4/22/09

Tips On Making New Mexican Chili Rellenos

How To Make Authentic New Mexican Chili Rellenos
I grew up in Colorado and my family would drive down a couple times a year to Santa Fe to visit friends, so I grew up eating blue corn enchiladas at the now famous The Shed restaurant and the crispy, puffed sopapillas at the local's hangout Plaza Cafe, as well as home-cooked meals in the houses of our friends. I remember the chili rellenos in particular, just a light coating of egg (with just a touch of flour) around chilis which had been charred to remove the skin and stuffed with melted cheese and surrounded by sauce made from scratch. Que rico!
What a shock to move to California and bite into a pillow of deep fried dough! That's the way chili rellenos are made by most restaurants outside of New Mexico--battered and fried with canned sauce. I never order chili rellenos any more, just make them at home. It's a bit of work, but worth every minute of prep time.
What wine to pair with chili rellenos? Try pairing a Zinfandel to stand up to hot New Mexican food if you've made your chilis fiery, or a fruit-forward red if the heat index is set to mild--I tried the Cosentino '05 Syrah from the Touring & Tasting cellar which complemented the deep flavors of the rellenos.
By the way, spring brings squash blossoms to our gardens and farmer's market. Substitute them for the chilis for a lighter dish, perfect for breakfast or brunch.

Authentic Chili Relleno Recipe
For sauce:
12 dry red chilis (from a ristra* if you are lucky to have one, or you can find dry red chilis in a Mexican market)
2 tsp olive oil
1 cup minced onion
4 cloves minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon Salt
2 Tbsp. cumin
3 cups peeled, chopped tomatoes
Fresh cilantro
Using gloves, wash the chili pods and remove all the seeds and the "veins" or fibers that hold the seeds. Put into a saucepan with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Then simmer for 15 minutes. Pour into a blender and whirl until well blended. While the chilis are simmering, you can heat the olive oil in a saucepan. Simmer the onion and garlic until onion is transparent, then add seasonings and cook another 5 minutes. Add tomatoes and cook another 5 minutes. At this point, you can puree the onion and tomatoes in the blender if you want a completely smooth sauce (for instance, if you are going to use this sauce for enchiladas instead of rellenos) Otherwise, add 1/2 the chili sauce and taste it--if you want more spice, add the rest. Then cook another 10 minutes, adding salt and pepper to taste.
For chilis:
4 green chilis, preferably New Mexican Sandia
Monterey Jack, cut in sticks 1/2"x1/2"x 1" less than the length of the chili
3 eggs
1 Tbsp. milk
3 Tbsp. flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp ground sage
Roast the chilis on the grill or under the broiler, turning as they blacken so the whole skin is puffed up and charred. Where the skin is still bright green, the skin will still stick to the chili. Run under cool water and peel off the skin (don't put the skins down your disposal!) Carefully make a slit in the side of each chili and with a sharp knife, cut the top of the fibers that hold the seeds. Carefully remove all the seeds and dry the chilis on paper towels.
Stuff each chili with a stick of cheese. Whisk the eggs, milk, flour and seasonings. Heat a frying pan coated with oil and pour in 1/4 of the egg mixture, turn the heat down to low immediately and place one chili on one side of the pan--you're going to cook the egg a bit, like an omelet, then roll up the egg so the chili ends up in the middle. Put the cooked chilis in a heated pan and when they are all done, spoon the sauce over and enjoy!
*Ristras are wreaths of dried red New Mexican chilis. If you travel to New Mexico, you can bring one home and hang it on your wall--when you need red chilis, just pull them off!
Note: New Mexican red chili is really HOT, with powerful capsaicinoids--the chemical compounds that give that burning "chili" sensation. If you get it into a nick or cut in your hands, it will hurt, so use gloves. Also, make sure you don't touch a chili when cleaning it and rub your eye with your hand.

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