Rellenos

[Anna N]

So Mamster turned me on to poblanos and I bought extra and found a recipe for rellenos. Seemed simple enough. Roast and skin the poblanos, stuff with cheese, dip in egg and flour and deep fry. Huh? Once roasted and skinned, the peppers practically fell apart. Obviously I must have overcooked them in the charring process. But having only an electric stove, I could only stick them under the broiler (very close to the element) and by the time they were charred they were also too well cooked to stuff. Any ideas anyone? Thanks, Anna N.

P.S. I persisted and "sewed" them together with toothpicks and butcher twine and they were very good but obviously troublesome to eat and they looked like little green sneakers!

[Katherine]

Get yourself a propane torch to roast those babies. The hotter you roast them, the quicker the skins blacken, and the less overcooked they will be.

[Jaymes]

...and they looked like little green sneakers!

I long ago gave up on chiles rellenos. Even back in the olden days when I could get them perfect every time, I figured out that my dinner guests were out in the living room having a great time laughing and talking and slugging down the margaritas and chips and salsa and guac and I'd be stuck back in the hot kitchen with the grease.

I make a Chile Relleno Casserole now - not quite as good, but almost, and a damn sight less work.

[torakris]

I made relllenos once (I only found poblanos once in 13 years in Japan!), but i didn't roast them first, rather they were baked after being stuffed while still raw, they were quite good.

[Anna N]

I am too accident-prone to use a blowtorch and too stubborn to give in and make a casserole. But thank you for your suggestions. Anna N

[Jinmyo]

Anna, the blow torch is a good idea if you don't a gas burner. I actually use the salamander (industrial open broiler). The casserole is a great idea.

But you know, Anna, sometimes I just don't bother to skin them. Just seed them. Under that batter, no one knows. And I like the skin.

[mamster]

Yeah, the skin is not such a big deal. But if the peppers are overcooking in the time it takes to char them (I have an electric stove too), you're probably not getting them close enough to the element. Almost touching the element is good. I find it takes 5-6 minutes to blacken mine, and they're barely cooked in that time.

[Jaymes]

I am too accident-prone to use a blowtorch and too stubborn to give in and make a casserole.  But thank you for your suggestions.  Anna N

Oh all right -

Back when I made them frequently, I discovered that the secret is just not to precook them too much. Otherwise they do get soft and fall apart, just like yours did.

I blistered them very briefly, either over an open flame, like on my bbq grill, or over the open flame of my gas stove (when I had one), or turning quickly on a plain, ungreased skillet or griddle, just until the skin was beginning to sizzle and burst a bit.

Then pop them into a sealed plastic bag and let them steam for a few minutes. You should be able to peel the skin off easily, but the chiles should not be really cooked completely through.

Peel off the skin and proceed as directed.

(PS - sure you don't want the casserole recipe?? )

[Anna N]

Now we're talking! I am game to try the griddle route - I have a cast iron griddle and can get it good and hot over two elements. Or, I can boost them even closer to the broiler element with a upturned cookie sheet under the broiler pan, or I can try them with the skin on (I really like that one but one recipe did warn that the batter won't stick to that slick skin!). Thanks to all of you I have a path forward. I will let you know what happens as soon as I find some more poblanos! I liked the look of the little sneakers but those toothpicks were a pain! Anna N

[elyse]

I supposeyou can't put them directly onto the element on the stove?

[capers]

Anna N,May 17 2003, 01:06 PM]So Mamster turned me on to poblanos and I bought extra and found a recipe for rellenos.  Seemed simple enough.  Roast and skin the poblanos, stuff with cheese, dip in egg and flour and deep fry. Huh?  Once roasted and skinned, the peppers practically fell apart.  Obviously I must have overcooked them in the charring process. But having only an electric stove, I  could only stick  them under the broiler (very close to the element) and by the time they were charred they were also too well cooked to stuff.  Any ideas anyone?  Thanks,  Anna N.

The easiest way to do something like poblanos for rellenos is to dunk them in hot oil for 30-45 seconds. That way the skin is blistered completely uniformly and the peppers will remain intact. The oil can then be use again to fry the rellenos.

Edited May 18, 2003 by capers (log)

[Anna N]

The easiest way to do something like poblanos for rellenos is to dunk them in hot oil for 30-45 seconds.  That way the skin is blistered completely uniformly and the peppers will remain intact.  The oil can then be use again to fry the rellenos.

Gotta give this one a try. Don't have any poblanos but it should work equally well with jalapenos. I'll let you know the result. Thanks. Anna N

[Anna N]

The easiest way to do something like poblanos for rellenos is to dunk them in hot oil for 30-45 seconds.  That way the skin is blistered completely uniformly and the peppers will remain intact.  The oil can then be use again to fry the rellenos.

This, indeed, seems to be the perfect solution. The chili stayed firm, the skin came off easily and I was able to extract the seeds and core through a T-shaped cut. Thank you so much. Anna N

[elyse]

Wouldn't that prevent the coating from sticking?

