A few weeks ago, I had three lovely people in class, and they requested making two kinds of chiles rellenos. The first ones, of course, the iconic Chiles en Nogada, those delicious pork and fruit filled poblano chiles covered in a creamy walnut sauce (find the recipe here in the blog), and the second ones were some ancho chiles stuffed with cheese in a tomato sauce.
There are many ways of making chiles rellenos, and most of the time you will find them made with the fresh poblano, but making chiles rellenos with ancho chiles is so much easier and faster! You only need to seed, devein and soak them in hot water for about 10 minutes and you’re ready to stuff!
In terms of stuffing, the sky is the limit. You can make a meat filling, or a bean filling, potato and chorizo or simply cheese. We decided on a combination of mushrooms and two kinds of cheese with cilantro and they are so good I decided to share this recipe with you today.
The chiles themselves are really good, but serving them with a pool of caldillo de tomate takes them over the top. A caldillo is a loose tomato salsa flavoured with Mexican oregano, cumin and chicken stock and it really brings everything together.
Next time you have a craving for chiles rellenos but cannot find fresh poblanos in the store (like it so often happens here in Ottawa), why not try this recipe instead?
CHILES ANCHOS RELLENOS DE QUESO Y HONGOS CON CALDILLO DE TOMATE
Mushroom Cheese Stuffed Ancho Chiles with Tomato Sauce
Caldillo:
5 Roma tomatoes, chopped
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 small piece onion
3 sprigs cilantro
1 small chipotle chile in adobo, optional
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp Mexican oregano
Salt to taste
½ cup water or chicken stock
1 tsp vegetable oil
Chiles:
4 ancho chiles
4 cups mushrooms, chopped
1 Tbsp vegetable oil
1/2 cup diced white onion
1 garlic clove, minced
2 cups shredded melting cheese – Oaxaca, Gouda, Havarti, or a combination
1 cup crumbled panela, feta, or strained ricotta cheese, or a combination
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
Salt and pepper to taste
Cilantro leaves for garnish
To make Caldillo, in blender jar, place tomatoes, garlic, onion, cilantro, chipotle, cumin, oregano, salt and water. Blend until smooth.
In medium saucepan, heat vegetable oil and cook salsa for 10-15 minutes, until it changes colour. Adjust seasoning and reserve.
Meanwhile, carefully slit open chiles and remove seeds and most of the veins (if chiles are too dry, soak them first, then seed and de-vein) leaving stem intact if possible.
Fill medium saucepan with water and bring to a boil, then turn off the heat. Toast chiles on the comal a few seconds, only until fragrant. Add chiles to saucepan and soak for 7-10 minutes, covered, until soft and pliable. Remove from liquid and pat dry. If possible, carefully remove some of the skin.
Heat large frying pan and cook mushrooms in dry pan until starting to brown. Add oil and onions and cook until golden. Add garlic and cook for another minute. Remove from pan and cool to room temperature.
In medium bowl, combine cheeses and cilantro with cooled mushroom mixture and season with salt and pepper to taste. Fill chiles with cheese mushroom mixture and arrange cut side up on baking tray. Bake at 350°F for 15 to 20 minutes, until chiles are warm and cheese is melted.
Serve immediately, in a pool of caldillo, garnished with cilantro leaves.
Serves 4.