Chiles Rellenos for dinner tonight

My oldest and favorite Mexican cook book

Can't remember when I purchased this cookbook--probably sometime in the 70's when I left my home state of Texas and headed to the East Coast. Back in the day--before Whole Foods, and global food availability,

I relied on my parents to ship cases of Pace Picante Sauce, cans of Ranch-Style Beans, coolers packed with Fort Worth's Angelo's barbecued ribs and brisket, and packages of corn and flour tortillas. We found ourselves living in a foreign land within the United States. Friends invited us over for lox and bagels, Polish stuffed cabbage rolls, Pirogi, Italian sausage and peppers on the grill or amazing pizza pie and pasta--absolutely nothing appeared on our plates that we had experienced growing up in Texas. We grew up on biscuits and gravy, stuffed bell peppers, hamburgers or chicken on the grill, Pizza Inn pizza and elbow macaroni salad with mayonnaise. We were in food culture shock to say the least! 

Ranch Style Beans

The Ranch Style brand traces its origins to a commissary established in 1872 in Denison, Texas. Ranch Style Beans were introduced in 1935 after three years of extensive research. Ranch Style Beans' versatility has endeared them to generations of bean lovers, including the rich and famous. Elizabeth Taylor, Humphrey Bogart, and Grace Kelly have ordered them. According to local lore, Ranch Style Beans were served at President Lyndon Johnson's ranch on many occasions. (per Ranch Style Beans website)

 The Original Pace Picante Sauce

David Pace didn't just make picante sauce - he loved it, and used it in a variety of ways. He used picante sauce was at home flavoring many different dishes, serving it with eggs, chicken, and burgers. He was even rumored to mix a spoonful into his morning coffee! (per Pace website)

Homemade corn tortilla chips--you'll never go back to store-bought!

I'm sure it's hard to believe, but Tex-Mex food, Mexican Martinis and bottomless bowls of chips and salsa haven't always been readily available throughout the states--especially the Eastern states. I remember how thrilled my husband and I were when we heard about a new Mexican restaurant at the New Jersey shore--somewhere in Asbury Park, I believe. We happily drove an hour and a half east on Saturdays, as often as we could afford both the gas and eating out, just for an average dinner and salty margarita that mildly resembled any Tex-Mex food we had known in Texas. If you know anything about the road systems in New Jersey, you understand that this wasn't an easy thing to do. You can drive north to New York and south to Pennsylvania on the Garden State Parkway and New Jersey Turnpike--but going east to west is a challenge. Winding two-lane roads, similar to Texas Farm to Market roads, lead to the Jersey shore from Princeton. But if there was a Mexican restaurant anywhere in the Tri-State area, we were there!

Eventually chains started opening throughout the East Coast--Taco Bell (oh happy day--even though it took us 30 minutes to get there!), Chevy's, Chili's and On The Border. We adjusted our taste buds to some pretty average Tex-Mex food and accepted that if we wanted authentic Mexican food or our beloved Tex-Mex, we would have go home to Texas--or learn to make it ourselves. So began the purchase of numerous cookbooks and the sharing of recipes, followed by years of testing and tweaking what are now our family favorites.

I taught myself how to make enough of these recipes to keep us happy: homemade corn tortilla chips, crunchy taco shells, my mother's cheese enchiladas topped with Wolf Brand Chili sauce, chile con queso, bean and cheese nachos with pickled jalapeño slices, spicy pinto beans, and fluffy Mexican rice. Chile rellenos, tacquitos, real guacamole, homemade flour and corn tortillas, and refried beans came later with the help of this cookbook and authors Diana Kennedy, Jane Butel, and Rick Bayless.

Homemade bean and cheese nachos.

Cheese enchiladas.

Beef, bean, and guacamole tostados.

I purchased my Sunset Mexican Cookbook during a vacation to California sometime in the 1970's. After a few poorly made fried taco shells, some pretty good beef tacquitos, and yummy sopapillas filled with whipped cream and topped with honey and cinnamon, I began to feel comfortable making Mexican food at home. I eventually found fresh poblano chiles in the local market and had the cooking courage to char and peel them. Not easy with an electric stove, but I quickly learned that the broiler worked quite well for this task. Now, I just plop them on the top of my big gas burner and enjoy enjoy the sizzle, pop and spicy smell of fresh blackened chiles. While we all eat less fried food these days, maybe once a month we enjoy a dinner of Chile Rellenos with refried beans, fluffy Mexican rice, homemade guacamole, and tortilla chips.

