Chile Rellenos

Hey Ya'll -

I've had Chile Rellenos in California. They're basically the elongated peppers stuffed with cheese, batter dipped and fried until they surrender into a flattened and barely-contained gooey state. Then I've had the Tex-Mex rellenos, which are made from a much more robust and spherical pepper and filled with all kinds of meats and cheeses.

Then recently I was in New Mexico, and the chile rellenos I got looked like corndogs. What is up with that?

Can someone give me a quick 101 on Mexican cuisine? Do these New Mexico chile rellenos represent another school of Mexican cooking?

If you ask a New Mexican, you will be told that EVERY dish there is different from everywhere else, that New-Mex bears only the most superficial relationship to Tex-Mex, Arizona-Mex, Cal-Mex, and Mexican Mex. In my experience, individual cooks make rellenos their own way, but most of the ones I've had in New Mexico are made in such a way that the flavor of the chile itself is preeminent. It's not cooked to mush, and there's not too much breading around it. Never had one that was corn-dog like!

The traditional, authentic (Mexico & Guatemala) rellenos are made from Pasilla chiles although I've hardly ever seen them offered in Mexican restaurants in the US. Pasilla chiles are larger and rounder than the Anaheim chiles commonly served. I expect the Anaheims are easier to "process." I know from experience the Pasillas take more time and energy to prepare but I think they're tastier. Their flesh is thicker and they therefore don't turn to mush like a thinner chile would.

I would imagine that the chile rellenos in New Mexico are made with Hatch chiles...much more heat and flavor.

quote:

Can someone give me a quick 101 on Mexican cuisine? Do these New Mexico chile rellenos represent another school of Mexican cooking?

Some notes from a gringo relleno lover from Colorado. Rellenos are usually the staple I use to gage quality of Mex-fare in any place that serves them. I have tried them in probably 30-50 different restaurants in the Denver area alone. Not all restaurants bother including them on the menu, partly - I suspect - due to the relative difficulty in making them well. There are only 2 of those 30-50 restaurants where I would order them again (and again, and again...)

Rellenos are generally stuffed with cheese, but some places will also stuff with chicken, shredded beef, etc. Rellenos can be made with any kind of chile, but hatch and Anaheims seem to be the most common. The chiles have to be physically intact and of top quality for the relleno to be worth a damn, further complicating the process. Fresh roasted peppers make all the difference in the world; to me there is no dish that so showcases the pepper itself than a relleno. You cannot just pop open a can of random peppers and start cooking. Never had them with Pasillas but would love to try them, Goner!

In being dragged kicking & screaming into a Chevy's once I discovered they serve rellenos made with poblanos; they were just as bad as I'd imagined. I have once made rellenos myself with a handful of largish jalapenos, and somewhere a fool had probably tried making one with a habenaro (but certainly not two of them). A serrano would be a tough fit. Once in Cincinnati I had one made with a bell pepper, further reinforcing my longstanding opinion that there is no Mexican food worthy of note east of the Mississippi (except maybe the Mex Village in Detroit).

There seem to be 2 major schools of thought w/ regard to relleno preparation: the soft and the crispy. Opinions vary (and are like what?) as to which is better, but most acknowledge that soft is more "authentic" if one can use so strong a term here. Soft, when done right, are generally just battered in egg whites with enough flour to give some lumpy consistency, then pan-fried in pretty damn hot oil (or lard). Crispy are all over the map: I have sampled and loathed the corn-dog variation, the won-ton, the fish-&-chips batter, even a deep-fried chimichanga-style wrapped in tortilla. To me, the heavier the batter, the worse the relleno, but light batter will not salvage a bad chile.

And you can't have a good relleno w/o the proper accompaniments. Mine are always smothered in green chile - chili verde - and while a good green chili cannot correct the potential shortfalls in relleno, it can at least give you something interesting to munch on instead. Throw that on a plate w/ some beans, rice, a couple fresh tortillas and optional guac, lettuce, tomato, pico de gallo, Negra Modelo, etc. and you have a pretty substantial meal.

Sorry to be long-winded & somewhat evangelical. This is religion to me. Off to lunch!

