Karen Chang Barr’s chile rellenos are like perfect clouds of goodness. The Niu Valley resident came up with this outstanding vegetarian dish after living in Olympia, Washington, and learning more about Mexican food. Her version is light, flavorful and doesn’t involve frying.
She starts with fresh, large poblano peppers, also called pasilla. After broiling them in the oven, she peels the charred skin and seeds them, leaving a vertical cut so they can be stuffed with delicious cotija cheese. The seeds add heat, so without them, the chiles are mild and flavorful.
Cotija cheese can be found in almost any store, but you can always substitute with feta or a Mexican mix cheese.
The trick to her delicious recipe is to separate egg whites from the yolks. The yolks are flavored with granulated garlic, salt, pepper and chile powder with just a bit of flour to help them firm up. Then the whites are whipped into peaks and combined with the yolks.
This secret mixture is combined and forms a wonderful cloud-like topping of the stuffed flavorful chiles.
After baking, this offering is a show-stopper.
Served with Spanish rice and refried beans, you can allocate one per person. However, it is so delicious, you may want to plan for two per person.
Baked Chile Rellenos
Ingredients:
•6 whole, fresh poblano peppers
• Oil to grease casserole
• 1-1/2 cups or more cotija cheese, substitute Mexican mix
• 6 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon chile powder, substitute paprika
• Dash of salt and pepper
Directions:
Preheat oven to broil. Wash peppers and pat dry. Broil the peppers on a parchment-lined baking sheet. After 6 minutes use tongs and rotate the peppers. Broil second side for 6 minutes. Place in bowl and cover so the peppers steam as they cool.
When cooled, peel off the skin and make a vertical slit to remove the seeds. Oil a casserole dish and place peppers there. Turn oven to bake at 350 degrees. Fill each pepper with about 1/8 to 1/4 cup cheese (depending on size of peppers). Separate the egg whites from the yolks. In a small bowl, whisk the yolks and add flour, garlic, chile powder, salt and pepper. Using a hand mixer, mix the whites until stiff. Gently fold the yolks with the whites until fully blended. Cover the peppers with the egg mixture, leaving the stems exposed and bake until golden brown, about 20-25 minutes. Serve with Spanish rice, beans and salsa. Serves 6 small eaters.
