I made Chili Rellenos for 12 people last night.

[SalviaBlue]

Hi Everybody,

This is my first OP on DU but I have been here for years. I always check this forum out, since I love to cook. So thanks for all the tips!!

Anyway, I was thinking I should share my Chili Relleno story. So here goes:

My family planned a party on my Mom's BD (she passed away in March, just missing her 80th BD) . We decided to go Mexican and I was picked to do the Chili Rellenos.

I made them on Sunday and froze them, then reheated them for the party on Wednesday.

I used fresh poblanos which I roasted and peeled. I stuffed them w/ Monterey Jack cheese and fried them with the typical batter (egg whites whipped until stiff then add yolks and a small amount of flour).

My trick is to only fry them until the batter is set and just slightly brown -- don't worry about getting the cheese melted.
If I am making them to eat the same day, I do this early in the day and then reheat on a rack in a cookie sheet at dinner time. This melts the cheese but also A LOT of the oil falls away, making them much less greasy. I like them much better this way than eating them fresh from the fryer. It also makes it really easy to feed them to 12 people at one seating.

I made a really nice sauce too, but that’s another story.

Speaking of my Mom, she was a great cook and I can remember her making chili rellenos for a crowd right at dinner time and although she never let them see her sweat, I know it was quite the undertaking. I know she would approve of my method.

PS:

We also had carne asada, tortillas, mexican rice, refried beans, chips, quacomole, salsa, and melon.

[hippywife]

1. Welcome to C&B, SalviaBlue!

That was a wonderful way to commemorate your mom's birthday and honor her memory. I'm sure she'd be very please.

:hi:

[wakemeupwhenitsover]

2. Welcome to C&B.

I had no idea that you could freeze chili rellenos. I'm going to try your tip. We love to do the full out Mexican dinner, but I find it pretty tricky to pull off. This would get another dish out of the way.

What a terrific way to honor your Mom. You bet she would approve.

:hug: on the loss of your beloved mom, too.

[NMDemDist2]

3. i was at the store today and saw the Hatch chili harvest arrives this weekend

:9

they roast the chilis in the parking lot for you while you shop if you like :evilgrin:

your recipe sounds GREAT and what a wonderful tribute to your mom.

[Warpy]

6. I always love to see the roasters appear at all the markets

because I know it's going to smell like fall and that the hottest weather is OVER.

They sell pound bags of roasted chiles here and that's what goes into my freezer. As much as I love the stuff, I can't justify a half bushel at a time!

[Gormy Cuss]

15. Hatch chiles...

I am deep in envy in spite of our own backyard harvest and chile roaster.

[Stinky The Clown]

4. Welcome to C&B!!

[SalviaBlue]

5. Thanks for the welcome!!

I love making Mexican food. I just discovered a store here in the Central Valley of CA called Vallarta. It is a chain super market specializing in Mexican foods. What a find!! They have huge meat market, cheese department, prepared foods and they make fresh tortillas all day. It's a huge store and is brimming w/ shoppers.

[yellerpup]

7. What a meal!

I am drooling all over my keyboard. I love Mexican food and make my chiles rellenos exactly the same way, but I have always eaten them fresh from the fryer and have never reheated them in the way you describe. I'm going to try your tip for sure. Welcome to C&B! :hi:

[vanlassie]

8. Wow- that sounds delicious!

I would love to hear about the sauce you made, too!

[me b zola]

9. Sauce! Sauce! Sauce!

I want to hear about your salsa!

[SalviaBlue]

10. Well, it wasn't a salsa. It was more like a gravy.

First I roasted dried guajillo chilies (about 15-20) on a cast iron pan just until they smoked slightly.
Then I soaked them in water for about a half an hour.
I also had about 5 whole cloves of garlic with skin roasting on the cast iron until they were soft.
Drain the chilies but reserve the water.
Place the chilies and garlic in the food processor and add enough reserved water to make the consistency like pancake batter.
Then put through a sieve to remove any seeds and skins.
Pour this mixture into a hot saute pan with some olive or veg oil and slowly saute until the color darkens several shades - maybe five minutes or so.

At this point I usually put the mixture in ice cube trays and freeze for future use.

For the gravy, I made a rue with butter and flour and then added chicken broth and some of the chili paste.
I would say that for 2 cups of gravy I added 1/4 cup of paste, but it's strictly to taste.

You can use any kind of dry chili this way, some are hotter than others.

This gravy is really good on the rellenos but also on tamales.

[me b zola]

11. Sounds delicious

I appreciate you answering, I was hoping that the chant would be encouraging. :)

[SalviaBlue]

12. Oh it was!! I couldn't resist.

[susanna]

13. My husband adores Chili Rellenos, but I'm a chicken and haven't tried them.

I am bookmarking your post and will use some of your techniques. Do you have a favorite book recipe for them, or is it all in your head (like most of my heritage recipes)? I have a zillion cookbooks so I am sure I can find one, but would like to know if you have one you would recommend.

BTW, welcome! I lurk this forum a ton too. I only post occasionally myself. :hi:

[SalviaBlue]

14. I have tons of cookbooks too.

When I decide to make something, my MO is to look at every recipe I can find and then do my own thing with those guidelines (unless you need exact measurements).

I have several Rick Bayless cookbooks and I think that this white girl from CA has learned the most about Mexican cooking from him. Especially, with regards to making sauces and salsas. I followed his recipe for the chili relleno batter.

His website is: www.fronterakitchens.com.

[susanna]

17. Bayless is awesome - I've made a few things of his.

I will check his batter recipe out.

And I do the same thing (scan about ten recipes, figure out the methods, do my own thing). Thanks for your insights.

[wryter2000]

16. Now, I'm hungry

Welcome to C&B.

I love chiles rellenos but have never made them successfully. Maybe I'll try your method.