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.

Slightly off topic, but still important...

I know this blog is supposed to be about food, but my job is of course a big part of my life, too. I think I have the best job in the world. I get to sing and dance and play all day. I don't really have to grade stuff, I only see the kids for a little while so I don't really have to deal with discipline, and I'm pretty much the most popular teacher at school. Not really through any personal virtues, but what I teach is just so much fun.

I know I am very blessed too in that I have a great job position. Some music teachers have no money to spend on equipment, many don't even have a classroom, and are thought of as a waste of time and money by administrators and fellow teachers. I admit there are a few teachers at the school who think I am just a babysitter, but most are pretty respectful of me. And I have a fantastic administrator who supports what I do, and more money than I know how to spend. Seriously, I have never spent this much money in my life. I have every instrument I could ever desire, plus backups. It's ridiculous and fabulous.

However, I have been pretty discouraged this week. I have been making recordings of students to audition for a choir. And thus far have not found even one that I will send to the judges. Some I might keep just to listen to and laugh over when I've had too much wine. Still, I feel that it reflects poorly on me when my kids can't sing. But then I remind myself that I am a good teacher. I know that. I have LOTS of room to improve, but for my second year I'm doing pretty good. These kids, however, have had only two years of good music instruction, and I guess singing is harder than I thought it was.

I think deep down I always believed most people could sing on pitch without having to work at it. It was never that hard for me. And being a musician I probably surrounded myself with other musical people. I am blessed with a very musical family, too. I don't know if I ever heard someone really awful until I started teaching. So much of musical aptitude has to do with childhood. Growing up I always remember singing. My grandma sang all the time, and my mom. Those are some of my best childhood memories. A kid asked me the other day how I know so many songs, and I said most of them I remember from when I was little. Children aren't sung to anymore, or rocked, they don't listen to music, they're told to be quiet when they sing. And music is quickly becoming a lost art, which terrifies me. So, thanks Granny, and Mom, and Donna, and Dad, for singing to me, for giving me music to listen to, for letting me sing.

Sorry!

Sorry for the delay in posts, but I am pretty much unable to use my computer right now. The office is in such a state of disarray that I can only stand to be in here for about two minutes. And our laptop has decided it doesn't want to work anymore. I'll try to get something worked out soon.

Random

May I just say that the public school system is RIDICULOUS! Out of respect for some I cannot name people or even specific incidents, but after seeing this it's no wonder there are so may idiots in the world. And don't even get me started on the parents.

And on a totally different front, my dog Jake really loves the smell of my shampoo. If I sit on the couch with wet hair, he climbs on the back of it so he can try to rub my head. I know it sounds totally weird, but he is not really an affectionate dog, so from him it's really sweet.

Some important tools

These are just a few of my most used tools in the kitchen...

1. A good knife. Yesterday I just got a new Calphalon Santoku knife, it's fantastic. I know they can be expensive, but it makes prep so much better. Trust me.

2. A good non-stick skillet. I have a set of really good non-stick pans, and I use my 10 inch skillet probably five times as much as the rest. Eggs don't stick, neither does anything else. It's beautiful.

3. A rice cooker. Yes, I bought one, and it works with brown rice! I have finally conquered the art of cooking rice! Plus I intend to use it as a steamer at some point in the near future.

4. A salad spinner. This always seemed a little silly to me, until I got one. Brian and I like to eat salad, but with only two of us it would always go bad before we could finish it. Then I got my spinner, and now we can have salad again! Hooray!

5. A pasta pot. I would eat pasta every day if Brian didn't get bored with it so easily. Plus, I would probably get really fat. But still we have it pretty often, and the pasta pot is fantastic. It also works really well for potatoes, too.

Pasta Carbonara

Okay, here's my super-easy favorite pasta recipe. Around here we call it "Bacon and Egg Pasta" because everytime I say "Pasta Carbonara" Brian looks at me like I just sprouted a second head or something.

12 oz pasta (approx) Any kind will do. I like little ones, they mix better.
8 slices of bacon (we really like bacon)
2 eggs
Parmesan cheese
Parsley
Hot red pepper flakes

Cook the pasta. Please remember to salt the water when it boils, it makes the pasta so much better! Meanwhile, cut the bacon into small pieces and cook them until they are crispy. Drain on a paper towel.

Put the eggs into the bowl you're going to serve from. Stir them up with a fork until they are all mixed up. When the pasta is finished, drain it and immediately put it in the bowl with the eggs, tossing the pasta to coat. The heat of the pasta will cook any ick out of the eggs. Add the bacon, toss a little more, and serve. When serving, top with lots of parsley and cheese, and as much red pepper as you like. Enjoy!