Here's a nice semi-crisp one, sided by a tamale. An Anaheim, from Nogales:



And here's a very crisp one, gobbed with guacamole, served in a tortilla for eating out of hand (although the cheese inside does tend to squish out). This is a Hatch chile:

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Originally posted by Michael Stern

Here's a nice semi-crisp one, sided by a tamale. An Anaheim, from Nogales:



And here's a very crisp one, gobbed with guacamole, served in a tortilla for eating out of hand (although the cheese inside does tend to squish out). This is a Hatch chile:

I was in Nogales a few months ago. I parked on the USA side and walked over. Sort of a neat town. Food was really good I drove from there to Puerto Penasco. Beautiful place. I wish I had known about this place. Looks great to me. Your pics are really good

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

Yeah, the "conical" one was probably a Poblano or Pasilla. Here in LA, Poblanos are used at the nouvelle places and often filled with ground meat. They can be a bit hot for me. The California/green chiles are mcuh more common. One mistake I frequently come across is cooks neglecting to remove the seeds...I hate that!

My mother catered locally in a Texas border town, and she used poblano chiles for her rellenos. As for filling, you can use a good white melting cheese, which we did for Lent, or either a ground beef or shredded beef filling. I know that in Mexico a sweet and savory filling is common, with dried citron and dried fruits, plus nuts and cinnamon, but we mixed the meat with some paprika, cumin, and cubed carrots, potatoes and onions that had been lightly fried beforehand, then mixed with the savory meat. Let that filling cool a bit.

The chiles are a bit tricky. If you have a cast iron skillet or better yet, a comal, heat that up with no oil and place the whole poblanos on it till the skin chars black. You can do this in the oven as well, or even a kitchen torch, as long as you blacken the surface. Place the chiles under a damp kitchen towel or a plastic bag for 15-30 minutes so as to let them steam slightly and make it easier to peel the black skin off them. Try not to use running water for this, it lessens the flavor.

Make a slit alongside the pepper that is just big enough to remove the seeds inside, and stuff with the filling. You can leave them batterless and nestle them on top of a beg pan of mexican rice, or go whole hog and have them battered and fried.

For the batter, you need to seperate some egg whites from the yolks. Not sure how many to use, since it depends on how many peppers you have to work with. Beat the whites until they are foamy, and then at the last minute return the yolks to the whites to turn it a yellow color. Do this while some oil is heating in your pan (an inch or two deep is fine, you need enough so that you can carefully lap the oil over the top of your chile). Your oil has to be pretty hot, because you will wind up with a greasy relleno with too cool oil. Carefully dip a chile in the batter, and place it seam side up in your skillet, while gently lapping the oil over the top to help cook the batter over the slit to seal it. As it browns on the bottom, turn it over to finish the browning evenly. Repeat until you are done, draining your peppers on lots of paper towelling. Serve as is or with a spicy salsa or tomato sauce.

I did forget an imprortant step...once your chiles are stuffed, but before they are battered, lightly coat them in some flour. Then you can proceed to lower them into the foamed up eggs.

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Originally posted by Texicana

I did forget an imprortant step...once your chiles are stuffed, but before they are battered, lightly coat them in some flour. Then you can proceed to lower them into the foamed up eggs.

I add about 2 tbs of flour and a tsp of salt to the egg yolks before creaming them. Make sure the egg whites are very very stiff before gently foling in the yolks. This will make a very nice batter that will cling to the chiles when then are dipped.

Always dip the chiles into the egg mixture holding them by the stem.

A great way to use up any left over meat stuffing (doesn't work for cheese) is to mix with the egg batter and cook in the leftover oil from the chile making. Makes some neat tasty egg and meat patties that I ate as a kid when I didn't appreciate the glories of a good Poblano

Texican - my mouth is watering!

Lonestar, next time I am in Texas (at least once a year til I make it back there permanently) I'll leave a relleno or two on your doorstep Heh, just kidding, that would leave a grease spot!

I had a Salvadorean relleno for lunch today. It was perfectly round, and stuffed with green chile, shredded meat, potatoes, carrots and corn. It was like a pupusa made with egg instead of tortilla.

Lordie Elise I sure do envy you the food variety you get in EL AY. I don't have nearly the choice here in KY. That's why I cook lots!

Oh my goodness, a girl who can cook like you do stuck out there miles from the border? Can you find the right ingredients?

I have to go out to Lexington (hour and a half drive) to get alot of the really exotic stuff because they have a really neat little mexican mercado there. And there's a middle eastern store here where I can get my beloved falafel.

