Renoos Recipes

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.

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.

BAKED CHILES RELLENOS

Steps:

• Set an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.
• Roast peppers on the top rack of the preheated oven until the skins are charred, about 5 minutes per side. Remove from the oven and allow to cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Set the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• While peppers are cooling, whisk eggs, flour, milk, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl until smooth. Slice the queso fresco into eight even rectangles, just shorter than the length of the peppers.
• Carefully peel off the waxy skin of the cooled peppers. Gently cut a slit down the length of the peppers and use a spoon to remove the seeds and membranes.
• Spread about 1/4 cup of the milk mixture on the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Wrap each pepper around a queso fresco rectangle. Place each chile/cheese wrap seam-side down in a single layer in the baking dish. Cover with remaining egg mixture. Sprinkle Cheddar cheese over the top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the egg mixture has risen and the cheese is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

CHILE RELLENO

Steps:

• Rice and beans, for serving, if desired
• Heat grill to medium.
• Grill and char the chiles on both sides. Once blackened put in a plastic bag for 10 minutes to sweat out any moisture. Remove from the bag, slit them down the middle and remove the seeds. Stuff the peppers with the queso fresco and use toothpicks to hold them together.
• Separate the egg yolks from the whites. Add the egg whites to a large bowl. Reserve the egg yolks. Beat the egg whites with an electric beater until the whites fluff up. Add in the flour and the egg yolks and mix until completely incorporated.
• Add the oil to a frying pan over medium heat. Dip the stuffed peppers into the batter and fry until golden brown on both sides. Remove from the oil to a serving platter.
• Add the tomatoes and water to a small pot over medium heat. Simmer the tomatoes until soft and stir in the garlic and chicken broth powder.
• Add the 1/4 cup of oil to a frying pan, over low heat, and stir in the flour to make a roux mixture. Cook the flour until browned, then add the tomato sauce. Simmer for 5 minutes and then add the oregano.
• Pour the tomato sauce over the cooked chile rellenos on the serving platter and serve.
• If desired, serve with rice and beans.

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.