Recipe: El Cholo's Chiles Rellenos

Chile Rellenos are one of my favorite mexican dishes (a fave of my wife's as well). Particularly love chile relleno burritos. Ran across this in the LA Times and I think i'll give it a try one day. does seem very labor-intensive though... one of those things that must may be easier just to get carry-out done by someone that knows what they are doing...

And don't you gotta love the 40 grams of fat and 400+ calories per serving? and that's before the rice and beans and sour cream... now we're talkin' health food!
******************************************************

CULINARY SOS

Recipe: El Cholo's Chiles Rellenos

by Noelle Carter

Los Angeles Times

Dear SOS: I grew up loving the chiles rellenos from El Cholo. I remember going to the Western Avenue location as a kid when it still looked more like a house than a restaurant. Nowadays, I go to the Santa Monica location more often than the downtown location. Both serve the fluffiest, most satisfying rellenos I have ever eaten. It's the standard by which I judge all others. If you could coax the recipe from them, I would love to try to make them at home.
Gayle Endo
Rancho Park

Dear Gayle: These chiles rellenos, from one of Los Angeles' most venerable Mexican restaurants, have an avid following all their own. The trick with that extra-fluffy coating lies in El Cholo's method: A little of the whipped egg batter is fried on its own until set, then a stuffed chile is gently laid over; more batter is spooned over the chile, then it is flipped and fried to golden perfection. Drizzle a spoonful of the rich and slightly tangy relleno sauce over the top to complete this signature dish.

El Cholo's chiles rellenos
Total time: 1 hour, 20 minutes
Servings: 6
Note: Adapted from El Cholo

Relleno sauce

1 tablespoon oil
3 garlic cloves, diced
1/2 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
1/2 onion, chopped
2 teaspoons vinegar
1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
1 (28-ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
2 whole canned green chiles, diced
1/2 cup chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 bay leaves

Salt

1. In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil. Stir in the garlic, oregano, onion, vinegar, bell pepper, tomatoes (and their juice), chiles and broth. Increase the heat and bring to a boil. Cook for 2 minutes, then stir in the black pepper, bay leaves and salt to taste.

2. Reduce th heat to a gentle simmer and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the vegetables have softened and the tomatoes start to break apart, about 25 minutes.

3. Remove from heat, discard the bay leaves, and mash the tomatoes with a potato masher or whisk until you have a coarse sauce. Season again to taste. Set aside in a warm place.

Chiles rellenos

3/4 pound grated cheddar cheese
6 whole canned green chiles
6 eggs, separated
Vegetable oil

Relleno sauce

1. Divide the cheese into 6 mounds and roll each mound into a football-shaped ball with your hands. Slit each chile lengthwise halfway and gently stuff a ball of cheese into each. Set aside.

2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, or in a large bowl with a hand mixer, beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form, 4 to 6 minutes. In a separate bowl, beat the egg yolks until frothy. Gently fold the yolks into the whites to complete your egg batter.

3. In a large skillet or frying pan, add enough oil to come up the sides by one-half inch. Heat the oil until a thermometer inserted reads 350 degrees.

4. Gently spoon a little egg batter into the pan, spreading it so it is roughly the dimensions of one side of a stuffed chile. As soon as the batter begins to set, 1 to 2 minutes, lay a chile over the top, then spread an equivalent amount of batter over the chile.

5. Turn over the chile relleno and fry an additional 1 to 2 minutes until golden on all sides. Remove the chile relleno with a slotted spatula or spoon, and place on a warm plate. Repeat until you have 6 chiles rellenos.

6. Spoon one-half cup sauce over each chile relleno and serve immediately.

Each serving: 483 calories; 22 grams protein; 10 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 40 grams fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 271 mg. cholesterol; 672 mg. sodium.

Culinary SOS request: Write to us at food@latimes.com, include your name and daytime phone number, and tell us what recipe you're just dying to have. Times Test Kitchen Manager Noelle Carter will do her best to get it.