Chile Rellenos

For those of you who don't live in New Mexico, I'm very sorry. Every fall we have this wonderful time when the green chiles are picked and all over the state you can smell them roasting. It has to be one of my favorite smells ever. And this year I bought a whole bushel of chiles. It's a major hassle to separate them and freeze them, but I don't think I can live without them. Even when I move I intend to come back every fall and get more.

And every fall around chile roasting time I make lots of things with chile. Some people are crazy and go as far as green chile ice cream, or green chile apple pie. I just can't bring myself to do it. I stick with tradition -- enchiladas, stew, eggs, and rellenos.

This is my first time making rellenos. Rellenos are chiles that are stuffed with something (usually cheese) and then battered and deep fried. It's a beautiful thing. I looked at many recipes and found lots of strange things. Like people who put shrimp or fruit in them. Ick. And I called my friend who is Mexican and a fantastic cook, but she was busy. So I decided to wing it. And look what I got

So, here's my white-girl Mexican recipe for Chile Rellenos
8 whole roasted green chiles, peeled (I leave the seeds in because I like the spice)
Mexican cheese (like asadero) cut in long skinny rectangles to fit inside the chile
3 eggs, separated
Flour
Salt and pepper
Oil for frying

Cut a small slit in the chile. Carefully stuff it with cheese. If you need to, use toothpicks to hold it together. Beat the egg whites until they are fluffy. In a separate bowl, mix the yolks with 1 T flour, and then fold that mixture into the whites. Be careful not to deflate the whites by mixing too much. In a pie pan, sprinkle some flour and mix with salt and pepper. Roll the chiles in the flour, then in the egg mix, and then drop into really hot oil. Fry for a couple of minutes until the chile is beautiful golden brown. Then enjoy! Be careful of any toothpicks!

Possibly the Best Appetizer Ever!

I have recently discovered what I believe to be the best appetizer ever. That is, if you love tomatoes. It seems time consuming, but it's really not so bad. And well worth it, I promise

Oven Roasted Tomatoes
1 Cup of Olive Oil
2 pounds tomatoes, halved lengthwise and seeded (I used a combo of really good canned and the few home-grown that were ready)
Oregano
3/4 t. sugar
1/2 t. salt
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 t. parsley, minced
Goat cheese (at room temp)
Bread (Baguette or something similar)

Preheat the oven to 250. Cover the bottom of a 9 X 13 pan with olive oil. Lay the tomatoes in the pan, cut side up. Sprinkle with oregano, sugar and salt. Drizzle with about 1/2 cup olive oil. Bake for about an hour. Turn tomatoes over with tongs, and bake for another hour. Turn them over again. Bake a little longer, until they are soft and really dark red. When they are ready, transfer them to a bowl. This last part should take anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes.

When the bottom of the bowl is covered with tomatoes, layer in the garlic and parsley. As you add more layers of tomatoes, add more garlic and parsley. When everybody's in the bowl, pour on whatever oil is in the baking pan, and add more oil to cover the tomatoes. Let them sit for at least two hours at room temp.

Serve with goat cheese and bread slices and red wine. Make sure the cheese is at room temp, or it will be crumbly. When warm it spreads perfectly on the bread. I can't think of anything tastier.

If for some reason you don't finish it all, cover and store for up to 5 days. Bring back to room temp before serving.