Fresh poblano chiles are now readily available in Austin, and throughout the United States. Pace Picante Sauce is now sold nationwide and chips and salsa have become a cliche for "appetizer". But homemade rellenos--they are still another story. Even in Austin, it is hard to find a great cheese chile relleno. Yes, even in Texas, they can be hit or miss. Slightly complicated in technique and requiring a little TLC--these beauties are a true labor of food love.

Enjoy! Thanks Sunset Magazine editors.

Chiles Rellenos

Sunset Mexican Cookbook Chiles Rellenos
(chee-lehs rrreh-yeh-hohs)
Makes 4
Printable Recipe 

4 poblano chiles, roasted, peeled and seeded
1/2 pound Monterey Jack cheese, cut into about 1/2" wide x 1/2" thick rectangles (cut a little shorter than the length of the chile)
About 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
Canola oil for frying
3 eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon water
3 tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Salsa de Jitomate (Tomato Sauce, recipe follows)

Roast chiles on gas burner, gas grill or under broiler until all sides are blackened. 
Set aside to cool.

 Carefully make a small slit in each pepper, remove seeds and as much as you can 

of outside blackened skin. Don't worry if a few pieces remain. Make sure you keep the stem intact.

Stuff chiles with rectangles of cheese. Don't over fill.

Close slit with toothpicks.

Make sure cheese is as completely covered with chile as possible.

 Place flour in a shallow pan (pie plate works well).

Gently coat each chile, shake off excess. Chiles are ready to coat and fry.
Be sure and wash your hands well after handling chiles.

To make coating, separate 3 eggs. Beat the whites until they form soft peaks. 

Whisk yolks with water, flour and salt until thick and creamy.

Gently fold into egg whites into yolk mixture.

 Heat 1 1/2 inches of vegetable oil in a wide frying pan over medium heat.

Test with a drop of the batter.

When batter sizzles and floats oil is ready.

Place each chile in the batter and cover completely ( I use a spoon and fork to do this). 

Remove from batter and ease the chile into the hot oil.

If any holes appear, spoon a little batter on top to seal.
The relleno should float instantly.
Repeat with remaining chiles but don't overcrowd you pan.

I gently spoon a little hot oil over the top just to seal the batter.

When the bottoms turns golden it's time to turn.
Two forks work well to turn or a large pair of tongs.Be careful not to tear the coating.

Your oil should be hot enough to cook the coating, but not so hot that it will burn. I use medium heat on my gas cook top. Adjust according to your cooking situation and be sure and do the test droplet. The rellenos will float and turn a golden brown on the bottom. Carefully turn using tongs or two forks--be careful you don't splash the hot oil. Work slowly. This takes a little practice and patience, but you'll get the hang of it after a few times.

Cook other side--3 to 4 minutes or until golden.

Remember not to crowd your pan. If you get a tear after turning, simply spoon a small amount of batter on the hole and spoon a little hot oil on top. Cook other side--3 to 4 minutes or until golden.

Gently remove from pan with tongs and drain on paper towels.

Serve immediately topped with tomato sauce accompanied by rice
and refried or homemade pinto beans with jalapeños and onion.

Salsa de Jitomate (Tomato Sauce)
makes 2 1/2 cups

I usually just open a can of Rotel tomatoes, mix in a small can of tomato sauce, warm in a saucepan and spoon over the top of the rellenos. Delicious! This is the original recipe if you want to try it.

3 tablespoons finely chopped onion
1 minced garlic clove
1 tablespoon butter
1 can (15 oz.) Spanish-style tomato sauce
1/3 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crumbled Mexican oregano

Saute onion and garlic in butter until golden. Stir in tomato sauce, water, salt, and oregano. Simmer for 15 minutes. Serve hot. 

 Don't forget to remove the toothpicks from the rellenos.

I usually remove them as the peppers are cooking and the batter has just begun to set, 

but sometimes they make it to the plate!

You can't eat the stem.......