Chile Rellenos

Picadillo filling Ingredients: (serves 8):

• 8 pasilla chiles with stem - select big ones that are smooth, they will be easier to peel after charring

• 1 lb ground beef (turkey or chicken if you prefer)

• 1 small carrot, finely chopped

• 1 stalk celery, finely chopped

• 1 small onion, finely chopped

• 2 cloves garlic, minced

• 1/2 tbl olive oil

• 1 cup grated Monterrey Jack cheese or any dry white cheese you prefer

• 1 28 oz can prepared red chile mild or medium (mild red enchilada sauce can also be used as a substitute)

Seasonings for meat picadillo:

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp pepper

• 1 tsp oregano

• 1 tsp ground cumin

• 1 tbl chopped cilantro

• 1/2 tsp red chile powder or cayenne pepper (1 tsp if you prefer spicier foods)

Prepare the chiles:

• Place the chiles on a roasting sheet and place in a hot oven, 400 degrees, until the chile skins are charred, 20 minutes on one side, then turn over for additional 10 minutes.

• Take them out and place them in a brown grocery bag and close or seal the bag to steam the chiles. This process will cause the charred skin to loosen.

• After about 20 minutes take the chiles out of the bag. They should be pliable but not mushy. If your hands are sensitive you might want to use gloves for the next process. Pasilla chiles are not usually too spicy but once in a while you get a spicy batch and this could irritate your hands. 

• Gently peel the skin off the chiles, careful not to rip or mangle them. You want them to maintain as much of their shape as possible, including the stem.

• You can open them on one side and remove the seeds, which carry the heat.

• Place them back on the roasting pan until you are ready to fill them. This can be done in advance, and the chiles are easier to handle if they are cool.
  
  Prepare the Picadillo (filling):
  Heat a large skillet with the olive oil. Add onions, garlic, carrots and celery and cook until translucent. Add the ground meat and season with spices and cilantro. Cook thoroughly and let cool. This can be prepared in advance and stored for two days. The picadillo should be dry, not juicy, or it will leak when heated and ruin the integrity of the finished chiles.
  
  Final Act:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Fill the chiles with picadillo and top with a healthy teaspoon of cheese. Place in the oven until they are warmed through and the cheese is melted, about 20 minutes.

• In a saucepan, heat the red chile sauce. When the chiles come out of the oven, plate them, one per person, and gently ladle the red chile sauce over them. Drizzle or squeeze the *crema over them. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and/or sesame seeds.

• For a different presentation, spoon the sauce on the plate and place the chile on top, then have extra chile sauce to drizzle over.

Variations:

Fillings: As seen below, once you have the preparation of the chiles mastered, you can play with the fillings and the sauce. The only rule is to ensure the filling is not watery, which would ruin the baking of the chiles. So, cook the filling until it is near a dry state.

Cheese: My Grandmother would just add a chunk of good Jack cheese. My husband’s favorite is filled with creamy, tangy goat cheese.

Shrimp/Crab: Use the same aromatics as the picadillo, but replace meat with shrimp and/or crab.

Vegetables: Using the aromatic base above, add fresh corn, peas, beans, nuts, chopped dried fruit (typical in the filling for the famous Chiles en nogados).

Sauces: Red sauce is traditional for my family. You can dress it up with some smoky chipotle chiles. A green sauce is also delicious. You can make this easy by buying a good quality green salsa, then heat it. Oaxaca, Mexico is know for it’s walnut/cream sauce, which is white (that will be another post).

Optional ingredients for finishing touches:
- *Crema Mexicana (this can be substituted with sour cream thinned with cream or milk). The consistency should be just thin enough to be able to drizzle or to be able to squeeze through a squeeze bottle.
- Roasted sesame seeds, cilantro, avocado, pomegranate seeds, pepitas.

Mexican rice is the perfect accompaniment. Find recipe here.

Variations on a theme (from left to right) 1) Chile relleno filled with picadillo alongside rice 2) Chile relleno with shrimp and crab in green salsa 3) Chile rellenos with corn and cheese 4) Chile relleno filled with cheese in red sauce.