CHILE RELLENO for CINCO de MAYO

Pretty peppers... did someone say chili relleno. Now I know these are not pablano peppers but my husband is really sensitive to hot stuff and these looked so nice for stuffing.

I have always wanted to make chili relleno but never really had the guts. I thought it was a pretty complicated process better left for restaurant chefs who do it all the time. Well I must say that I am glad I embarked on the little Mexican journey. I tell you that it was so worth it. So much less grease.
I think that part that I was most concerned about was the roasting and the batter. The roasting was incredibly easy and quick. I have always roasted my red peppers in the oven but I think I might switch to this way as it went so quickly.

Aren't they beautiful? I love roasted anything.














Here is the filling stuffed in the pepper. I made a T-type cut, chopped out the seed portion and rubbed out any remaining seeds. I then scooped the filling in very carefully. This part was the most difficult because the peppers are so delicate, taring very easily.








Insert a toothpick in to hold them together while going through the following steps. Make sure you remember to take them out when they are finished.










The batter is very easy. Whip 6 eggs until soft peaks form. Fold in the six egg yolks utnil combined.

Dredge the stuffed chiles in flour and then dip into egg mixture. Carefully. place in frying pan. They fry up very quickly and do not seem to absorb that much grease. The egg cooks so quickly and forms a crust. I used tongs to turn very gently. The turning is not easy just be gentle and patient.

Prepare a baking sheet with some red tomato sauce. You could use enchilada sauce or just a tomato sauce with garlic.

At this point you could place some cheese over them and bake them in the oven for about twenty minutes. I wanted to keep them on the light side so I served them just like that.

Everyone really enjoyed these and we were amazed about how light they were. Definitely a make again type recipe. One of the most helpful sites I found for chile relleno was the Wiki How To that had pictures of the process. Of course she seems to make it look super simple.

This is definitely a great dish to make for Cinco de Mayo. If you are entertaining that day a lot of the steps can be prepared in advance. You can have it in the oven when the guests arrive.

So enjoy your margarita or cerveza and Mexican food this Cinco de Mayo!

Stuffing recipe

1 ripe plantain
2 medium onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 green pepper. minced
1 red pepper, minced
6 oz mozzarella, chopped

Saute onions, peppers and plantain. Cook until transluscent. Add garlic. Remove from heat and let cool. Add chopped mozzarella.

You can really put anything you want in the chiles. I added mostly vegetables to keep them pretty light.