Chili Relleno

*4 Poblano Peppers
*3 eggs
*2 T Flour
*3 oz cheddar (slice or shred)
*3 oz monterey jack (slice or shred)
*Oil for frying
*toothpicks
*latex gloves

Separate whites from eggs. Beat whites to stiff peaks, quickly beat in flour, then fold in yolks. Refrigerate batter while prepping the peppers.
Heat oil in a skillet 1-3 inches deep.
Wash outside of peppers, then dry. Wear the latex gloves (or suffer the way I'm doing now). Slit on side lengthwise. Cut seeds from stem (keeping stem attached to peppers). Fill the peppers with the cheese. Slide the toothpicks across the peppers to close up the opening. You'll need 3-4 toothpicks for each pepper.
Dip the peppers in the batter, making sure they're covered. Slide peppers into oil, cook until golden brown. If the batter slid off the exposed side, and you have extra, carefully spoon some additional onto the peppers. Flip with tongs. Cook the bottom until golden.
Remove from oil and set on paper towels to collect spare oil until ready to serve.

Serve with Quick Cooked Salsa, Frijoles Negro, and rice.

I used the Chevy's Fresh Mex cookbook as my inspiration. But they don't used canned goods and I had to use what I had at hand. Also, Chevy's said to dredge the peppers with flour before dipping in the batter. This didn't work out, it created a dry layer that allowed the batter to slip off of the pepper. I actually had tremendous success with the method described above. It was my intention to mix some salsa into the rice, but I make compromises to feed my toddler, so I just used brown basmati with butter and salt.

To time the cooking, I started the rice, cooked all onions needed for meal. Reserved 1/2 onions for the beans. Made the salsa. Transfered the salsa to a covered dish. Made the beans in the salsa pop without rinsing it out (extra flavor). Then made the Chili Relleno last. The rice was done at the same time as the peppers.

quick cook salsa
frijoles negro