Chile Relleño with tomato sauce
Chiles Rellenos are my litmus test for a good Mexican restaurant. I will order them in a burrito, or as part of a combination plate. Until I started playing around with the chile relleno recipe in Diana Kennedy’s Cuisines of Mexico, I had no idea they were so easy to make. These are filled with cheese, which is how most American’s know them, but Kennedy’s preferred filling is a spiced meat mixture (picadillo) which you can read about in her book. Makes six servings.
Ingredients:
6 poblano chiles
2 c/200 g mild grated cheese (I used a mixture of mozzarella and asiago)
1 t dried oregano
4 large eggs, separated
¼ t Kosher salt
½ c flour
Oil for deep frying
Your finished product will vary in appearance but all are delicious. Use the less-perfect chiles relleños in burritos.
Method: peel the chiles using the same technique as for red bell peppers: roast them directly over a hot flame (or very close to the heat in a broiler) till the surface is blistered and blackened. Turn and repeat until all sides are thoroughly charred, then place in a bowl with cover or a paper bag and seal to lock in humidity. After they are cool enough to handle (20-30 minutes), remove the cover and peel by rubbing off the charred skin with your hands. A slit will probably appear in the side of the pepper (if not make one with a knife); use it to remove all seeds including those that are stuck to the stem crown. Rinse inside and out to remove residual skin and seeds and pat very dry.
This chile relleño is just about ready to flip over in the oil.
Heat oil to 350 degrees for deep frying. Beat egg whites with salt in a large bowl to soft peaks, then fold in the yolks. (They will turn the mixture yellow but will not have much effect on texture.)
Mix the oregano in with the cheese then stuff the chiles carefully, not overfilling and overlapping the sides of the opening to seal when done. Roll in the flour then dip in the batter using your hands so all surfaces are evenly coated.
Transfer the prepared chile to the hot oil using your hands (be careful not to splash oil on yourself) or a slotted spoon. Fry about 2 minutes until lightly browned, then flip and cook the other side. Transfer with slotted spoon to a paper towel to drain. Repeat until all chiles are done.
You can serve these immediately with a tomato sauce, or set aside for a future combination plate or burrito filling. (I’ve noticed that burrito stands have a stack of cooked chiles rellenos waiting for this purpose.) The surface is puffy but not crisp, so you won’t lose much by reheating.
This is my goto when I don’t want to fry: https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/cheese-and-shrimp-stuffed-roasted-poblanos-with-red-bell-pepper-sauce-107461
That recipe looks good, and I have also enjoyed a simpler version where the chiles are not peeled, just cut open and stuffed with Mexican cheese and baked.
However, I don’t think the frying should be an issue because the home cook doesn’t need to fire up a deep fryer and then deal with the cleanup and filtering or throwing away the used oil. Just fry the chiles one at a time in a vessel that’s just big enough to hold them. I used an 8 inch saucepan (see above photo) and less than a cup of oil.
I’ve used Diane Kennedy’s recipe for years! with the pork picadillo and cinnamon-scented tomato sauce, they are exquisite. Well worth the time and effort.
Have you found any restaurants serving it that you would recommend?
I have not, in the Cap District. There are a few places serving okay tacos but they don’t seem to venture beyond that. Going to Austin in a couple weeks and expect to order a Tex-Mex combo plate with chiles relleños and expect total satisfaction.