Cheese Filled Fried Chile Recipes

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.

CHILES TOREADOS: FRIED CHILES WITH LIME-SOY SAUCE

Steps:

• Pour enough vegetable oil in a medium heavy saucepan to come halfway up the sides of the pan. Heat the oil until a deep-fry thermometer inserted in the oil registers 350 degrees F. Working in batches, fry the chiles until golden, about 4 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain.
• Mix the lime juice, soy sauce and oyster sauce in a medium bowl. Add the warm chiles and toss to combine. Chill until very cold, about 3 hours.
• The chiles will keep in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

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.

STUFFED POBLANO CHILES ("CHILES RELLENOS")

Steps:

• Sauce: Put the tomatoes, garlic and onion in a blender. Blend until smooth. In a medium saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Chile rellenos: Mix the cheese and oregano in a small bowl. Cut a slit through 1 side of the charred chiles and fill each chile with 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture. Close with toothpicks to hold the filling in place. In a medium bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. Add the egg yolk and continue to beat for about 1 minute.
• In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, pour in enough oil to fill the pan about a third of the way. Heat over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 375 degrees F. (If you don't have a thermometer a cube of bread will brown in about 3 minutes.) Dredge the filled chiles in flour until fully covered. Shake off any excess flour, then dip the chiles into the egg mixture, until well coated. Fry until golden brown and drain on paper towels.
• Arrange the chiles on a serving platter, spoon the sauce on top and serve.

CHILI CHEESE FRIES

Steps:

• Prepare french fries as directed on the package.
• Stir cornstarch and water in a small cup until cornstarch dissolves; set aside. Bring milk and margarine to a boil in a saucepan, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and whisk the cornstarch mixture into the milk mixture, bring to a simmer over medium heat. Cook and stir until the mixture is thick and smooth. Add the cheese to the milk mixture and stir until the cheese has melted and is well combined.
• Prepare chili as directed on the can. Pour the cooked chili and the cheese sauce over the top of the cooked french fries.