Porcupine Chilie Rellenos

Warning do not try this in the summer. If we ever do this again it will be when it is 40 or below outside. Did we ever tell you we love Mexican food, especially a good Chile rellenos. We have been toying with the idea of trying to make our own. We were walking by the beautiful produce at our local Kroger (wife is always looking for a subject to paint and I have to cook it before she gets it.) And there it was a mound of big pablono peppers. They were calling just like a siren... Will turn me into a Chile relleno; so I did. Next to find out how to cook one. We read several recipes and one suggested that we use tempura for the batter, and we did cheat and use a can enchilada sauce.

Ok now comes the fun part.

Two pablano peppers

cheese (we used Colby jack and mozzarella)

you can use any stuffing you like. Some have just use cheese. but we used shrimp and onion (saute the shrimp and onion a little first.)

some suggestions are mushrooms and corn

chopped cilantro as much as you like

1/2 lime

oil

toothpicks....lots

Now lets go fire up the range. we have a gas stove so we did this using one of the top eyes. But you can also do this in the broiler. Brush peppers lightly with oil and place on the stove to char the outside. In oven broil and tun till all sides are black. (this is why you do it in the winter.)

Once they are black all over pop them in a plastic bag. When cool peel the outer skin off. Messy, messy wife did not like that job. Nor the next one where you make a slit and scoop out the inside seeds and membranes. You have to be real careful as the slits on ours kept getting bigger.

Next stuff the peppers again be careful they split open real easy.

Did I say they split open real easy well we had to go hunt up a bunch of tooth picks to hold the pepper together. Now they look like a porcupine.

Prepare the tempura batter according to directions.

Dip pepper in and then place in hot oil. Cook till batter is golden brown. Remove and place in baking dish and pour over enchilada sauce and place some more cheese on top.

Now pop in a pre heated 350 oven and. Did we say hot the temps have been in the high 90 with heat index of over 100 do not do this in the summer!!!!!!

Cook till bubbling and cheese is melted. let stand 5 minutes till eating. Hot. put a sprinkle of cilantro and lime juice over pepper.

We also cooked some shrimp in the tempura batter and had a side of Spanish rice and some flour tortillas we cut up and baked. This was good but one of the most difficult recipes we have tried. I think I'll go to our fav. Mex restaurant for this dish in the summer for sure.