Classic Chili Poblano Rellenos Recipes

CHILE RELLENO RECIPE

Steps:

• Roast the peppers over an open flame, or use your oven broiler, until skins are blackened on each side. Over flame, it should only take about 5 minutes. In the broiler, it could take 10 or more minutes.
• Remove the peppers and transfer to a paper or plastic bag and seal them up. Allow to steam and cool. This will loosen up the skins.
• Once cooled, peel off the blackened skins.
• Slice open each pepper lengthwise with one long slit, then remove the innards with a knife or spoon.
• Stuff each pepper with cheese, but do not overstuff. Make sure you can still close the pepper.
• Heat 2 inches of vegetable oil in a wide pot to 375 degrees F. Do not let the oil boil. If you do not have a thermometer, test the oil with a tiny drop of flour. It will immediately sizzle up.
• Separate the egg yolks from the whites and add the egg whites to a large bowl. Beat the egg whites until they fluff up and form stiff peaks, about 5 minutes. An electric egg beater is ideal. Gently stir in egg yolks.
• Add flour to a separate bowl with a bit of salt. Dip the stuffed peppers into the flour to coat them, then dip them into the egg batter to coat them completely.
• Fry each pepper about 2-3 minutes each side, or until they are a golden brown.
• Remove the peppers and set them onto a paper towel lined plate to drain excess oil.
• Serve with your favorite salsa or sauce!

CLASSIC CHILI POBLANO RELLENOS

Steps:

• Roast the chiles:.
• Roast the chilies by broiling three to five minutes on each side. The skin will begin to char and get black spots. Remove, cool a minute or two, then wrap in plastic wrap and let it sit five minutes. Remove the wrap and peel chilies.
• Keep the broiler on.
• Carefully cut a lengthwise slit into each chile and stuff with some cheddar cheese. Combine the flour, salt and pepper and dredge the chiles.
• In a large saucepan, heat 1/2" of shortening till very hot.
• Fold the egg yolks into the whites and working with 2 chiles at a time, dip the chiles into the egg batter and fry, turning occasionally, until golden brown, no more than a couple of minutes. With a slotted spoon transfer the chiles (careful--they are delicate) to paper towels to drain.
• Arrange the chiles on a flameproof plate and sprinkle with sharp cheddar. Broil the chiles just long enough to melt the cheese.
• Serve immediately, accompanied by your favorite salsa. Enjoy!

STUFFED POBLANO CHILES ("CHILES RELLENOS")

Steps:

• Sauce: Put the tomatoes, garlic and onion in a blender. Blend until smooth. In a medium saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the sauce and simmer for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
• Chile rellenos: Mix the cheese and oregano in a small bowl. Cut a slit through 1 side of the charred chiles and fill each chile with 1/4 cup of the cheese mixture. Close with toothpicks to hold the filling in place. In a medium bowl, using an electric hand mixer, beat the egg whites on high speed until soft peaks form. Add the egg yolk and continue to beat for about 1 minute.
• In a large heavy-bottomed saucepan, pour in enough oil to fill the pan about a third of the way. Heat over medium heat until a deep-frying thermometer inserted in the oil reaches 375 degrees F. (If you don't have a thermometer a cube of bread will brown in about 3 minutes.) Dredge the filled chiles in flour until fully covered. Shake off any excess flour, then dip the chiles into the egg mixture, until well coated. Fry until golden brown and drain on paper towels.
• Arrange the chiles on a serving platter, spoon the sauce on top and serve.

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.

