Cooking web notes

Chiles Rellenos

Here’s a great Mexican dish that takes some time to make but is worth every minute of it. This is the first time I’ve made chiles rellenos and they turned out really tasty with a little heat so this recipe is a keeper for me.

Poblano chiles are used in the recipe but, Anaheim or ancho (dried poblano) could be used as well.  They are charred and then their skins are removed.  After being coated in a batter, they are stuffed with cheese, fried and then baked.  The chiles are pan-seared instead of deep fried.

While speaking of chile peppers, I came across an interesting and informative book about them:  The Great Chile Book by Mark Miller.  It describes the varieties, regions where they are grown, degrees of hotness (1-10) and includes photos of more than 90 fresh and dried chiles with many recipes.

Back to this recipe ~ it was in “Cooking Light” magazine and I made a couple of changes.  The recipe called for ¼ cup cilantro to be added to the tomato salsa; I don’t care for cilantro so omitted it.  It included reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese, I used regular because I had that on hand.

Charred

Skinned, remove seeds

Fried, ready to bake

I really like the salsa in this dish!  With using medium salsa verde, there is a little heat; if you like more heat, use the hot.  It’s a great recipe and I hope you give it a try if you like chiles rellenos!

Chiles Rellenos
Adapted


Ingredients:
Cooking spray
1¼ cups coarsely chopped onion
2 cups chopped tomatoes
½ cup low-sodium salsa verde
¼ teaspoon salt
4 poblano chiles
1 cup (4-ounces) shredded Monterey Jack cheese, divided
2 tablespoons goat cheese, divided
3 large egg yolks
3 large egg whites
¼ cup flour
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons cornmeal
¼ cup canola oil

Method:
Preheat broiler to high.

Coat a large skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium
high heat.
Add onion, sauté 4 minutes.
Stir in chopped tomatoes, salsa verde and ¼ teaspoon salt.
Cook 15 minutes or until thickened, stirring frequently.
Place tomato mixture in food processor and process until
smooth.  Set aside.
Place poblanos on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Broil 3 inches from heat for 8 minutes or until blackened and
charred, turning after 6 minutes.
Place in a paper bag; fold to close tightly.
Let stand 15 minutes.

Peel and discard skins.

Cut a lengthwise slit in each chile; discard seeds, leaving
stems intact.
Spoon ¼ cup Jack cheese and 1½ teaspoons goat cheese in
cavity of each chile.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Lightly beat egg yolks in a small bowl.

Place egg whites in a medium bowl; beat with a mixer at high
speed until stiff peaks form.
Fold egg yolks into egg whites.
Combine flour and black pepper in a shallow dish.
Place cornmeal in another shallow dish.
Dredge poblanos in flour mixture, and dip into egg mixture.
Dredge in cornmeal.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until hot;

reduce to medium heat.
Add coated poblanos to oil.
Cook 6 minutes or until crisp, turning to cook on all sides.
Place chiles on a baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 8
minutes or until cheese melts.
Serve with salsa.

Buen apetito!

Visit my friend Linda’s blog @My Kind of Cooking for great tips, recipes and cookbook giveaway!

This entry was posted on Thursday, February 9, 2012 at 5:53 AM and is filed under Appetizers, Chiles, Cornmeal, Entree, Goat cheese, Mexican, Monterey Jack, Onions, Poblano peppers, Salsa, Tomatoes. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. You can leave a response.