Tomato Rellenos Recipes

TOMATES RELLENOS

Steps:

• Skin the tomatoes, first by cutting out the core with a sharp knife and making a '+' incision on the other end of the tomato. Then place in a pan of boiling water for 10 seconds, remove and plunge into a bowl of iced or very cold water (this latter step is to stop the tomatoes from cooking and going mushy).
• Slice the tops off the tomatoes, and just enough of their bases to remove the rounded ends so that they will sit squarely on the plate. Keep the tops if using small tomatoes, but discard those large tomatoes. Remove the seeds and insides, either with a teaspoon or small, sharp knife.
• Mash the eggs with the allioli -or the mayonnaise, if using- salt, pepper and parsley. Stuff the tomatoes, firmly pressing the filling down. With small tomatoes, replace the lids at a jaunty angle. If keeping to serve later, brush them with olive oil and black pepper to prevent them from drying out. Cover with plastic wrap and keep.
• For large tomatoes, the filling must be firm enough to be sliced. If you make your own mayonnaise, thicken it by using more egg yolks. If you use shop-bought mayonnaise or allioli, add white breadcrumbs until the mixture reaches the consistency of mashed potatoes.
• Season. Fill the tomatoes, pressing down firmly until level. Refrigerate for 1 hour, then slice with a sharp carving knife into rings. Sprinkle with chopped parsley.

CHILES RELLENOS IN TOMATO BROTH

Steps:

• Preheat the broiler. Place the chiles on a foil-lined broiler pan; broil, turning, until the skins char, about 8 minutes. Place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and let cool, about 10 minutes.
• Peel the chiles. Slice each open lengthwise, about 1/2 inch from the top to 1 inch from the bottom. Remove the seedpod, then rinse to flush out any remaining seeds. Blot dry, inside and out, with paper towels. Carefully stuff each chile with a stick of cheese.
• Puree the tomatoes, onion and garlic in a blender until smooth. Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over high heat until almost smoking. Add the tomato puree, cloves, peppercorns, bay leaves, cinnamon stick and cilantro sprig and fry, stirring, until thick, 5 to 6 minutes. Add the broth, reduce the heat and simmer until thickened but still brothy, 25 to 30 minutes. Season with salt. Strain, discarding the solids, and keep warm.
• Preheat the oven to 350. Line a baking sheet with paper towels. Heat 1 to 1 1/2 inches of vegetable oil in a large pot over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 360. Beat the egg whites, 2 tablespoons water and 1 teaspoon salt with a mixer until stiff but not dry. Beat the yolks in a separate bowl until combined, then gently fold them into the whites.
• Overlap the sides of the slit in the chiles to enclose the cheese, then dredge in flour, working with two chiles at a time. (Coat any tears with flour.) Using tongs, dip and roll the chiles in the egg mixture to coat. Fry in the hot oil until golden, 2 to 3 minutes per side. Transfer with a large skimmer or 2 spatulas to the paper-towel-lined baking sheet, letting the excess oil drip back into the pot. Repeat with the remaining chiles and egg mixture. Place in the oven on the lined baking sheet to cook off any excess oil, about 5 minutes.
• Ladle the tomato broth into 4 shallow bowls; place 2 chiles in each. Garnish with cilantro.

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.

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.

CHILES RELLENOS WITH TOMATO SAUCE

Steps:

• Place chiles on a comal or dry hot skillet and roast over high heat turning as skins blacken.
• Place chiles in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap allow to steam 15 minutes. While chiles are steaming, make tomato sauce.
• Tomato Sauce: Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add onion and garlic and cook only until the onion is soft. Add pureed tomatoes and chicken broth, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer over low heat while you finish the rest of the recipe.
• Remove charred peels from chiles.
• I use two different methods for removing the seeds depending on the type of chile. Anaheim- Slice off the top 1/2 inch of chile on the stem end (horizontally) removing the seed placenta and any loose seeds with your fingers. Poblano- Carefully slit each chile lengthwise along one side; remove seeds and veins (you may find it easier to use the paring knife to cut out the seeds and then remove them with your fingers).
• Fill each chile with several strips of cheese, roll in flour, and set aside.
• Beat egg whites until stiff; slightly beat yolks and fold into whites.
• Heat oil in a large skillet to 360F-400°F.
• Dip floured chile into the egg batter and spoon batter over to coat chile entirely.
• Slide chile into hot oil. Fry for a few minutes on underside while spooning hot oil over the top. Turn and cook again until both sides are golden. Remove to a paper towel to drain.
• You can serve the chiles now by placing 1/6 of the sauce on the plate and laying the chile on top and garnish with sour cream and cilantro or --.
• Carefully place the rellenos into the tomato sauce and simmer gently to heat thoroughly (about 15 minutes). Do not cook too long or batter will begin to break away.
• Serve with some of the sauce, and garnish with a dab of sour cream and a few cilantro leaves.

CHILI RELLENOS CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spray a 9x13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.
• Evenly layer 1 can chile peppers in the bottom of the baking dish. Sprinkle with half of the Jack and Cheddar cheeses, and cover with remaining chile peppers.
• In a bowl, mix together the eggs, evaporated milk, and flour. If too thick, feel free to add 1/2 cup regular milk. Pour over the top of the chilies.
• Bake in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove from oven, pour tomato sauce evenly over the top, and continue baking another 15 minutes.
• Sprinkle with remaining Jack and Cheddar cheeses, pop under the broiler for a few minutes, and serve.

CHEESE-STUFFED POBLANOS WITH TOMATO SAUCE (CHILES RELLENOS DE QUESO)

Steps:

• Roast chiles:
• Roast chiles on their sides on racks of gas burners (1 or 2 per burner) over medium-high heat, turning with tongs, until skins are blistered and slightly charred, 4 to 6 minutes. (Or broil on rack of a broiler pan about 2 inches from heat.) Immediately transfer to a large bowl and cover, then let stand 20 minutes.
• Make tomato sauce while chiles stand:
• Purée all sauce ingredients except oil with 11/4 teaspoons salt in a blender until smooth, then strain through a medium-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing on solids, then discarding them.
• Heat oil in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet or heatproof casserole (preferably one that can go to the table) over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Carefully pour in sauce and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes (sauce should still be thin). Season with salt.
• Stuff and fry chiles:
• Carefully rub off skins from chiles, leaving stems attached. Cut a slit lengthwise in each chile with kitchen shears, then carefully cut out seedpod (including attached ribs) without tearing chile (hotter chiles smell stronger when cut). Wipe chiles clean with a paper towel if necessary.
• Stuff chiles with cheese and enclose filling by overlapping slit slightly if possible, then transfer to a plate. (Use a toothpick to mark any hotter chiles if desired.)
• Heat 1/2 inch oil in another 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until it registers 360°F on thermometer.
• While oil heats, beat egg whites with 1/8 teaspoon salt using an electric mixer until they just hold stiff peaks. Whisk yolks with 1/8 teaspoon salt in a large bowl, then gently fold in whites.
• Put flour in a fine-mesh sieve and dust chiles, turning them to lightly coat all sides.
• When oil is ready, dip chiles, 1 at a time (hold chile by stem), in egg coating, spooning it over chile to cover completely, then fry, turning once, until golden on all sides (lap oil over any lighter areas), 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer chiles with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.
• Meanwhile, reheat sauce over low heat. Lay chiles in sauce to serve.