I have said it a million times, and I will say it a million more…I absolutely love Mexican food! I love everything about it, the tastes, the complexity of the flavors and the simplicity of it all at the same time. Now I am saying the simplicity in making the ingredients meld together to create a masterpiece, because I will be honest, much of Mexican cooking is a labor of love to procure the flavor profiles that authentic Mexican cooking reflects.
Now I am not talking Taco Bell here. Think about your favorite authentic Mexican restaurant and you will understand what I mean. Layers upon layers of flavor, and not all Mexican food is overkill spicy. Me personally, I am a sucker for spicy food so I crave the spice, but that is the thing about cooking at home, you can control what ingredients you add and how much heat is proper! I love Chiles Rellenos. I don’t eat much, if any fried foods, but I will eat Chiles Rellenos when I know it will be made properly!
What are Chiles Rellenos?
Chiles Rellenos are a Mexican Poblano chili pepper stuffed with meat, usually picadillo a meat of pork, raisins, and nuts. or cheese such as queso Chihauhua or queso Oaxaca. In the United States they are made with Monterey Jack cheese, Asiago, or Asedero cheese, then dipped in egg batter and fried, and is usually served with a rojo or verdi sauce.
Can I bake the Chiles Rellenos?
I have had these made many different ways and I have even tried to replicate the texture baked and to do it right, you really need to fry them. Consider this your cheat day, your indulgent decadent day, your day to celebrate, Cinco de Mayo! Whatever the case is find an excuse to may these.
Do I have to use Monterey Jack cheese?
What I love about Chiles Rellenos, especially my Mexican Chiles Rellenos with Spicy Rojo Sauce, is that using two cheeses, you get a nice melty gooey center a little heat from the poblano pepper, and the light crispness from the egg batter. Heaven!
I like to use a blend of Monterey Jack cheese and Fontina cheese, which play so well with each other. Authentic, not entirely, but so yummy. You want to be sure to use a good melting cheese, as authentic Chiles Rellenos should be dripping with cheese inside.
Does the Rojo sauce need to be spicy?
Serving it with this silky, slightly spicy rojo sauce takes this over the top, and shouldn’t be omitted, but if you are sensitive to spicy food you can scale back on the chipotles in adobo, or leave them out all together, or you can use a half of fresh jalapeno that is seeded for a milder heat.
I hope you give this a try! These Mexican Chiles Rellenos with Spicy Rojo Sauce is the perfect complement to a nice margarita.
From my cucina to yours, disfrutar! (Enjoy)
Sinfully,
Susan xoxo
Enjoy!
Mexican Chiles Rellenos with Spicy Rojo Sauce
A classic Mexican dish that's full of flavor, with a little bit of heat, and oozing with cheesy goodness!
Credit: CrazySexySavor.com/Susan Mangieri-Maurath
Ingredients
For the Spicy Rojo Sauce
- 1 28 oz. can of whole plum tomatoes
- 1/2 onion rough chop
- 2 cloves of garlic smashed
- 1 1/2 chipotles in adobo sauce (cut back if you are worried about heat) *you can freeze the remaining chipotles in adobo, I do it all the time. Simply put remaining chipotles and the adobo sauce, in a freezer safe plastic zipper bag and place in the freezer, then cut frozen chipotles off as needed, and place back in freezer.
- 1 1/2 tsp. of chili powder
- 1 tsp. of cumin
- large bunch of cilantro, about 1/4 cup chopped
- 1/2 cup of chicken or vegetable stock
- 1 1/2 tbsp. of canola oil
- juice of half a lime
- 1 1/2 tsps. of sugar
- 1 tbsp. of butter
- Kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste
For the Chiles Rellenos
- 3 eggs separated at room temperature
- 5 poblano peppers
- 3/4 of Monterey Jack cheese shredded
- 1/2 cup of fontina cheese shredded
- 1/4 cup of flour
- 2 tsp. of baking powder
- 1 tsp. of chipotle chili powder
- pinch of cream of tartar up to a teaspoon
- EVOO
- Kosher salt and cracked black pepper to taste
Directions
For the Spicy Rojo Sauce
- In a food processor or kitchen blender, combine tomatoes, onions, garlic, cilantro, chipotle in adobo sauce. Pulse until smooth.
- In a Dutch oven heat canola oil over medium high heat. Add blended mixture, add in spices, season with salt and pepper. Mix well to incorporate, then turn down to simmer. Add in sugar and juice of half of a lime to cut the acidity and lend a little balance of sweetness to the spice. Do not over sweeten. You want this sauce to have a bite, but not bitter.
- Turn down heat to a simmer. Simmer for 15 minutes, uncovered, then set aside, off the burner with a lid on.
For the Chiles Rellenos
- In a broiler, line a broiler pan with foil, and lightly brush the poblano peppers with EVOO, lightly. Char in broiler turning frequently to prevent burning. This can be done on the burner of a gas stove, but since I have an electric stove, this is the prefered method. When peppers are nicely charred on both sides, remove from the broiler, and immediately place the hot peppers in a Ziploc bag. This will make removing the charred skin, easier. Let sit about 15 minutes, or until you can handle them.
- When you can handle peppers without burning your hands, begin to remove the charred skin. I leave some light pieces on, I’m crazy like that, but you can decide what is best. When charred skin is removed, make a slit lengthwise in the pepper to make room for stuffing the poblano, as well as enabling you to remove the seeds. Remove seeds, and rinse. I like to do this, optional, just make sure to blot the peppers dry, Set aside.
- In a pie plate or similar shallow vessel, add flour, chipotle chili powder, baking soda and a pinch of salt. Mix with fork and set aside.
- Meanwhile, in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer, add in egg whites, with a pinch of cream of tartar and salt to help stabilize the egg whites.
- In a bowl beat egg yolks, and gently fold into egg whites when they are fully beaten and stiff.
- In a large skillet heat about 2 inches of canola oil over medium high heat.
- Stuff each pepper with cheese filling, then dredge in flour. Immediately dip in egg mixture, making sure to coat each pepper generously with egg batter. Place in skillet and fry lightly golden about three minutes per side. Be careful not to burn the egg coating. I like to work in batches, so I can manage the peppers to prevent over browning. To drain, line a baking sheet with a rack to catch excess oil and retain crispness.
- Serve immediately. Spoon a large amount of Spicy Rojo Sauce down on a plate, then place a chiles rellenos in the center, garnish with chopped cilantro if desired. These are best enjoyed immediately after cooking so as to retain the flavor and integrity of the airy light batter of the Chiles Rellenos. Devorar!
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It is quite tasty and sexy because it is prepared by a sexy lady like you
Aww! Thank you!😊