[LBNoble]

Jaymes, I'll take that casserole recipe & save the traditional ones for trips to my favorite Mexican restaurant. Now if I could just figure out the sauce they use, reddish-brown, a little sweet, different from what they use on enchiladas, I guess I could just ask? Linda

[Dana]

Me too, me too. I want the recipe too!!!!!

[Anna N]

Wouldn't that prevent the coating from sticking?

The coating stuck just fine. Dipped in beaten egg (egg separated, white beaten and then yolk incorporated) then in flour, then in egg again, then in flour. Came out crunchy and good. I'm no expert on these things as I have never had any except some frozen and re-heated ones which were awful so I'm not claiming any sort of expertise or authenticity - just found a recipe and tried to follow it. Anna N

[SWoodyWhite]

...and they looked like little green sneakers!

I long ago gave up on chiles rellenos. Even back in the olden days when I could get them perfect every time, I figured out that my dinner guests were out in the living room having a great time laughing and talking and slugging down the margaritas and chips and salsa and guac and I'd be stuck back in the hot kitchen with the grease.

I make a Chile Relleno Casserole now - not quite as good, but almost, and a damn sight less work.

OK, I figure I'd want to be in on the party too. But shouldn't it be easy to prepare the chilis up to a certain point, say where they've been roasted, skinned, and stuffed? I think I've come across recipes that suggested doing this, then giving the peppers a good chill before dipping them in the batter and deep-frying them, to keep the cheese from melting all over the place like Margaret Hamilton.

On the other hand, if I'm dealing with lots of hot oil for deep-frying, I'm not too sure I'd want more than a single Margarita before showtime.

As for Elise's questions about putting the peppers directly on the heating element on the stove, I've found I prefer having a fraction of an inch between the peppers and the element itself. I've used a wire mesh spatter guard with fairly good results, but I like to keep the spatter guard moving a little so things don't burn badly or melt. Using those old Jiffy-Pop shaking techniques from my college days have paid off, along with a little patience. This should work with both gas and electric.

[Jim Dixon]

I roast peppers right on my gas burners, with a propane torch (the very first food story I had published was about using my x-country waxing torch for roasting peppers), or on the grill if I have a fire going. Or I buy them already roasted at the Farmers Mkt in the late summer from a grower with one of those rotating roasting drum. They freeze well.

When I make rellenos, I like to spoon a chili-sized bed of the egg batter (yolks beaten with a little flour, whites whipped stiff and folded in) into the hot skillet (with a thin layer of oil), lay the stuffed chili onto it, then spoon a bit more over the top. When the bottom is set and browned, I use a fork and spatula to carefully turn the relleno over.

The result is puffy, slightly crisped exterior, which is most like the rellenos I've eaten in restaurants. I don't think it works to try to dip the stuffed chili and deep-fry it.

Jim

[Jaymes]

Jaymes, I'll take that casserole recipe & save the traditional ones for trips to my favorite Mexican restaurant.

Having lived in every single one of the US states that border Mexico, I have tried at least twenty (and probably more) different recipes for Chiles Rellenos Casserole.

Some recipes produce a firmer result, which is often cut into squares and served cold - like tapas. The firmer ones are good as appetizers for parties, or to carry on picnics.

But to serve hot, as a main dish for a light lunch or supper, or as a side for a Mexican meal or potluck dinner, I prefer this recipe, which produces a looser dish.

This recipe fits that 9x13 glass baking dish that we all have. The amount of chiles called for varies - you just have to estimate how many it will take.

Regarding the chiles: You can use any mild green chiles, Anaheim, poblano, whatever. Blister, seed and peel them, remove stems, and lay in bottom of buttered casserole. You can also buy canned whole chiles. This dish is very versatile and lends itself to experimentation with different kinds of chiles. But what you want to do is to be sure to cover the bottom of the pan, one whole chile deep; in other words, don't open them and lay them out, one "chile skin" deep (if that makes sense). The casserole gets considerable of its delicious flavor from the chiles, so don't stint on them. You want this layer to be at least two "chile skins" deep.

If you buy the canned whole green chiles, buy six cans to be sure you have enough.

So....

Chiles Rellenos Casserole

6 small cans whole green chiles, drained

1/2 lb grated Jack cheese

1/2 lb grated mild cheddar cheese

3 eggs

3 C whole milk

1 C Bisquick

1 t each salt & pepper

Layer chiles on bottom of buttered 9x13 casserole. Cover chiles with combined cheeses. Beat together the eggs, milk, Bisquick, salt and pepper. Pour over chiles and cheese. Bake, uncovered, 350º for 45 minutes.

This makes a delightful lunch, served with sliced avocados and salsa alongside, and is a wonderful dish to carry to potluck suppers.

[Blue Heron]

Jaymes Chiles Rellenos casserole received huge raves last night from the PNW group when I brought it to Col Klink's smokeout/barbeque potluck party. People could not stop talking about how good it was. I served it accompanied with her Salsa on the side. That dish went FAST, too and went along great with the smoked goat, brisket and pork, as well as other party side dishes, which were delicious as well.

Don't hesitate to try it, I think you'll like it as much as we all did. It's great to bring to a potluck or cookout.

thanks Jaymes.