Living in Italy is great and the food is fantastic but a California girl can get a real craving for Mexican food! One of my favorites is Chili Rellenos, those roasted green Poblano chili’s stuffed with creamy white cheese, dunked in fluffy beaten egg whites and fried up into a soft puffy soufflé of deliciousness.
Originally Chili Rellenos came from Puebla State in Mexico and are referred to as far back as 1858. They used Queso Chihuahua or Queso Oaxaca (Mexican cheeses) but I use Monterey Jack cheese when I am in America or Mozzerella when I am in Italy. These cheeses all melt very nicely and string apart delightfully when you slices into them) I think my recipe is pretty authentic with a slight variation on the cheese and I’m happy that I can make a pretty close version even in Italy.
I like to serve a red or green sauce on these bad boys, you can find my Salsa Verde recipe here on my blog or you can buy a can of green or red enchilada sauce. You can roast, peel and stuff these chili’s a head of time so the cooking process is faster when you get home in the evening. When I was working and commuting I would have this step done and the sauce made and my husband would finish the chili rellenos up while I was driving home, he only had to roll the chili’s in flour, beat the eggs, dip them in the eggs and fry them up. It was a win-win!
Chili Rellenos (Cheese Stuffed Roasted Green Peppers) with Keto Friendly Version
4-6 Green Pablano Chili Peppers
Cheese such as Monterey Jack or Mozzarella
4 eggs
flour for dusting (omit for Keto version)
oil for frying
When in California I choose Pablano or Pasilla peppers, these are large and dark green with a mild flavor.
When I am in Italy i can’t find Pablano or Pasilla pepper but I can find a lighter green pepper about 4-6 inches in length with a mild flavor, it resembles what we call a “California Pepper” or “Anaheim”. But don’t use a Green Bell pepper (American) or Capsicum (British) or Pepperoni (Italian language version of a bell pepper) because the flavor is not right
Begin by roasting the chili’s, I do it by placing the chili’s on a cookie sheet and placing them under the broiler until the skin is black and blistered in spots on both sides (don’t burn the whole thing) . Then I remove the chili’s and place them in a plastic bag to steam. After they have cooled you can peel the skin right off. Sometimes I do this step the night before or in the morning before starting my day so it’s not such a big cooking process at dinner time. Keep the peeled chili’s in the refrigerator if you are doing it ahead.
Stuff the roasted and peeled chili’s with a thick slice of cheese, I usually use a few slices in each pepper. Don’t grate the cheese because this makes it too hard to stuff. (You can also do this step ahead of time) Then dredge the chilis in flour or omit this step for “keto” friendly version.
Separate the egg white from the egg yolks and place each in a separate bowl. The egg whites should be in a large bowl because you will use an electric mixer to beat them into a stiff meringue. This means the egg white will turn white and take on a solid form, when you turn off the mixer and raise the beaters you should see a peak in the egg whites.
Using the same mixer you can beat the egg yolks for a minute. Combine the egg yolk with the egg whites and fold gently. This is the same process as making Tiramasu by the way…
Using a small frying pan, pour enough oil to fry the chili’s, I like to use a small pan and I fry one at a time because I don’t like using a lot of oil. But there should be enough oil in the pan to cover half the chili in the frying process,
Dredge the stuffed chili in flour on both sides then dip it into the egg mixture to cover it. Fry it on both sides, I use a medium to high heat.
You can keep the fried chili’s in a warm oven as you finish the frying process.
I love my Chili Rellenos smothered in a Green Sauce made of Tomatillos (Tomatillos are in the same Night Shade Family as Tomato’s, they originate from The Americas, specifically from Mexico. They are light green with a mild flavor and grow on a vine in their own little paper lantern)
In Italy I can’t find Tomatillos so I make a red chili sauce. You can find both of these recipes on TheHomesteadTraveler.com!
Try these other great dinner ideas from our Archives:
Babaganush (Middle Eastern Roasted Eggplant Dip) Published July 29, 2017
Shrimp Spring Rolls with Peanut Dipping Sauce (Published August 18, 2017)
Saltimbocca (Roman Style Veal Scallopini) (Published February 18, 2018)
Vietnamese Lemongrass Beef Salad (Bun Bo Xoa) Published March 12, 2018)
Spiced Chickpea Salad with Roasted Cauliflower (Published April 22, 2018)
Steamed Mussels and Fettuccine (Cozze e Fettuccine) Published May 4, 2019)
Shrimp Risotto (Risotto alla Gamberi) Published June 2, 2018)
Pasta Carbonara (Published May 12, 2018)
Arancini (Italian Fried Rice Balls) Published June 4, 2018)
Ossobuco alla Milanese (Milan Style Veal Shanks & Saffron Risotto) Published June 20, 2018)
Lasagna Bolognese (Published Aug 3, 2018)
