chiles rellenos

I used to dread this time consuming task of roasting & peeling the skins of these poblanos for rellenos but not anymore. I now put them on a piece of non-stick foil laid directly on the stovetop burner, turning them by the stems as soon as each side is toasted & charred. Placing them in a covered bowl to steam for a few minutes also helps to easily peel or scrape the skin off later. For the filling, brown some ground beef with chopped onions & garlic, then flavor with southwestern seasoning and a little cumin. After the cooked ground beef has cooled a bit, mix in some grated cheese and fill the chiles with the mixture. The grated cheese will act as a binder so adding egg to the mixture is optional. Lastly, dip them in beaten egg & coat evenly with a combination of cornmeal & flour. Pan-fry them in a skillet with some olive oil until toasted and golden brown. Serve with extra salsa on the side. Back when I was still in Manila, spicy hot poblano chiles were not readily available, so I always used green bell peppers for these rellenos. I remember my Baguio trips when one of the highlights was a visit to the public market teeming with good quality fresh produce which they grow best in that cooler part of the country. I always brought back those huge green bell peppers and never failed to make rellenos with them. Aside from iceberg lettuce, strawberries, lengua de gato ( thin & crispy butter cookies ), Good Shepherd convent's ube jam and peanut brittle, I guess bell peppers were part of my favorite take home treats from the city of Baguio, the summer capital of the Philippines.

( shown above ) roasting the poblanos on foil

set directly on the stovetop burner