To be honest, I’m not a fan of spicy peppers and really don’t know my poblanos from my Anaheims. However, my husband’s favorite dish is chili rellenos and for his birthday, that’s the dinner he requested – not a casserole, but the chilis themselves with no red enchilada sauce in sight, just the breaded peppers. So I went to a source I trusted, our dear Graciela, who is a great cook and knows exactly how to make these. When I asked her for a recipe, she graciously volunteered to make them herself as a gift to Steve, and so she did. And they were delicious! But I still didn’t have a recipe because I think Graciela, like most natural cooks, cooks intuitively. Having no intuition in this matter, but determined to give it a try after spying some beautiful peppers at the farmers market, I did some research, and I think Graciela would be proud of my results! I followed my rule of thumb to add more of whatever is called for — in this case, cheese — and along the way I found the secret to great chili rellenos: separate the eggs and whip those egg whites! The frothy mix hugs the peppers beautifully and the silky yellow coating holds the flour during the quick frying to give you a dish that is perhaps not so photogenic, but quite amazingly delicious. The reviews from the post-birthday boy were raves – he didn’t even want salsa on top. I’m going to try it again soon so I can hopefully get a better picture and not one that looks like what Ina Garten would call “a dog’s breakfast!” Maybe I should add nasturtiums and a blurry background?
Here’s a better picture, courtesy of the internet!
And here’s how I did it. Don’t be intimidated — it’s basically 4 steps: roast, stuff, coat, fry.
- 6 poblano or Anaheim peppers -- choose nice long green ones
- 8 ounces white sharp cheddar (or any other flavorful) cheese, either grated or in strips
- 2 eggs, separated
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ cup flour
- 1 cup vegetable oil for frying
- Salsa (optional, for topping)
- Preheat your broiler to high, or your oven to 450F degrees.
- Line a baking sheet with foil and arrange your peppers in a single layer.
- Put the baking sheet into the broiler (or oven) for five minutes, about 6 inches from the heat source.
- After five minutes, if peppers have blackened and blistered, carefully, using long tongs, flip them over for another five minutes so the other side chars also.
- When blackened nicely, carefully remove them from the oven and put the peppers into a plastic bag and tightly close it; this will allow the peppers to steam. Leave them in there for about 15 minutes.
- Remove the peppers from the plastic bag and when cool enough to touch, rinse under cool water, then peel the skins -- they should slide right off. Pat dry with paper towels.
- With a sharp knife, make a slit down the length of each pepper.
- If you want it mild, remove the membrane and seeds at this point; if you want more heat, omit this step.
- Stuff each pepper with the cheese.
- Separate the eggs, putting the whites into an electric mixer bowl and the yolks into another large bowl.
- Whisk the egg yolks with the baking powder.
- Whip the egg whites in the metal bowl with an electric mixer until stiff peaks form.
- Gently fold the egg whites into the yolk/baking powder mixture and combine well.
- Place flour into a shallow bowl.
- Warm vegetable oil in a skillet over medium heat.
- Roll each stuffed pepper in flour, shaking off excess, then dipping into the egg mixture to completely coat the pepper.
- Carefully lay the coated peppers into the hot oil and fry until lightly golden brown, about 5 minutes on each side, until cheese is melted.
- Serve with salsa if desired.