Whiz, whirl, screech, whirl. The wheels spinning and the brakes pulsing while the touring bike continued down the grade until reaching the bottom of the pass on State Highway 64/84 in northern New Mexico, as I sat on the saddle and glided without worry. My day started out before sun up around 5:45 am just as I had every morning for the past two weeks. I spend the night before in the Shamrock Hotel in Chama, NM, and when the rubber hit the road at 7,871 feet it was all down hill for the next 45 minutes. This was just day 15 on what became a two and a half month adventure of my solo bicycling tour in the American Southwest.
The summer of 1983 was unlike any previous and certainly unlike any other. This was total adventure. Many more memories of a trip that highlighted slices of an American Southwest culture rich in heritage and steeped in tradition, as well, the Southwest cuisine influenced my life in many ways. The fresh scent of burning pinion wood and incense also etched in my conscious memories. This Chiles Rellenos recipe takes me back to a time and a place that I hold dear to my heart, memory and soul and will never be forgotten.
One of my all time favorite American Southwest dishes is the sublime chilies stuffed with jack cheese surrounded by the light and fluffy batter then fried and typically served with a cheese or tomato sauce. My variation is an easy casserole and served with a warm Salsa Verde, or a green tomatillo sauce.
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Ingredients |
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8 |
Each |
Whole Fresh Anaheim or Poblano chilies, or whole canned green chilies |
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8 |
Ounces |
Monterey Jack cheese (4 ounces cut for stuffing and 4 ounces shredded) |
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Batter: |
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2 |
Each |
Eggs, separated |
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2/3 |
Cup |
Flour |
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2/3 |
Cup |
Milk |
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½ |
Tsp |
Salt |
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1 |
Tbsp |
Olive Oil |
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Salsa Verde: |
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½ |
Tbsp |
Olive Oil |
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2 |
Lbs. |
Tomatillo, hulled and diced |
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1 |
Cup |
Onion, diced |
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1 |
Tbsp |
Garlic, minced |
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1 |
Tsp |
Chili powder |
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2 |
Cups |
Chicken or vegetable stock |
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To taste |
Salt and black pepper |
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Preparation Steps (Note: Pre-heat oven to 400° F.) |
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1. |
Fresh Chilies: If you are using fresh whole Anaheim |
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2. |
Stuffing: With half of the Jack Cheese cut 16 finger length sections (approx. 1/2” X 3” each) and gently insert two pieces into each of the 8 chilies. Take the remaining half of the Jack cheese and shred it for later use. |
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3. |
Batter: |
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4. |
Sauce: |
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5. |
Casserole: With the peppers stuffed and the sauce ready now we can go ahead and assemble the casserole. Coat the baking dish with a generous amount of butter or non-stick spray. Dredge the stuffed chilies with flour and lay them in the pan. Whip the egg whites again just a bit to ensure that they are still stiff and then fold them into the batter.
Then pour the batter evenly over the top of the chilies, (Optional: sprinkle with a little paprika) and place this into the oven for 15 minutes or until the batter is set and browned. |
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6. |
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or Poblano chilies then the stem and seeds will need to be removed. Using a paring knife cut a circle around the top stem area of the pepper and then twist off the stem cap. Then carefully remove any excess seeds that are inside the pepper. Add 2 quarts cool tap water to the 4 quart sauce pot and add a little salt then add the cleaned Anaheim peppers. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to a simmer until peppers are soft, or about 30 to 40 minutes. Drain peppers 
and allow to cool completely. If using canned whole green chilies start at step 2 below. Place the chilies on the sheet pan to ensure they are whole and intact. You will find that in most cases the canned green chilies tend to be very delicate and break easily, handle them with great care when taking them out and un-folding them in preparation for stuffing. (See Anaheim chilies in the above image)
In a small mixing bowl blend the egg yolk, milk, flour, salt and olive oil until smooth. Allow to rest for at least 20 minutes then blend again for a few more seconds. In the meantime in a separate mixing bowl beat the egg whites until stiff but not dry to a soft peak stage. Keep the separate beaten egg whites ready, we will get back to them soon.
After 15 minutes remove from the oven and turn on the broiler. Sprinkle the remaining shredded Jack cheese evenly on the top of the casserole and place the baking dish under the broiler for a few minutes to melt and brown the cheese. Remove from the broiler and allow to rest for a few minutes then serve the portions on plates and topped off with the Salsa Verde. See serving suggestion at top of this recipe. 
I had the fortunate opportunity to highlight my Cajun Spice Blend and Finger Lickin’ Rub Blend at the NC Specialty Shops in Wake Forest, NC this past weekend and it was a blast. I want to especially thank my family and friends who came out and supported me during the demonstration and food tastings. And for those other folks who got a chance to taste some of my flavor at Saturday’s tasting you were one of about 105 who got a sampling portion of either the Cajun Chicken and Sausage Jambalaya or the Black and Bleu Chicken. I have already posted the Jambalaya recipe but did not post the other, so I am going to add that one now as I had also promised that I would to some of the very nice people who asked for it on Saturday. This was the first time in over eight years that I had prepared food in a public setting having left the production side of the restaurant industry in July 2000.
The sampling portion that I prepared can easily be converted to the original sandwich form using a larger bun or roll shaped bread, adding a bit more chicken and dressing, and some lettuce and tomato. However I will recreate the recipe in the bite size tasting format that I prepared on Saturday. I am not going to share my formula for my Bleu Cheese Dressing since it is a contender on the list for future bottling production and sales, but you can use any refrigerated blue cheese dressing that contains thick hearty chunks of the aged cheese.
