Chilies Rellenos


I have been craving chiles rellenos from my favorite Mexican restauraunt, Cozumel, really bad today. So I decided to try to make them. I tried another recipe before, but the batter was a little off. I found this recipe online and learned that the secret is the whipped egg batter. The rellenos turned out perfectly! My mouth is on fire, and I'm a happy girl. I just wish I had the ingredients on hand for a good margarita!

You need:
4 poblano peppers
1 cup shredded chihuahua or jack cheese, shredded (plus a little extra for sprinkling)
1 cup flour
4 eggs
cooking oil
red sauce

1. First you blister the peppers. You can do this by placing them under the broiler or on a grill. Allow the skin of the pepper to char and blister, then rotate to get all the sides. When pepper is fully blistered, place them into a gallon-sized ziploc baggie and let sit for 15 minutes. This steams the skin and makes it easy to peel it off. After you peel the skin off, rinse well under running cold water.

2. Heat the oil in a skillet.

3. While oil is heating, separate eggs. Beat the egg whites until stiff, then fold in 2 egg yolks.

4. Make a slit in each pepper. You can leave the seeds in for heat, or you can wipe them out. I personally like the heat but hate crunching down on hard seeds. It's a personal judgement call. Fill peppers with shredded cheese.

5. Dredge peppers in flour, then dip in egg batter.

6. Test oil by dropping a little batter into the pan. If it turns golden brown and floats quickly, it's hot enough.

7. Place pepper in oil until golden brown. Splash oil up on the sides of the pepper to cook them a little, then flip using a skillet and the stem of the pepper. Flip away from you so you don't splash hot oil on yourself.

8. When cooked on both sides, place rellenos on a plate covered in paper towels to drain. Then place on another plate, top with red sauce and a little sprinkle of cheese, and broil until sauce and cheese are bubbly. Serve immediately.

Mango Salsa

(not just for cavemen)

2 Mangoes
1 can of pineapple tidbits or 2 cups diced pineapple
1 small red onion, chopped (green onion is good, too)
1 handfull cilantro, chopped
2-3 jalapeno peppers, chopped (remove seeds and membranes for less heat or use red bell pepper for a really mild salsa)
2 Tbsp lime juice

Mix everything together; let marinate for at least an hour before serving. (It's even better the next day.)

Thai Sweet Chili Sauce

(good for dipping or to pour over noodles and veggies.)

INGREDIENTS
1 cup water
1 cup rice vinegar
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons fresh ginger root, minced
1 teaspoon garlic, minced
2 teaspoons hot chile pepper, minced
2 teaspoons ketchup
2 teaspoons cornstarch

DIRECTIONS
Pour water and vinegar into a saucepan, and bring to a boil over high heat. Stir in sugar, ginger, garlic, chile pepper, and ketchup; simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in cornstarch. Remove saucepan from stove to cool. Then transfer to a bowl, cover, and refrigerate until needed.

Chilies Rellenos

INGREDIENTS:
12 Poblano (hot) or Anaheim (less hot) chile peppers, charred and peeled
1 pound Queso Blanco cheese, cut into strips
1 cup milk
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 egg, beaten
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon canola oil
1/2 cup all-purpose flour for coating

DIRECTIONS:
1. Remove seeds and membranes from peppers (or leave 'em in if you're a masochist.) Stuff each pepper with a strip of cheese.

2.In a small bowl combine milk, flour, egg, baking powder, baking soda, salt and canola oil; mix well to make a batter.

3.Pour enough oil in heavy frying pan to reach 1 inch in depth and heat over medium-high heat. Roll each pepper in flour and dip in the batter. Fry until lightly browned on both sides.