(See Michael, I told ya we need a chat room!)

Well..I have had rellenos dipped in a tempura-like batter (egg/flour)and they were heavenly, as long as the cooking oil stayed hot. If oil is too low in temperature(below 375 at high altitudes, 350 for sea levels) the effect can be soggy. I like a semi-firm pepper, no meat, and a bit of cheese with a sharpness to it. I don't like the Cheese whiz effect . EEK ! I do like the idea of smoking the raw pepper a bit prior to stuffing it with goodies, then deep frying. I had the corn dog style relleno. They are not bad, but the cheese inside was awful. I swear some restaurants use Velveeta. I also prefer to salt my own food. Many salsas are way too salty.

FOr a really good roodfood relleno- Try Sara's in Fort Stockton, Texas Been there over 70 years. Best I have ever had

I truly love chile rellenos, but they are one of the most variable foods on the planet. When they are bad they can be so bad, but when they are good they can be so good, that I use them as my criteria for selecting a Mexican restaurant.

For rellenos I really love, two places stand out right now: (1) Wisdom's in Tumacacori, AZ (on I-19, about 2/3 the way to Tucson to Nogales--this is a roadfood place worth a lot more attention, but it sadly gets too much already and can get really busy, esp. for dinner on weekends); (2) Elvira's in Nogales, Sonora, Mexico--"a little cafe on the other side of the border"--hum along with me and Jay & the Americans, however I have NOT met Badman Jose' there (just park on the US side at the terminus of I-19, walk into Mexico, then walk along the street next to the border fence for a block or two). By the way, Elvira's gives you a free shot of tequilla to start the meal no matter what you order for lunch--maybe that's why I enjoy the food so much.

In San Francisco, I usually get them from La Rondalla at 20th and Valencia, but their rellenos may be an acquired taste for some--they come pretty much drowned in a thin tomato sauce containing big hunks of chiles and onions so the coating on the rellenos gets soggy, but when you mix the remaining sauce (after you've eaten the rellenos) with the rice and stuff it into your mouth with a buttered corn tortilla, it's yummy. Also, their salsa is about the best I've had anywhere, ever (made in house, of course, with several kinds of peppers--fresh AND pickled jalapenos, tomatoes, cilantro, onion--I can't duplicate it so I can't say I know exactly what's in it) and their refritos are made the right way with lots of lard giving them lots of flavor.

I've known others who've judged Tex-Mex restaurants by their Chile Rellenos and Houston food writer Robb Walsh calls them the pride of Mexican cuisine in his new Tex-Mex book, but it's one of those dishes I was exposed to as a child and did not like and cannot bring myself to order again. The term 'grease sodden' aptly explains my revulsion. The last time I had one was the winter of '68 at a Mexican restaurant on S. Congress in Austin near St. Edwards U. with a particularly enchanting dark-haired beauty as my dining companion. I couldn't finish it and the quantity of grease I took in kept my stomach on edge all night. Despite my intentions when I go into a Mexican restaurant, I always find something else on the menu that I'd rather take a chance on.

I may be wrong, but I think in the old days around here they were made with bell peppers. According to what I see on menus, poblanos are the pepper of choice now; about the size of a bell pepper but longer, tapered toward the bottom end, and with a darker skin.

As important as they may be as standards for the connnoiseurs of Roadfood (and other food related web sites) a Tex-Mex restauranteur here told me a few months ago that the general public around here judges Mexican restaurants by their enchiladas. The common wisdom is that if you make good enchiladas, you'll prosper as a Tex Mex restauranteur.

I had never heard that before and ever since he told me I've been paying more attention to enchiladas whenever I go for Tex-Mex.

The best I've found is the Bandido Platter at El Toro in Clute, TX: one beef (ground), one chicken (shredded, with sour cream sauce), one cheese and one steak enchilada with ranchera sauce, together with the requisite sauces and gravies and cheeses, some very good refritos and rice. It's a bit of Tex-Mex heaven. The 20oz. Mexican Hurricane drink ain't bad either.

You can have the chile rellenos, I'm going to stick with enchiladas .

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Originally posted by hermitt4d
it's one of those dishes I was exposed to as a child and did not like and cannot bring myself to order again. The term 'grease sodden' aptly explains my revulsion. .

