Chile Rellenos Stuffed with Chorizo and Cheese

It’s a New Year

It’s a new year, we’re in our new home, and I’m in the kitchen of my dreams! What was I going to make first? My husband had his pick and I wasn’t surprised, they are his absolute favorite. The meal that makes him smile and feel loved. Chile Rellenos, little pockets of gooey melted cheese and stuffed with spicy homemade chorizo and fried until golden brown.

Chile Rellenos are one of those special meals that is made when you feel like putting in some extra work in the kitchen. A celebratory meal, a meal you make when you want to mark a milestone such as this. One that brings out all the tradition and heritage into your kitchen. An out of the ordinary meal, that before, would take so much effort and work in my little kitchen. Don’t get me wrong, it’s still work but it’s so much easier to be in a kitchen that is spacious and functional.

Did I mention, I have two ovens, 15 cabinets, 13 drawers, and a pantry the size of a small walk in closet, and an island that is 15 feet long! I can feed an army in this space, it’s easy and spacious to entertain and gather here with no problem. It’s wonderful, but not seasoned, not broken in and unfamiliar still after two months.

My Previous Kitchen

My old kitchen was worn out, not very functional, and run down but it was seasoned to perfection. If those walls could talk… I made delicious miracles happen in that little space. It’s where my cooking really grew, where I grew and where I developed the cooking skills I have today.

So many gatherings, holidays, birthdays and special occasions where celebrated there. It was hard to say goodbye, although I was moving on to something so much better. My roots were planted there, I miss it but I’m happy to be here.

A Slow Adjustment to My New Surroundings

Nothing and everything makes sense at the same time. I’m struggling with these feelings to be honest. I keep reaching for what feels familiar and the one thing that centers me and my feelings and thoughts is cooking. I hope to feel connected to this splendid place in the way I felt in my old kitchen. It’s going to take time, I know this and by no means am I unhappy, it’s just been a slow adjustment.

Come Along With Me and See Where This New Chapter Takes Us

I need to get back to what feeds my soul and that is cooking. Get back into the routine of carving out the time to cook in the busyness of this move and settling in. Come along with me and see where this new chapter takes us.

The new year marks the endless possibilities and new dishes and recipes that I can’t wait to create and share with you. Embracing the changes in life, those that mold us, challenge us and strengthen us and keep us connected to who we really are.

Little kitchen big flavors is where it all began and what it will always be. That will never change, they’re the same big flavors but in a not so little space.

Happy eating from my new kitchen to yours!

Chile Rellenos
Video

^{Chile Rellenos Stuffed with Chorizo and Cheese video by Erica Gamboa.}

Preparation Tips

Prep Ingredients Ahead of Time

For a recipe like this, that is not complicated but has several preparation steps, it is key to keep things as easy and simple as possible to not get overwhelmed. If a recipe allows for prepping the ingredients ahead of time without compromising the integrity of the recipe, we must take the short cuts where we can. This recipe lends perfectly for the prep ahead the day before.

Preparing the Chiles

For preparing the chiles, it can be kept simple by charring or roasting the chiles, peeling and deseeding them and placing them back in the refrigerator on a paper towel lined cookie sheet. Or you can go a further step and also stuff them with the cheese and or meats you wish to use and place them back into the refrigerator overnight. Not only will this save time and make things so easy the day of, but popping the chiles back into the fridge will make it easier to handle and fry the chiles. The filling will keep better inside the chile pepper at the time of frying.

The seasoned cooks in my family do everything in one day, it’s a labor of love and I have also been ambitious in doing the same but why work harder if you don’t have to. This prep ahead saves time and it will cut your time in the kitchen that day in half. Allowing you to spend more time sitting at the table and enjoying the meal with everyone.

Chile Rellenos Stuffed with Chorizo and Cheese

BY ERICA GAMBOA

Charred Poblano chiles, peeled and stuffed with spicy chorizo and melting Mexican cheese. Then coated in a fluffy and airy egg white batter and fried until golden brown. Served in a spicy tomato broth.

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Servings: 6 | Difficulty: Moderate

PREP TIME: 40 minutes + COOK TIME: 45 minutes = TOTAL TIME: 1 hour and 25 minutes

Recommended kitchen tools:

Hand mixer or stand up mixer
Metal tongs
Wooden spatula
Large Skillet, deep enough for frying

Ingredients:

SHOP RECIPE INGREDIENTS FOR HOME DELIVERY

Instacart

6 Chile Peppers of your choice. Pasilla, Poblano or Anaheim.
1 lb. cheese. Use the cheese of your choice cut into strips or cubes. (I like to use Menonita Mexican cheese but any good melting cheese will work well.)
1 lb. Chorizo
1 cup of flour, for dredging
6 large eggs
1 tsp. of Cream of Tartar
2 tsp. dried Oregano
1 tbsp. Knorr Chicken Boullion
2 bay leaves
1 cup white onion, thinly sliced
1 cup tomatoes, diced
1 tbsp. garlic, minced
1 cup fresh cilantro, washed and roughly chopped, leaves only
3 serrano chiles, minced (optional)
1 32oz. container chicken broth
2 cups of water
2 cans of tomato sauce
Salt & Pepper to taste
Vegetable oil for frying

Directions:

Prepare the chiles:

Wash and dry the chiles.
Turn on the stove to medium high heat.
Place the chiles directly on the burner and let them char, turning the chiles every 30 to 40 seconds until they are evenly charred and blistered on both sides.
Place the chiles in a bowl and cover with a towel or plastic wrap to trap in the steam. You can also use a plastic grocery bag or zip lock bag.
Let the chiles sit for about 20 minutes.
Gently peel the skin off of the chiles using the back of a knife. You can also do this by hand, as I do but please be sure to use food gloves and do not touch your face or eyes.
To fill each chile, lay the chile flat, make a small slit big enough to place two fingers inside to remove the seeds. Be careful not to cut through the other side of the flesh. (You may rinse them if you feel it necessary, I know for first timers this can feel messy and that’s ok, I’ve been there and sometimes it still bugs me!)

