Chili Rellenos!

People have requested this, so I guess I will give up our secret recipe!  Mark and I were a whole lot more thoughtful this spring and summer about supporting local business's and farms.  It was very important to us to try support the places we loved to go, without blowing our own, diminished budget.  We started shopping at the farmers market for all our produce and found, not only were we getting fresh locally grown foods, we were getting it cheaper than we could in the grocery store.

We started finding and changing recipes to suit or tastes.  With so many wonderful veggies it was fun.  Here is our very favorite for the whole season!  Enjoy.

Chili Rellenos

The first thing I do is make my Pico de gallo or Salsa Fresca or use the salsa from this blog if you canned some :

6 large tomatoes, diced medium

1 medium onion, diced small

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Jalapeno, minced

1/2 a cup cilantro, chopped

2 teaspoons lime zest

1 lime, squeezed for the juice

salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients and refrigerate until ready to use.  You can freeze any leftovers.

8 Anaheim peppers
1 cup grated colby jack cheese
1 cup leftover meat, chopped or shredded (great way to use leftover roasts or rotisserie chicken)
6 eggs
salt and pepper to taste
toothpicks (plain wooden)
1/4 inch of frying oil in the bottom of a large skillet or frying pan

On the grill or in the oven roast as many peppers as you want to stuff and eat now and some for freezing if you want.  We like the Anaheim peppers best, but use Poblano or your own favorite.  Roast until skin is charred all over.  I then put mine in a paper bag for at least a half hour.  This allows the skin to steam and makes it easy to remove.  While waiting for the peppers to stream, I grate about a cup of cheese for every 8 peppers.  This is Tillamook Colby Jack.  I get whatever left over meat I am going to use, chopped or shredded finely.  This is left over beef roast.

Relleno Prep

Gently use finger to split pepper.

Remove seeds.

Now remove the skin from your peppers.  You can use a dry paper towel and gently rub the skin off, or just use your fingers to peel it off.  Then lay pepper down on a flat surface and find a crack or place where it will split, run your finger up the pepper pressing gently.  It should split easily. Once they are all split, take them to the sink and remove all the seeds, this is where a lot of the heat is.  Lay on a paper towel to dry.

Gently wash out remaining seeds and skin.

Dry on paper towels.

Gently pick up a pepper and stuff with cheese and meat.  It does not take much and you need to be able to close the pepper with a tooth pick after you are done.  You will get a feel for it after the first few.  Then close with two or three toothpicks. Don't worry if you can see the filling.  Once they are dipped in the egg batter, the filling will stay put if you handle them with care.

Stuff with cheese, then meat.

Close with two to three toothpicks.

Heat oil in your pan until medium to medium high temperature is achieved.  While the oil is heating, in a non plastic bowl crack eggs, dropping only egg whites in an reserving yolks.  Beat whites until peaks are stiff, add salt and pepper and gently fold in the lightly beaten yolks.  Gently add one pepper at a time to the batter and fold batter over the top until covered, remove and add to pan.

Beat egg white until you have stiff peaks.

Add salt and pepper and egg yolks.

Gently fold in egg yolks.

Add peppers to batter one at a time and gently cover with batter by scooping it over the top.

Fry until golden brown and then flip.

Yum.  Take out and blot with a paper towel when browned on both sides.

Serve topped with salsa, sour cream and a side of beans and fresh tortillas, YUMMY!