Homemade Chiles Rellenos worth the effort

Chiles Rellenos look complicated. After all, the traditional Mexican dish involves charring, stuffing and frying chile peppers.

Turns out, making rellenos at home only looks tough. It’s certainly not a “quick-dinner-after-work” dish, but it doesn’t take all day, either. It’s a process, but the end result is pretty tasty. This should be a relief to one reader who called Food Editor Lorie Hutson for a chile rellenos recipe.

Hutson landed this recipe when she took a cooking class with Chef Char Zyskowski of the Apple Charlotte Cooking Co. As Zyskowski noted in her recipe, it came to her from a Mexican-American friend in Southern California, and it remains a favorite.

I can see why. The egg batter fries up beautifully, golden brown and delicious. I did, however, come across a few hiccups with the recipe. Her original called for a pound of Monterey Jack cheese, to stuff 12 chiles. I didn’t need anywhere near that much. A half pound of cheese should do nicely. Also, I had plenty of the egg batter left over after I’d fried the chiles. She called for eight eggs and 8 tablespoons flour. I’d take that down to six of each, or maybe fewer.

She also calls for Mexican oregano, which I couldn’t find in my local market; I went with regular oregano and used more of it.

Many recipes I found suggested sealing the stuffed chiles with a toothpick. I skipped that step. Instead, I made sure to place the cut side up in the frying pan as I fried the chiles. Then I “sealed” the cut in the chile with a gob of the batter. When I turned the chile over, the extra batter helped keep the cheese in the rellenos and out of the hot oil.

Finally, Zyskowski tops her rellenos with a warm homemade salsa. Do this too soon and you’ll end up with soggy rellenos. Pour on the sauce right before serving.

Traditional Chiles Rellenos

Adapted from a recipe by Char Zyskowski

12 chilies, Anaheim or poblano

1/2 pound jack cheese, sliced 1/8 inch by 1 inch by 1 1/2 inches

4 cups beef stock

2 cups chopped tomatoes

Handful of oregano

Salt and pepper, to taste

6 large eggs

6 tablespoons flour

Salt, to taste

Corn or canola oil

Blacken chiles over open fire, on grill or under a broiler. Listen for the skins to begin popping and charring, then turn the chiles over. Sweat the blackened chiles in a bowl covered with plastic wrap until cool enough to handle. Remove the skins.

Cut a slice in the chiles and remove as many seeds and veins as possible, without tearing too much. Lay out on paper towels. Fill each with 2 or 3 pieces of jack cheese. Set aside.

Meanwhile, place stock in pan and reduce by boiling about 20 minutes to about 3 cups. Add tomatoes and season with oregano, salt and pepper. Simmer gently.

Make batter by separating egg yolks from egg whites. Beat whites until stiff. Beat egg yolks with a pinch of salt until they turn pale yellow and thicken slightly. Alternately fold in egg yolks and 1 tablespoon of flour to egg whites, folding gently after each addition until it is all incorporated. Batter should still be fluffy.

Heat about 1/4-inch of oil in a large sauté pan. Dip stuffed chilies into batter and gently lay in hot oil, leaving plenty of room around chilies to turn. Complete this process with each chile. After browning on each side, remove chiles to paper towels to absorb some of the oil.

To serve, place on a plate with sauce.

Yield: 12 servings

Nutrition per serving: Unable to calculate.