Chili Rellanos

Tonight I asked my mom to write the directions for how to make chili rellanos and be my first "guest blogger."  I love chili rellanos and mom always makes them for me when I go home.  I think it is her sauce that makes them so special.  A chili rellano is a green chili, stuffed with cheese, battered and fried.  Then covered with a tomato sauce.  A lot of restaurants don't do the sauce and just cover it in cheese or they use enchilada sauce.  But once you have my mom's authentic chili rellanos, you'd love them.  You just have to pray you don't get a hot chili!

Take it away Shellie!

Mom cooking french toast with Aubrie

My first Christmas' in Phoenix were spent with Roy's Aunt Vick (Victoria Drucilla Walker Clonts) and Uncle Dude (Durward). She would have a large family gathering and serve Mexican food. Everyone brought something and my first year she told me I didn't have to bring anything. Well, I didn't think that was very polite of me not to contribute, so I looked around and saw that there was everything you could order at a Mexican food restaurant except rellenos. So, I took it upon myself to make them and bring them every Christmas. The Spanish sauce recipe was taken from a cook book my Mom let me have and in the back were recipes from a favorite restaurant of ours in Reno - Miguels. The batter came from trial and error and asking at restaurants. A true relleno isn't a scramble egg with a chili in the center of it!!



The finish products in the oven



Chile Rellenos12 whole peeled green chili peppers 4-5 Large Eggs
8 oz.Monterrey Jack cheese 2 tbsp. cornstarch
Oil Spanish Sauce (recipe to below)
1/2 Cup Flour

To peel fresh green chilies place on barbecue grill and char on all sides then put them in a plastic bag and let them steam for 20-30 minutes. Run a little water on them in the sink and the peel will come right off, also carefully remove the stem. Let them dry on paper towels. Meantime cut the jack cheese as thick and as long as your index finger. Make a small slit at the top of the chili and insert the cheese threading it down to the tip. Larger chilies can take a couple of sticks of cheese. Place the flour on a large plate and roll the stuffed chilies in the flour, coating them. Place on plate. Meantime start the Spanish sauce. 

The chili peppers, stuffed and ready to be floured

Spanish Sauce1/2 small onion diced 1/2 green bell pepper diced
1 garlic clove diced 2 tbsp. margarine
16 oz. can diced tomatoes 1/2 tsp. oregano
1-2 Tbsp. cornstarch to thicken
Melt the margarine in small saucepan and saute the onion, garlic and bell pepper until onion is translucent. Add tomatoes and oregano and simmer for 15 minutes on low. Take off stove and allow to cool. Add cornstarch when cool, returning to stove and cook on low for another 5 minutes until thickened. Season with salt, and may add a little sugar to take away acid flavor.

The sweet and tasty Spanish sauce.  If they made a candle that smelled like this, I would burn it.

Pepper getting floured and then you dip it in the batter...

And fry!

Separate the whites from the yolks and place the whites in a large glass bowl, the yolks in a small bowl. Add the cornstarch and some salt and pepper to the yolks and beat together with a fork. Meantime with a mixer, beat the whites until they form stiff peaks. In large cast iron skillet put about 1/2" of oil and heat on medium high. Take the yolks and fold into the whites. Put a wet dishrag next to the bowl to wipe your fingers on. Have a large spatula ready. Line a cookie sheet with paper towels and you are ready to begin frying the stuffed chilies. Take a chili and put into the egg mixture, dipping it in and getting both sides and the top coated then place gently into the hot skillet. Usually only two can fit in the pan at a time. Continue frying all the stuffed chilies and remove the paper towel from the cookie sheet. Place two tbsp. or so of Spanish sauce on each chili and any leftover sticks of jack cheese can be used to top the sauce if desired. I place in 170 degree oven to keep warm before serving.

 Thanks Mom for tonight's blog.  It really isn't that hard, there are just a lot of steps.  It's one of those special treats I look forward to when I go home. 

Adam and I have spent a lot of our time out in the garage.  Sorting, throwing away, packing, cleaning...moving.  I woke up with what felt like allergies and it seems to have gotten worse.  I am aching and cold.  Hopefully it will go away.  We have a busy week ahead! 

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