Prepare the filling:

Cut the block of cheese into cubes or strips, whatever size you feel is easiest for you to handle and set aside.
In a skillet, cook the chorizo on medium high heat until fully cooked and browned and set aside.
Take each chile and stuff it with a good spoonful of chorizo and enough cheese to fill the cavity and set aside.

Prepare the egg coating batter:

Take a bowl or in the standup mixer, begin to separate the egg yolks from the white and place the egg white only into the mixing bowl.
Place the egg yolks in another bowl and set aside, you will need them later.
Take the bowl with the egg whites and mix on medium high speed, add the Cream of Tartar and continue to beat until the eggs form stiff peaks, you can check by turning off the mixer, removing the beater attachment and if a stiff peak forms on the beater the egg is ready for the next step.
Turn the mixer back on to low speed and slowly add one egg yolk at a time until all six yolks are well incorporated. This step needs to be done slowly and gently so as not to break the stiffness of the egg whites.
Once the yolks are well incorporated into the egg whites, turn the mixer off and set aside.

Heat the skillet for frying:

Take a deep skillet or frying pan and start to preheat on medium for about 5 minutes, add the vegetable oil and continue to preheat.

Flour Coating the chiles:

Take the cup of flour and place it in a bowl or on a plate.
Roll the chile in the flour and make sure all sides are evenly covered with flour.
Repeat this for all of the chiles.

Frying:

Take each chile, one at a time, holding it firmly to ensure the filling does not fall out, and completely submerge it into the egg batter until completely coated. (If some of the filling falls out, no big deal just make sure you have a good grip on the chile. You don’t want to lose it in the batter!)
By now, the oil is hot and ready for frying.
Immediately and carefully place the chile into the hot oil and repeat and fry in batches of two to three chiles at a time.
Taking the wooden spoon or spatula, carefully splash oil over the chiles so that they are a bit easier to flip. The egg will begin to set and firm up making it so much easier to flip the chiles over to brown on the other side.
After 2 to 3 minutes on the first side, carefully take the metal tongs and wooden spatula and use both tools to help in flipping the chile over on the other side. This takes some practice and there is no perfect way to do it, just do whatever feels right to you. Please be careful not to splash and burn yourself with the hot oil.
Continue to fry all of the chiles and place them on a paper towel lined cookie sheet and set aside.

Make the tomato broth:

Preheat another skillet on low medium heat with a little bit of oil
Mince garlic and serrano chiles.
Cut onion into thin slices.
Chop tomato in bite size pieces.
Roughly chop only the cilantro leaves.
Add these ingredients to the skillet and sauté for 5 minutes until onions are tender.
Add tomato sauce and cook for another 2 minutes.
Add broth and water and bring to a simmer on low heat.
Add oregano, chicken bouillon, and bay leaves.
Simmer for an additional 5 to 10 minutes.
Taste the broth. Season as needed useing salt & pepper to taste.
Add the chiles to the simmering tomato broth.
Let the chiles heat through completely so the cheese melts and the filling is hot. This only takes a few minutes. Don’t over crowd or over heat the chiles they will get too soggy.

Serve on a plate with your favorite sides, rice and beans or green salad. Place one or two on a plate and pour the hot tomato broth over the chiles and enjoy!

Notes & Suggestions:

Great dish for leftovers:

For the best leftovers, keep the chiles that will not be used immediately, separate from the broth. Store the the chiles and broth in separate containers and reheat using the same method. Heat the broth to a simmer add the chiles and simmer on low for 10 minutes.

I also like to heat the chiles dry with no sauce and roughly chop them in bite size pieces and add them to a flour tortilla for a quick leftover breakfast burrito or lunch. If you serve these chile rellenos with rice and beans and have leftovers of those as well; they can be added to the burrito, it’s a delicious and satisfying leftover meal!

Prepare the chiles the day before to save time:

For preparing the chiles, it can be kept simple by charring or roasting the chiles, peeling and deseeding them and placing them back in the refrigerator on a paper towel lined cookie sheet. Or you can go a further step and also stuff them with the cheese and or meats you wish to use and place them back into the refrigerator overnight. Not only will this save time and make things so easy the day of, but popping the chiles back into the fridge will make it easier to handle and fry the chiles. The filling will keep better inside the chile pepper at the time of frying.

Storing:

These are also great stored in the freezer in an airtight container.

Store the chiles and sauce separate and defrost and reheat using the same steps. This is a great comforting meal you can pull out of the refrigerator on a busy weeknight or a plan ahead meal for a special occasion or gathering.

Nutrition Facts Per Serving

Calories per serving: 749

Servings: 6