- 3
Ingredients
- 1 can (7 oz.) California green chiles or 6 to 8 California green chiles, peeled according to instructions
- cheese filling or Picadillo filling
- 1/2 about 1/2 cup flour
- Coating 1, 2 or 3
- Salad oil for frying
- Salsa de Jitomate (recipe follows), optional
- Garnish with shredded jack cheese or sliced green onion tops, optional
Preparation
Step 1
Drain canned chiles, rinse, and cut a slit down the sides of each; gently remove seeds and pit inside; Prepare fresh chiles, if used, according to instructions.
Stuff chiles with either type of filling; slightly lap the cut gdges to hold the filling inside. Have flour ready in a shallow pan. Roll each chile in flour to coat all over, gently shake off excess.
Prepare one of the following coating ( batters) just before you want to fry the chilies. Coat and fry the chiles according to the instructions with each coating recipes.
If you like, top with hot Salsa de Jitomate and garnish with cheese or onion,or use a canned or homemade red chile sauce, Some people prefer Chiles Rellenos without sauce, particularly those with the thin, , crispy coating.
Cheese filling Use 1/2 pound jack cheese Just stuff each chili with a piece of cheese about 1/4 inch wide, 1/2 inch thick, and 1 inch shorter than the chile.
Picadillo Filling. Lightly toast 1/4 cup silvered almonds in 1 tablespoon butter in a frying pan, remove almonds. Brown 1/2 pound lean ground beef in the remining butter. Add 1 minced clove garlic, 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves, 1 tablespoon vingar, 1 1/2 teaspoons sugar, and the almonds. Cook uncover over medium heat for 20 minutes, or until most of the liquid has evaporated. Cool. Fill each chile with about 2 teaspoons of the filling.
Coating 1 (Thin and Crispy ) Separate 5 eggs. Beat the egg white with 1 teaspoon salt they hold firm, soft peaks, Using the same beater, or a whip, beat egg yolks until thick, fold yolks into whites and use immediately.
Heat about 1/4 inch salad oil in a wide frying pan over medium heat. Coat the chile all over with the egg batter. ( If fresh chiles are used, hold each by its steam and just dip into batter-canned chiles have no such handy stems.
Fry in the hot oil just as many at one time as can be done without crowding. When each is golden brown on one side, turn over with a spatula and fork (or two spatulas) and fry until golden on the other side.