Chile Relleno

Here's the recipe I burned my poor hands on. They're feeling better, though--I think I'm going to get away with no ice, this time. It came close, though!

First, start the poblanos (or other mild peppers, like Anaheims, but make sure they're suitable--have thick enough flesh for some handling, and not too skinny) roasting. I pop mine in the toaster oven. We usually eat two each, and Zac eats one or one and a half. But the number depends on how large your peppers are, too. Tonight, I did seven and we'll have a couple left over for tomorrow. :-) (I've offered to stuff Hibi's with soy cheese, but this is one meal she's not crazy about and she's okay with making her own.)

Start some brown rice cooking--I usually make one cup rice to two cups water. Brown rice takes longer than white rice to cook, so you need to begin it before you start with anything else.

Make the ranchero sauce: In a large-ish saucepan, combine 1 tablespoon peanut or olive oil, 4 medium tomatoes, chopped, 1 small chopped onion, 1 minced garlic clove, one minced jalepeno (make sure to wear hand protection!), 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat. Cook for around 15 minutes or so, until the tomatoes are soft and everything is well blended.

Chiles: after the peppers have roasted and cooled, peel the skin off. Make a slit (or use one that appears naturally) and carefully remove as many of the seeds as you can.

Grate some Jack cheese, about a pound. You could use cheddar or muenster but I like jack for rellenos. Take a handfull of cheese and squish it into a cylinder. Insert it into a pepper. Fill the peppers until they have plenty of cheese, but aren't over-full. Close them as best as you can, and squeeze them gently to keep them closed.

Sprinkle the peppers with flour to coat them.

Separate three eggs, and beat the whites until stiff. Beat in 1/8 teaspoon salt, then the yolks, one at a time.

Heat 1/2 inch of oil in a heavy skillet. Dip each pepper into the egg and then put it in the pan, as many as will fit without being crowded. Fry until golden on the bottom, then turn and fry on the other side.

Serve the peppers with rice alongside, with ranchero sauce over the peppers or over both.