Chile Rellenos, but More

I really like Chile Rellenos and because I have an abundance of Anaheim Chiles right now, I thought I would put them to use and make Chile Rellenos.  They are a pain because you have to char the chiles and then peel them.  The whole thing is not hard, just several steps.  Although the end result was great, I think I would rather order them in a restaurant!  HOWEVER.... the tomato sauce that goes over them and the batter that they are dipped are WONDERFUL and could be used for other things.  So, I'm posting the whole recipe here for you.  If you do nothing else, try the sauce when you need a tomato sauce for something and make the batter when you are doing batter-fried something...maybe fish tacos?

CHILE RELLENOS  (I think you need to at least double the recipe unless you have huge peppers as this amount of peppers would only serve 2.  My peppers were small and I used 10 for 3 of us and just doubled the sauce and 1 1/2 times the batter.)

4 Pasilla or Anaheim chiles

1 lb queso fresco cheese

3 eggs

Oil for frying (enough for at least 1" in frying pan

Tomato Sauce: 

4 medium Roma tomatoes, quartered

1 C. water

2 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped

1 T. chicken broth powder

1 T. oregano leaves, crushed

2-3 T. oil

2-3 T. flour

 

Grill and char chiles on both sides.  Once blackened, put in a plastic bag for 10 minutes to sweat out any moisture.  Remove from bag and carefully peel off the charred skin. Slit them down the middle and remove the seeds.  Stuff the peppers with the cheese and use toothpicks to hold together. 

TOMATO SAUCE:  Simmer tomatoes, garlic, and water over medium heat until soft.  Add the chicken broth powder and stir to combine.  Put in blender jar and carefully (because it’s hot) blend ingredients together briefly.  (The recipe didn't say to do this, but I wanted it more saucey and not so chunky.) In sauce pan over low heat, put oil and flour and stir to make a roux mixture.  Cook until the flour is browned, stirring constantly.  Add the tomato sauce and simmer for 5 minutes.  Add the oregano.  Set aside. 

BATTER:  Separate egg yolks from the whites.  Beat egg whites until they fluff up.  Add in the flour and the egg yolks and mix until completely incorporated. 

Add the oil to a frying pan over medium heat until drop of batter sizzles.  Dip the stuffed peppers in the batter and fry until golden brown on both sides.  Spoon hot oil over top of pepper while bottom side is cooking, then turn over.  Remove from oil, drain on paper towels and keep warm.

To serve:  Place chiles on serving plates and spoon some sauce over the top. Serve with rice and beans.