Rising from the Ashes – Chile Rellenos

At Beaverton Farmer’s Market we found some beautiful peppers for a great price. They were light yellowish-green, long and slightly narrow and we had no idea what to do with them. So I asked a man who had a giant bag full, “What are planning to do with all those peppers?” He didn’t know, but his wife curtly responded “Chile Rellenos”. We just had to buy some, so $1 later we walked out with six. We also bought some other lovely sweet red heart shaped peppers and cilantro.

A week later it was time to use them so the chile relleno planning began with a visit to the internet for instruction. From charring the outside of the peppers, to separating and whipping egg whites, to frying them in plenty of oil, the instructions were very thorough so I left Pat to it while I did some other stuff upstairs.

The smoke alarm and hazy air didn’t worry me (I’ve seen that before). But Joel yelling for my help brought me down the stairs with hopes that my kitchen was not engulfed in flames. It wasn’t, but the peppers were slightly more than charred. Unfortunately, the broiler did a number on them and there was no pepper left, just a few seeds and fibers, when the charred skin was removed.

What to do? The batter was ready, the salsa was ready, the oil was getting hot. Sweet red peppers and zucchini to the rescue. While I was charring the red peppers, Pat battered and fried the zucchini. The zucchini came off the heat just as the red peppers were peeled and stuffed with Jack Cheese ready for frying.

The sides of fried zucchini and refried beans were the perfect compliments. Although I’ve never had red chile rellenos, these were by far the best chile rellenos I’ve ever had. Flavorful, colorful, and delicious.