Chile Relleno

Ay yai yai......

Arriba arriba.....

I'm on a Mexican food kick these days.  Maybe it's because after 6 months of marriage I finally changed my last name......

And maybe now that I have a mexican last name I subconsciously feel the need to unleash my inner Senora? 

Or maybe its because I'm doing the low carb thang right now and mexican food really pairs well with a LC lifestyle...ya know.....once you stop thinking about tortillas and chips and stuff =P

My lastest venture.....Chile Relleno!

What sparked this idea was when I found a big bag of Poblano peppers at 99c only for you guessed it....only 99c! 

And then I started thinking....you stuff it with cheese....low carb friendly....and then I could have a solely egg based batter and skip using and flour and.....

Tah dah! 

You got yourself another low carb Mexican dinner

You need...pablono chiles, 4 ROOM TEMPERATURE eggs (I'll explain) and cheeses of your choice

Start by roasting your chiles.  I don't have any pictures because I did mine at work.  I don't have a gas stove at home so I would  have had to do it on the grill and with it already being 106 here in Phoenix, standing outside and continuously turning them didn't sound too fun.  I sweat enough at work all day in our blazing hot kitchen.  The last thing I want to do is come home and sweat some more.

Give them a good char and then either place them in a bag and seal, or place in a bowl and cover it with saran wrap.  This will create steam that will make taking the skins off easier.

After they've cooled down, you can start removing the skins.  I do this by filling a bowl with water and gently rubbing them submerged in the water.  It helps wash away all the little bits easier than just rubbing them off with your hands

Now to start stuffing!   Make a slit on one side of the chile.  GENTLY pull out the seeds and membranes.  Fill with your cheese mixture.  I used half cheddar half pepper jack....but you can do whatever you like.

Now for your coating.  Like I said before you need room temperature eggs.  The reason is because you are going to be whipping the egg whites into stiff peaks.  Eggs whites whip MUCH MUCH easier when they are room temperature.  It's the exact opposite of whipped cream....where you want everything as cold as possible.

So separate your yolks from you whites and beat the living crap out of your whites

I didn't get a picture, but you'll also beat your yolks until they are foamy and lighter in color.

GENTLY....(and the keyword here is gently)  fold your yolks into your whites....don't stir or whip!

Time to start frying!

Get some canola oil nice and hot in a big skillet.  Take a scoop of your batter mixture and place it in the hot oil.  Spread it out with a spatula to around the size of your chile.

Place the chile seam side down onto the egg mixture.  Then spoon some more batter over the top.  After the bottom browned I also folded some of the bottom batter upwards to seal it all together.

Cook until golden, brown, and delicious. Salt them as soon as you pull them out of the pan

I threw mine in the oven for a few minutes just to make sure all the cheese was melted and then they are ready to chow!

Eat it with some low carb mexican rice (or regular rice) and you'll be set

Here's a link to the rice recipe
http://thebusybroad.blogspot.com/2012/05/low-carb-burrito-bowls.html 

Now I'm off to add some Tejano music to my ipod and  polish my maracas.

Kidding about the Tejano music....not really my taste.

Chile Relleno 

5 poblano chiles, roasted and skins removed

2 C. shredded cheese of choice

4 room temperature eggs seperated

Salt

Make a slit in your roasted and cleaned peppers.  Remove the seeds and membrane and stuff with your cheese.

Whip your eggs white to stiff peaks and beat the yolks until frothy.  

Fold the yolks into the whites.  

Heat oil in a large skillet.  Scoop some of the egg batter into into the pan and spread it out into the shape of the chile.  Place the chile seam side down onto the batter.  Scoop more batter on top of the chile.  Fry until golden brown.  Salt immediately.