Drop chiles into egg batter and fluff it around them.
• Slide them into1 1/2" deep hot oil, one or two at a time until golden brown and turn to brown the other side.
• Drain on paper towels.
• Serve immediately or bake in oven for 350 degree oven for 15 minutes. If you have a convection oven, use it the feature as it makes them really crispy on the outside.
• Sauce: Combine all ingedients in a saucepan and let simmer until the rellenos are done. Serve on the side or cover the rellenos with it at serving.

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.