Paellita En Relleno Food

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.

PAELLITA EN RELLENO

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 450 degrees.
• Heat a large sauce pot on medium heat and add the butter and olive oil. When they are melted add the garlic, jalapenos, onion, red bell pepper and fennel. Add a little cracked black pepper and the bay leaf. Stir and allow to cook until very fragrant, about 5 minutes. Now add the clams, shrimp and wine. Cover the pot. Turn the heat to high. Let the clams steam open and remove them to a bowl as they do. Remove the shrimp too. Turn off the heat and allow the broth to cool a little.
• Remove the clams and shrimp from their respective shells. Cut the shrimp into bite sized pieces and reserve with the clams for later.
• Strain the vegetable and clam liquor and reserve combined with the chicken stock. Warm them both together in a separate pot. Clean out the sauce pot and return it to the stove. Turn the heat on to medium and add the reserved 3 tablespoons virgin olive oil. When it is warm add the rice and stir well to coat all of the grains.
• Begin adding the reserved the liquor/stock mixture by adding 1 cup of it first, stirring constantly allowing it to become almost entirely assimilated by the rice. Now add in the next 1/4 cup of stock/liquor and the saffron and stir again. Repeat stirring and add all of the broth and stock until all of it is absorbed. Season to taste. Fold in the cooked shrimp and clams.
• Spoon this mixture into the poblanos and place them on a nonstick baking sheet pan and warm through. Serve immediately

TOMATO RELLENOS

Steps:

• Bring water, rice, salt and bay leaf to a boil in heavy medium saucepan. Reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer until rice is tender and liquid is absorbed about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Fluff with fork. Cool.
• Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Cut 1 inch slice from top of each tomato; reserve tops. Working over bowl to catch juices, remove pulp from tomatoes, leaving shell intact. Strain seeds from juices. Finely chop tomato pulp and reserve with juices. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over medium high heat. Add onion and celery and saute until tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, jalapeno and cloves and stir 1 minute. Add reserved tomato pulp and juices. Stir until most of liquid evaporates. Stir in cilantro, almonds, currants and rice. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place tomatoes in individual ramekins. Divide filling among tomatoes. Top each with tomato top. Brush tomatoes with oil. Place ramekins on baking sheet. Bake until tomatoes are tender, about 10 minutes. Serve hot.