Chile Rellenos
from The Rancho La Puerta Cookbook

Chile Rellenos are mildly hot chilis which have been stuffed with cheese and deep fried. They are traditionally served with a red chile sauce, Caldo De Jitomate. This recipe comes from The Rancho La Puerta Cookbook, however it's a great one and authentic.

4 Anaheim or poblano chilies (about 3/4 pound)
1 ounce Monterey jack cheese, cut into 4 long strips (you need less cheese than you would think)
1 large egg white
1 large egg
1 garlic clove
1 t. chopped fresh oregano
1/4 t. salt
2 T. flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Toast the chilies over an open flame until the skins are lightly charred. Transfer to a paper or plastic bag and let rest for 10 minutes. Remove the skin to just below the stem of each chile. Make a 2 inch slit lengthwise in each chile and remove the seeds. Carefully insert one cheese strip in each chile.

Using an electric mixer set on medium high speed, beat the egg white until doubled in volume. Beat in the whole egg, garlic, oregano, and salt until the mixture again doubles in volume or reaches soft peaks. [These ingredients could also be beaten together and folded into the egg whites - once I added the whole egg, the mixture did not continue to increase in volume. The batter should be light and frothy like beaten egg whites.]

Sprinkle flour on a plate and dredge the chilies with the flour to coat all sides. Lightly spray a sauté pan with canola oil or olive oil spray [most recipes use about a cup of oil in the pan so that the oil is around an inch deep] and place over medium high heat. Dip each chile into the egg batter and, working carefully, cook for about 1-1/2 minutes on each side.

Lightly spray a baking pan with canola or olive oil spray. Transfer the chilies to the baking pan and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the cheese melts.

Serve at once with Caldo De Jitomate (tomato sauce), Mexican or Spanish Rice and Refried Beans.