Chile rellenos are amazing, delicious things. But boy are they a pain in the butt to make! I always forget how time-consuming and annoying they are because I am blinded by the results. And honestly, I don't know how people manage to bread and fry them and keep them held together. I can't keep them together just sitting in a pan.
And naturally, as is my way, I forgot to take the after picture until I had already scarfed down an entire chile, so you'll just have to settle for 3/4 of the end product:
Neither did I take any along-the-way photos, so here's what they looked like pre-melting:
So without further ado, Chiles Rellenos Amber style:
You'll need:
- Poblano chiles
- Your choice of (preferably white) cheese - I used sharp cheddar, which is not traditional, but worked fine. Really any kind of cheese will do. Never tried blue but it might work.
- Enchilada sauce (yes, I'm lazy)
- Various meats/salsas to put inside (completely optional) - I used leftover roast beef, bacon (cooked) and some jarred salsa
Skin the chiles: Put them suckers right on top of the burners and blast them until their skins get all black. Then stick them in an airtight container for a half-hour. Theoretically, after this time, they'll be easy to peel. This is a big lie and I decided after I made this dish that I'm never going to do this step again. Proceed at your own risk.
Then stuff them: Slit the chiles and attempt to dig out the woody inside and seeds. Try not to demolish the chiles in the process, but it's no big deal if you do. Put in tons of cheese and whatever meats and salsas you like. I made four different kinds of chiles because that's the kind of thing I enjoy.
Then douse them in sauce: I love sauce. I oversauce things. Sauce is good. If you made your own sauce, good for you. Otherwise, get the red kind in the can.
Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, until the cheese gets melty. Then eat!
See how many steps this was? I didn't even coat and fry them! But in the end, you get really delicious, homemade, simple-ingredient (if not simple preparation) food. Serve them up with some black beans or just refried from a can... delicious!
