Chile Relleno

Hoptoad Flame Broiled Chile Relleno

Feb 2022, La Paz, BCS

Batter recipie updated Jan 14, 2024

Serves 4, hopefully without a galley fire.

INGREDIENTS

CHILE RELLENO SAUCE (AKA: Magic Mexican Red Sauce)

• 1/4 cup corn oil
• 1/2 medium onion, peeled and diced
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1/4 cup flour
• 3 Roma tomatoes, (Blanch in hot water for a minute, then peel skin off)
• 1 seeded and stemmed jalapeno pepper
• 2 cups water
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 3/4 teaspoons Mexican oregano
• 1/4 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
• 1 bay laurel leaf
• 1 (small) pinch ground cinnamon
• 1 (small) pinch ground cloves

CHILES

• 6 large poblano chiles, fresh. (The flat ones are easier to work with, rather than big triangles.)

BRINE

• 2 cups water
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup white vinegar

CHEESE

• 6 ounces/4 slices of easy-melting mild cheese (Cuhurachha??, Cheddar, Gouda, or Jack)

CHILE RELLENO BATTER: (Jan 14, 2024 Update)

• 1/3 cup AP flour
• 1/4 cup corn starch
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup cold club soda or beer

Cooking

• 2 cups cheap oil (or more) for frying. Not EVO (olive oil)

GARNISH

• Sour cream & fresh cilantro or Cilantro sauce (From Mexico!)

INSTRUCTIONS

MAGIC MEXICAN RED SAUCE

Heat 1/4 cup corn oil in a saucepan over medium-low heat.

Finely chop the onion and garlic.

Sauté the onion and garlic mixture slowly in oil until translucent and golden, and almost caramelized.

Mix the 1/4 cup flour into the onions and garlic, cooking until flour is lightly browned.

Peel (first blanch them in hot water for a minute) and chop the Roma tomatoes. You should have about 1 cup chopped tomatoes.

Finely chop the de-seeded jalapeno. (Note: Taste the jalapeno to be aware how hot it is. Some are mild like a green pepper, others will burn your face off.)

Process (grind) all of the above in a food processor until it's a smooth puree. Return to the sauce pan. Add 2 cups of water and 1 teaspoons of salt.

Alternately,

Add the chopped tomatoes and jalapeno to the sauce pan, then add water and salt and continue cooking it without processing it. This approach will result in a slightly chunky sauce. Mixing it with a hand blender will smooth it out some.

Crush 3/4 teaspoon of Mexican oregano between your fingers and add it along with the ground pepper, bay leaf, a pinch of ground cinnamon, and a pinch of ground cloves. Use small pinches, these spices go a long way!

Bring mixture to a boil while whisking.

Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 45 minutes, or until you have a nice thick sauce. Cover the saucepan, stir occasionally.

You can keep the sauce warm over low heat, whisking as needed to refresh consistency, or reheat and stir before serving. (And yes, remove the Bay Leaf before serving)

CHILE PREPERATION

Keep the pepper stems intact and place on BBQ grill, under the broiler, or directly over gas flame, cooking on each side until evenly blistered and slightly blackened. The direct flame method is faster, but pretty sketchy.

After blistering, place the peppers in a large ziplock bag or covered pan. Allow them to steam on their own for about three minutes.

Carefully peel the blackened skin off each pepper. (Just get the big pieces – lightly scraping with a serrated knife helps.)

Let them cool for 15 minutes or so, and then cut a slit lengthwise down the middle of one side of the pepper. The slit should be just big enough to scrape and flush the seeds out. (The cheese will go in here later.)

Carefully cup each pepper with one hand and scoop out the seeds with a small spoon. Then gently run water into the slit to flush out the remainder of the seeds.

Combine 2 cups water, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 cup white vinegar, and soak the chilies in brine for a few minutes.

Remove chiles from brine and blot dry with paper towels.

Cut cheese into long thin sticks.

Stuff each chile with cheese, slipping into the slit in the pepper.

IT'S PARTY TIME! (All of the above can be done earlier.)

CHILE RELLENO BATTER: (Jan 14, 2024 Update)

• 1/3 cup AP flour
• 1/4 cup corn starch
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup cold club soda or beer

Mix the dry ingreadents of the batter together, then add the liquid so the batter it is slightly thick, like a pancake batter.

Pour oil into a cast iron skillet and heat to prepare for deep frying.

Measure ~1/4 cup AP flour into a sifter and dust each of the chilies on all sides. This will allow the wet batter to stick to the chilies.

Carefully dip/roll the stuffed chilies in the batter (so the cheese doesn't fall out), and then transfer directly to the hot oil.

DEEP FRYING THE CHILE RELLENOS

Place the chile (carefully) into the hot oil. Repeat, frying only 2 or 3 at a time.

IMPORANT NOTE: DO NOT DRIP WATER FROM THE RED SAUCE INTO THE HOT OIL - GALLY FIRES WILL RESULT!

Fry the chiles until golden on all sides, turning once until done. It takes about 5 minutes to fry each one completely.

TO SERVE

Drain the peppers between paper towels.

Make a pool of warm Red sauce on the plate and add chili. Top with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkling of fresh chopped cilantro, or cilantro sauce.

BUEN PROVECHO!