Homemade Chili Rellanos

My favorite type of food in the whole world is Mexican food. I could eat it every day in some form. A while back I ran across a really good and fairly easy recipe for chilis rellanos and a cooked salsa/sauce to go over them. Those recipes became "special dinner night" staples in the Avila house, and so we try to find every reason we can to figure out a reason to have a "special dinner" so we can eat the rellanos. Well, it just so happens that tonight is the last night of winter break and the kids go back to school tomorrow. Tada! Special dinner night. (Good enough reason anyway.) I thought I would do a mini-tutorial and post the recipe in case you wanted to give it a try. I hope you do! They are so yummy! Though, be prepared to do some cleaning afterwards. Kind of a messy/greasy project, for sure. Good luck!

Chili Rellanos
12 servings

3/4 1b. Monterey Jack cheese, cut into strips
8 tbsp. flour, plus 2 tbsp. for dusting
1/2 tsp. salt
8 lg. eggs, separated
1 can Whole Green Chilis, drained and dried off thoroughly (or you can use fresh, grilled and peeled Anaheims or Poblanos, depending on preference, if you know how and have time. I cheat nearly every time and use the canned ones. They are just as yummy to us done this way.) (P.S. I never use the whole can full of peppers but we use them in white bean chicken chili soup or mexican eggs. Expect about 5-6 extra)
Oil for frying

Whip the egg whites with the salt, until stiff peaks form. Set aside.

Mix the egg yolks with the 8 tbsp. flour and stir until combined.
















Gently fold the yolk mixture into the whites. Set aside.
Next, begin to heat oil in large frying pan. (I use a 14" skillet so I have plenty of room to flip them. I DEFINITELY recommend using the biggest you have. Bad things happen when they don't have breathing room. Trust me.)






     













Stuff the peppers with the cheese strips, and dredge them in the flour. Tap off excess and set aside. Prepare 3-4 at a time.

When the oil is ready, place a large spoonful of the egg mixture in the pan. Gently lay the pepper on it and cover it with another spoon of the egg mixture. Repeat until the pan is full and there is room to turn them over. Cook them on one side until they are golden brown and flip them over carefully.

 Let them cook on the other side until they are just as beautiful and golden brown as the other side. Meanwhile, prepare the next batch of peppers for the oil. Then, remove the golden peppers from the pan and allow them to drain on a rack (or a plate with a paper towel.) Repeat as necessary. Serve them with the salsa or sauce of your choice.

That is it! Not a big deal at all! We serve them with our favorite Ranchero Sauce. My husband uses the leftover sauce to eat on toast or eggs for breakfast the following days. You would think he had died and gone to Heaven. ;-) I will be blogging that next so stay tuned!

**I have since posted the sauce recipe! You can find it here!