Use For Romesco #3 – Chili Rellenos

We figured the last time I had chili rellenos was when we were on the Pacific coast of Mexico. It's been awhile. Mexican food is not popular in Europe, and when available it has been expensive (5 euro for a taco) and not that satisfying. I think if I had a taco truck in Amsterdam, I could make a lot of money from 2 euro tacos. (There are a lot of ex-pats there.)

Here in Spain the stores have a long green chili that resembles Anaheim chilies called pimiento de freir. This translates to chili to fry. It is mild with a thin skin, and Spaniards simply fry the chili in olive oil and eat it with salt. To me it looked like the perfect candidate for chili rellenos. For the sauce I added veal stock, onion, tomato, and tomato paste to some romesco sauce.

Chili rellenos ready to eat

Ingredients:
Stuffed Chilies:

• Chilies, 2 per serving
• Tetilla cheese cut into 3 inch x ¼ inch strips (7 cm x 0.6 cm)
• Flour, enough to dust the chilies

Batter (for two chilies):

• 1 egg
• 9 g All Purpose Flour

Sauce:

• 150 g Romesco sauce
• 200 g Veal stock
• 50 g Onion cut into half rings
• 10 g Tomato paste
• 100 g Tomato, peeled & seeded

Put It Together:
Stuffing the Chilies:

1. Steam the pimiento de freir until cooked.
2. Cut a slit in the side and remove the seeds.
3. Stuff cheese into the chilies.
4. Set aside.

Preparing the Sauce:

1. In a pot add the romesco, stock, onion, tomato paste, and tomatoes.
2. Bring to a simmer and reduce to desired consistency.

Making the Batter:

1. Separate egg whites from the yolks.
2. Whip the whites in a large bowl until stiff peaks form.
3. Whisk the yolks until creamy.
4. Fold the yolks and flour into the whipped egg whites.

Frying the chilies

Cooking and plating:

1. Heat a frying pan over medium high heat.
2. Add enough olive oil for a depth of ¼ inch (7 mm).
3. Dust the chili in flour and remove excess flour.
4. Dip the chili in the batter coating the entire chili.
5. Place the battered chili in the hot oil and fry 3 minutes per side.
6. Remove from pan and place on paper towels to drain.
7. Place the fried chilies on a plate and cover with sauce.
8. Serve.

Review

• Shirlee – Loved it. Kept making that “mmm”sound all through the meal.
• John - Loved It
• Do Again - Yes
• Leftovers – The plates barely needed rinsing.

What I'll Do Next Time
The same exact thing. Tetilla cheese melts to perfection and compliments the mild chili. Shirlee and I think it was on of the better sauces, if not the best, I've made for chili rellenos.