Los Chiles Relleno

Based on a recipe from Mariquita Farm

8 anaheim or poblano chiles
8 pieces of a good melting cheese
1.5-2 pound ripe tomatoes
4 garlic cloves, skinned
1 onion, skinned, quartered
Salt and pepper to taste
4 eggs, separated
Flour

Wash & lightly dry 8 chiles that are about the size of your fist or a bit larger. Put them whole under the broiler and roast, turning with tongs, until wrinkled & dark, but not burnt on most sides. Remove from oven and place in paper bag for 5 minutes. Take them out of the bag & skin them, trying to leave them whole as best you can, then let them cool down.

Tomato sauce: Chop & seed the tomatoes. Saute garlic & onions until soft. Add tomatoes and simmer until it is thick. Taste for salt & pepper.

Slit each chile with a small whole, then attempt to remove some of the seeds, keeping the chile whole if possible. Stuff the roasted chiles with the cheese pieces. Don’t worry if some of your peppers aren’t completely whole, I just wrapped the frayed pieces around the cheese, and you couldn’t tell those chiles from the truly intact ones once they were on the plate.

With the roasted chiles and tomato sauce ready, you can start on the egg whites. Whip egg whites & 2 tablespoons flour until soft peaks are becoming a bit stiffer. Fold in 2 of the egg yolks (you can do as you please with the other two, you won’t need them for this recipe) with a rubber spatula, taking care not to disturb the egg white mass more than necessary.

Dredge stuffed chiles in flour (I put about 1/2 a cup in a saucer for this task), then thoroughly coat with the egg white stuff. Fry in hot oil until golden brown, turning at least once to cook all sides. Serve immediately with a couple of spoons of tomato sauce served over the relleno. Divine!!