Chile Rellenos

Chile Rellenos are my favorite food, ever! Of all food! Well, excluding desserts, of course. They aren’t too hard to make, so I don’t know why it’s taken me almost 2 weeks since the arrival of my green chile to make them. It may be partly due to the fact that every time I take some out of the freezer with the intention of making rellenos, I end up eating some of them before supper rolls around. I’m tellin’ ya, this stuff is good on everything!

Most recipes are pretty basic and the differences are usually found in the amount of flour used, from none all the way up to one cup. I prefer to keep it light, so I use very little. In fact, when I begin my grain elimination diet, I will go the route of no flour. But for now, here’s how I made them tonight. (And since it was just hubby and I, it was a very small batch; recipe can be adjusted to increase amount)

CHILE RELLENOS

Ingredients:

5 whole green chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded
4 oz. cheese, sliced into strips¹
4 small or 3 medium/large eggs (from pastured chickens; you knew I was going to say it!)
1/4 cup + 1 Tbs flour (I used white spelt)
dash of salt
oil for frying, (I used coconut oil, approximately 1″ deep; 2″ might work better)
1/4 cup organic salsa (just say NO to pesticides!) warmed, optional

Directions:

Separate egg whites from yolks. Whip egg whites till stiff.

Beat egg yolks in separate bowl with the tablespoon of flour, then add salt.

Gently fold mixture into egg whites.
Put the 1/4 cup of flour on a plate.

Carefully stuff chile with cheese. Okay, who am I kidding? I partly obliterated the chile trying to get all the seeds out of the partially still-frozen pods while giving the grandkids refills on their very late after school snack. So I carefully placed cheese inside them, making sure the chile slightly overlapped on the ones that took the worst beating. (This means I put the cheese on the most intact side and carefully wrapped the rest of the shreds chile around it, covering it the best I could) Sorry, no pictures here and no additional comments. Lay stuffed chile on top of flour and lightly dust top side (along with counter, floor, and self). This is just to help the batter stick better to the chile (and entertain the grandkids).

When all the chile is stuffed and dusted (sounds violent!), heat oil in frying pan. To see if oil is hot enough, drop a small dot of batter into it. If it puffs up and rises to top of oil, it’s ready. If it sinks, it’s not hot enough. I turned my electric stove up to #6, if that helps anyone. While oil is heating, begin to batter chile. Warning: this is not as easy as it sounds, especially when said chiles are trying to fall apart. Carefully lift chile, holding together as well as possible and keeping cheese inside, and immerse in batter. (No pics, as this would require more hands than the two currently attached to my arms) Do the best you can and cover the chile completely with batter. Don’t worry if it looks like you have too much. The important thing is to get -and keep – the chile covered. Somehow, it all works out in the end. Remember I said they aren’t too hard to make? I meant, for some people. I’m not one of those people. However, where practice may be lacking, patience goes a long way. (Unfortunately, I was lacking in both here) Carefully lay the battered chile in the hot oil. Cook to golden brown, approximately 3-5 minutes, depending on the temperature of your oil, then turn and cook other side. Remove from pan and repeat process. To serve, place a small amount of warmed salsa on top. Serves two, with one left over for the cook’s breakfast.

Chile rellenos with salsa, Spanish (brown) rice, and salad.

¹About that footnote on the cheese. Just wanted to mention that I used this yummy grass-fed, organic, chipotle-flavored cheese that I bought at The Nutrition Stop in St. Peters.

You can use any cheese you like, although a Mexican-type of cheese is more authentic.

And remember, if I can cook this, so can you!

This hurriedly put together post is part of the Fight Back Fridays blog carnival.