Hatch Green Chile Rellenos w/Beefy Enchilada Sauce

Chile Rellenos

It's Hatch Green Chile season again, but this year I decided not to get 30 lbs worth...lol  I really loved the chiles, but decided I didn't want to go through the trouble of prepping them.  Maybe next year I will be up to the task again ;o)

I did get about 1 lb of them at the store and made Chile Rellenos out of it.  I love rellenos, but most of the time they aren't very good when you order them at a restaurant. I think they may make them ahead of time and then reheat and dress them right before they serve it.  I like them fried & stuffed with cheese, none of that healthy grilled stuff ;o) I'm not even really sure what an authentic Chile Relleno is, so I just improvised and made it my own way!

My post about last years ordeal of prepping my Hatch Chiles...

http://myhomecookedmeals.blogspot.com/2011/05/dinner-tonighthatch-green-chile-chicken.html

Making the sauce...

I decided to make an Enchilada type sauce and then added a little bit of meat to it since the rellenos was just stuffed with cheese, onion & corn.

For the sauce, I sauteed...onion, jalapeno & garlic and then added chili powder, cumin, Mex oregano, Mex seasonings, s&p & masa flour as a thickener.

Melding the Flavors...

For a big batch of Enchilada Sauce I would add homemade stock, but since I was only making a little, I just added water and  bouillon for flavor. I also normally would add a little bit of tomato or tomato sauce, but this time I just added some homemade pico de gallo/salsa that I had leftover from our taco dinner. After the flavors had melded for about 20 mins,  I whirled it up with the stick blender for a smooth consistency.

Enchilada Sauce w/Ground Beef & Chorizo

For the meat, I just added the leftovers from our Ground Beef & Chorizo Tacos from the night before.  I added it after I used the stick blender on the sauce and then cooked it down to a semi-thick consistency.  I didn't want it too watery that it would just all dribble off the plate.

Of course you can omit the beef/chorizo & chicken flavorings for my non-meat-eater friends :o)  That's one of the things I love about cooking, it's so versatile that you can change a lot of the ingredients around.  I'm actually tempted to try Soyrizo...Chorizo made out of soy!

Taco Post...

http://myhomecookedmeals.blogspot.com/2011/08/ground-beef-chorizo-tacos.html

Roasted Hatch Chiles

It's not quite the same as the char that you get from the Hatch Roastings that they do at the store, but the next best thing is to put them under the broiler of my oven when I have to roast more than a couple of chiles.  If I only had a few I'd have roasted them on the flame of the stove ;o)

After taking them out of the oven, I stick them in a plastic bag for about 10 mins, so they steam and are easier to peel.  I also take the seeds out, but leave the stems on.  I try not to tear it, but sometimes that's hard!

Stuffed w/Cheese, Onion & Corn

I learned this technique on a Diner's, Drive-In's episode.  I would have liked to use Jack Cheese, but I only had Cheddar on hand.  I grated the cheese then added raw onions & sauteed fresh corn.  I then formed the mixture into a cigar shape and then shaped it to fit into the chile.  I then closed it as tight as possible and then froze it for about 15 mins.  When you take it out of the freezer, be careful that it doesn't tear when you take it off the plate.

Floured...

After taking it out of the freezer, I cover it in flour.  Don't let it thaw if it's only been in the freezer for about 15 mins. Since it's lightly frozen, the cheese keeps it's shape and won't fall out even WITHOUT using a toothpick to clamp it together.  Now that I think about it, it may have been better with Masa Corn Flour...

Egg White Dip

You need to make this Egg White Mixture before taking the chiles out of the freezer.  I made it with a stick blender with the whisk attachment.  I first whisked 2 egg whites until semi-stiff peaks formed then I added 1 egg yolk and then a little flour to the mix.  It was the consistency of a fluffy pancake batter.  

I then dipped the floured chiles into the dip/batter then deep fried  it.  The batter & flour seals the chiles, so  the cheese doesn't ooze out :o)

Frying...

Keep turning it when you fry it and I go by the color for the doneness.  Be sure to fry it enough, so the cheese gets hot and melts.  The first one I served to Hubby was kinda cold and the cheese wasn't quite melted...

Ready to Dress...

Fried, Yummy Goodness :o)

Topped w/Meat Sauce & Cheese Mix

I topped it with the leftover Cheese Mix, the Beefy Enchilada Sauce, Salsa, raw onions, cilantro & jalapeno.  I served it with White Long Grain Rice flavored with chicken bouillon with corn added to it.   I think I said before that I can add corn to just about everything!