Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Hatch Green Chile Cheese Rellenos

I felt like I had to point it out that I'm making Cheese Relleno's with Hatch Green Chiles. 
I was so excited when I saw them at the market last week.  There is such a short window when they are fresh and available and since my three Anaheim Chile plants did very poorly this year, we've not had Chile Relleno's for quite awhile. 

I know I've posted about how to make Relleno's before, but I thought I would just go ahead and tell you all about how to make them again.

First off, you need to char the skin off, and I told you how to do that the other day. 
Next up is the batter and the cheese. 
Batter up!
Sorry got confused there, but these would be great after a baseball game, a little too messy to eat there though.

I made us five Relleno's from the wonderful chiles I found at the market.   The rest are safely tucked away in the freezer for a few more meals.  I did count how many I had prepared though, 42.  Which by my reckoning means 8.4 meals.   I'll probably use the extra two chiles in some Chile Verde later on. 

Peel and seed however many chiles you're making for dinner.  Pat them dry, and set aside while you make the batter. 

Batter:
5 eggs, separated
5 tablespoons flour 

Beat the egg whites until stiff, then fold in the flour, carefully.
  And there you have it, however, I hate to waste the yolks so I add in about half of them.  Stir the egg yolks together, and add a little at a time, or just dump them in like I did, whoops.
  Folding very carefully.   Set aside.

Chiles and Cheese
Slice some Monterey Jack cheese into finger size or larger chunks.   Measure against the chiles, and make them just a tad narrower than the chiles you're stuffing.
Pick up a chile, and place a piece of the cheese inside. 
If you've ever put a sock on a toddler or infant,  just think of stuffing a little foot inside of a sock or shoe.   You need to be careful of the foot and the sock. 

Don'tcha just love that claw like hand, clutching the green chile? 







 
Prepare each chile, then dredge in a little flour,
then dip into the batter and place in an oiled pan.  I found a trick this time, I picked the chile up from the batter with my meat fork, and then put it into the pan.  Worked like a charm.  Can't believe I hadn't tried that before. 
  I use about 1 tablespoon of oil per chile.  Cause that batter is like a sponge and it soaks up the oil like you wouldn't believe.  I love my cast iron pan for this.  It holds the heat and yet, because it's well seasoned, it also doesn't stick.
  Cook over a fairly low heat for a few minutes until one side browns, then flip over and cook the other side.  If my batter is too thin, I've been known to drizzle a little more batter on the uncooked side, just before I flip it.  Take out of pan after browning and continue until all the rellenos are cooked. 
Serve with your favourite enchilada sauce.

 See that lovely oozy cheese in there, sooo good.   
We just eat it like this, but you can always make some rice and beans and serve alongside.



Just want to say,  I do use a canned sauce, cause my DH likes the flavour better than my home made. 



Sidsel Munkholm - Author
Sidsel Munkholm - Author

Sid loves to cook, feed people and have fun in the kitchen. She shares her successes and the involuntary offerings she sometimes gives the kitchen goddess as well. And she's still looking for the mythical fairy to help her clean the kitchen after a marathon cooking session. Currently working on a cookbook showcasing the recipes from her Danish heritage.

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