2011, Recipe 72: Chile Relleno Casserole

Recipe courtesy of Elise at Simplyrecipes.com

• 8 poblano chiles
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 28-ounce can tomatoes
• Salt
• 1 pound Mexican chorizo (or other spicy sausage)
• 1 cup crumbled cotija cheese
• 1 teaspoon minced fresh oregano leaves
• 12 eggs
• 1/3 cup flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 cup Monterey jack or mild cheddar cheese, shredded

1 Preheat broiler. Lay chiles in a single layer on a broiling pan (not a baking sheet that will warp in the heat of the broiler) or on a rack in a roasting pan. Position the the chilies one to two inches from the broiler element. Cook until chiles are blistering and black, a few minutes on all sides. Turn chiles over and broil until blistering and black all over. Put chilies in a paper bag or thick plastic bag. Let sit 15 minutes.

2 While the chilies are cooling, heat olive oil in a large sautée pan, on medium. Add the chopped onion and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a minute more. Add the tomatoes (break up any whole tomatoes before adding to the pan). Add a pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer and lower the heat to low. Gently simmer for 15-20 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
3 Carefully peel and discard the blackened skin off of the chilies. Cut off the stem ends, remove the seeds and discard. Set chiles aside on a layer of paper towels to dry.
4 In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, cook chorizo, stirring occasionally to break up the meat, until cooked through, about 4 minutes.
5 Preheat oven to 375°. Pour tomato sauce into the bottom of an 8x12 inch baking dish (the tomato sauce should be the consistency of a thin spaghetti sauce. If it is too thick, thin it out with a little water).
6 In a large bowl, mix chorizo, cotija, and oregano. Stuff chiles with sausage mixture and lay them on top of the tomato sauce in the pan.
7 In a large bowl, whisk the eggs thoroughly. Whisk in the flour, baking powder, and a pinch of salt. Sprinkle chiles with half of the jack or cheddar cheese. Pour egg mixture over chiles and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
8 Bake until top starts to brown and the eggs are set but still soft, about 30 minutes.
Serves 8.

Results:  Good.  Rashan and I liked it enough to eat it after the first day.  It felt a little more like breakfast because of the eggs.  I halved the recipe (1/6 of a cup is 8 teaspoons) and used 5 eggs...  I can't say I really see the point of the eggs.  It was good but the eggs were strange.   And I love eggs so yeah...

Also for some reason, the casing would NOT come off of my chorizo!!  So crazy!  So I just chopped it and browned it and put it in the poblanos.  I'll be making chile rellenos again but probably not this recipe without modifications I can't quite put my finger on.  Maybe I just don't need a casserole.  Not sure.  Oh and I used fresh oregano, but I think dried might have worked even better because it probably would've been incorporated better.