REAL CHILES 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, and place the peppers onto the prepared baking sheet.
• Cook under the preheated broiler until the skin of the peppers has blackened and blistered, 8 to 10 minutes per side. When the peppers are about 80 percent blackened, place them a plastic bag, seal, and allow the peppers to steam as they cool, about 20 minutes. Once cool, remove the skins and discard. Cut a slit lengthwise into the side of each pepper, and remove seeds and veins. To reduce spiciness, rinse out any remaining seeds with water. Pat the peppers dry with paper towels.
• Mix together the shredded mozzarella, Monterey Jack, and Cheddar cheese in a bowl until thoroughly blended. Divide the cheese into 4 portions, and squeeze each portion lightly in your hands to make a cone shape. Insert a cone into the slit in each pepper, and pin the openings closed with toothpicks. Dredge each pepper in flour, dust off the excess, and place on a small baking sheet lined with parchment paper or waxed paper. Place the peppers in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.
• To make sauce, blend the stewed tomatoes in a blender until pureed, and set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a saucepan over medium heat, and cook and stir the onion until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, cook and stir for about 30 seconds, and pour in the pureed tomatoes, chicken broth, vinegar, oregano, cumin, black pepper, hot pepper sauce, and cinnamon. Reduce to medium-low, and simmer the sauce until reduced by half and thickened, about 20 minutes, stirring often.
• Preheat an oven to 200 degrees F (95 degrees C), and warm a platter in the oven.
• To make batter and finish the chiles rellenos, mix 1/3 cup flour with salt in a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat the egg whites with an electric mixer until the whites form stiff peaks. Lightly mix the egg yolk and flour-salt mixture into the egg whites to make a fluffy batter. Remove peppers from freezer and coat them in flour again; shake off excess flour, and dip each pepper into the egg batter, using a spoon to gently but completely coat each pepper with batter.
• Heat frying oil in a heavy cast iron skillet over medium-high heat until the oil shimmers. Gently lay the coated peppers into the hot oil, and fry on both sides until the batter is golden brown and the cheese filling is hot, about 5 minutes per side. Remove peppers to warmed platter while you finish frying. To serve, ladle a generous spoonful of sauce onto plate, and place pepper on sauce. Serve peppers hot with a dollop of sour cream.

DIANA DáVILA'S CHILES RELLENOS

Steps:

• Prepare the sauce: In a large bowl, toss plum and cherry tomatoes with 1 teaspoon salt. Use your hands to smush the tomatoes until their skins soften and break apart, then let sit for 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in large pot or Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, sliced chiles and 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened but not browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and their liquid, bring to a simmer, and continue to simmer for 20 minutes.
• Stir in carrot juice, stock and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and simmer for another 20 minutes. The sauce should be thin and brothy. Use an immersion blender (or transfer mixture to a regular blender) and blend briefly; the mixture should still be somewhat chunky. Taste and season with more salt if necessary. (Sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead.)
• Make the filling: In a large skillet, heat the duck fat or oil over medium heat. Add the onion, apple, garlic and salt, and cook, stirring, until the apples and onions soften, 8 to 10 minutes. Stir in raisins, vinegar and brown sugar, and cook until reduced to a glaze, about 4 minutes.
• Stir in pork and red-pepper flakes, and use a metal spoon to break up the pork into pieces. Cook until pork is no longer pink and much of the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Raise the heat and let the pork take on a little color at the edges, 5 to 10 minutes longer. Remove from heat. (Filling can be made up to 3 days ahead.)
• Roast the poblanos: Heat the broiler, and line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Arrange poblanos in an even layer, and broil until blackened on one side, 4 to 6 minutes. Turn over and blacken the other side, another 4 to 6 minutes, then transfer to a large heat-proof bowl. Cover and let steam until softened, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Peel the blackened skin off the poblanos, then cut a slit in one side of each pepper and remove seeds (keep the stems). Using paper towels to wipe away the skins and slippery seeds can help with this task.
• Stuff the poblanos with the filling, folding poblano seams together. Place flour on a plate, and gently roll stuffed peppers in flour to coat. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet and freeze for 20 to 30 minutes. (Freezing is optional, but this will make them easier to fry.)
• Make the batter: Place egg yolks in a large bowl and beat until frothy. Place egg whites in the bowl of an electric mixer and whip to stiff peaks. Fold the egg yolks into the whites, along with a pinch of salt.
• Heat 1 1/4 inches of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat (it's hot enough when a drop of batter sizzles in the oil). When hot, dip one pepper by its stem into egg batter, then transfer to hot oil. Fry until golden on all sides, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Repeat with remaining peppers, making sure not to crowd the pan. Transfer fried peppers as they cook to a wire rack placed over a rimmed baking sheet, and immediately sprinkle with salt.
• When all the peppers are fried, reheat sauce. Lower peppers into sauce and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, so the batter absorbs the sauce. Transfer to serving plates and spoon more sauce on top. Sprinkle with epazote, if using, and cilantro.

POBLANO CHILE RELLENO

Steps:

• Combine 1 cup of the flour, baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a large bowl. Gradually add the beer, whisking until the batter is smooth. Cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the scallions and garlic, and cook until soft, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the corn and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Allow to cool, add cheese, and set aside.
• Make an incision the length of each chile and remove the stems and seeds. Stuff corn filling into chilies, and close with a toothpick.
• In a large deep skillet, pour oil until half full. Heat over medium heat until hot. Dredge chilies in remaining flour, shake off excess, dip in batter, and fry until golden, approximately 1 minute per side. Drain on paper towels and season with salt.
• To serve place on large dish and serve with sour cream and lime wedges.