That's what I meant when I said when they are bad, they are truly awful. But they needn't be greasy at all and shouldn't be when done well.

OK, here’s a twist for you. Roast some poblanos and peel, seed and slit them, then let them cool. Line each with a slice of Swiss cheese and stuff with tuna salad.

My rellenos are always a hit. I received the recipe from an Orange County, CA restauranteur shortly before his retirement. They are messy but worth it. I simply take fresh roasted Anaheims or Pasillas, stuff them with a creamy Mexican white cheese like Queso Oaxaca or Queso Asadero, dip them in an egg white/flour wash, then fry them till golden in very hot peanut oil. I gently sauce them in a warm pork based chile verde sauce and serve them with an achingly fresh Pico de Gallo in a side bowl. Roadfoodies, you are lucky. I never give this recipe out to anyone I know or who is local.

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Originally posted by EliseT

I had a Salvadorean relleno for lunch today. It was perfectly round, and stuffed with green chile, shredded meat, potatoes, carrots and corn. It was like a pupusa made with egg instead of tortilla.

Elise,
You've sold me. There are now TWO El Salvadorean restaurants in Athens, and I've not made it to either one. This is a must for me as soon as I can find the time. Because of your nudging, I'll try the Chiles Rellenos both places for starters.
I'll report back, folks. Roadfood is Roadfood, even if it is ETHNIC Roadfood... Three Brothers in Milwaukee, The Commercial Restaurant in Sonora, Texas, and The Goulash Place in Danbury, Connecticut prove that point beyond debatability.
Aproaching Hungriness, Ort. Carlton in 30601-land.

Dearfolk,
My introduction to chiles rellenos came at Manuel's Mexican Food in Athens some years ago. They were made "Sonora style," using a recipe perfected over the years by the owner Mr. Leon's mother. These were the fluffy kind, were utterly ungreasy, and used a sweet green pepper of some sort. There was a slight hotness in there, but it actually brought out the other flavors rather than hiding them. A soft cheese was used, but it was very light in color - surely not Cheese Whiz nor any of its clones.
This and Huevos Con Chorizo were the two masterpieces on the place's menu. I've gone into relleno withdrawal since they closed up. The memory, though, lingers on... pleasantly.
Nostalgically, Ort. Carlton in 30601-Central.

Ort, I'm amazed any place has one Salvadoran restaurant, let alone two. I'd love to hear about them and your experience.
Awaiting anxiously,

carl reitz

I love Chile Rellenos, but only if they're made with poblano peppers.
There's a restaurant here in Versailles, KY called "Amigos" that has good chile rellenos, and couple places in Lexington have good ones as well. I often make them at home --- there's a Mexican grocery in Versailles and I buy poblano peppers and chihuahua cheese from them and roast and peel the peppers and stuff them with the cheese and bake them (I don't care for all the breading) and serve them with garlic salsa.

Goota love good rellenos..

Theres a good (authentic) recipe by that Tyler guy on the food network website, the show was food 911.

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Originally posted by carlton pierre

Ort, I'm amazed any place has one Salvadoran restaurant, let alone two. I'd love to hear about them and your experience.
Awaiting anxiously,

carl reitz

Here's 5 (in San Francisco) for you to choose from. Enjoy: http://phonebook.superpages.com/yellowpages/C-Salvadorean+Restaurants/S-CA/T-San+Francisco/

quote:

Originally posted by enginecapt

My rellenos are always a hit. I received the recipe from an Orange County, CA restauranteur shortly before his retirement.

Among the best I've had were at a little roadside dump in Costa Mesa (service counter inside, tables outside). Have no idea where it was but I do recall it was next to a McDonald's with a big kiddie play area.

My mom was from Michoacan Mexico and she made Chile Rellenos so different than what I have ever had. She used a pasilla chile and roasted it, peeled it then coated it with flour and dipped it in whipped egg whites...then she stuffed it with cotija mexican cheese and the she fried it and stuck it into a pot. If she had a lot of left over cheese she would dip that into the egg white and fry it and put it into the pot which had tomato and onions, like soup. It was so delicious. I only managed to make that dish once and only because I had my mom on the phone every step of the way. She always cooked a giant pot of about 15-20 chile rellenos. The day I made mine I only made four and it took me almost the day to do it. What I would give for some chile rellenos the way my mom made.

quote:

Originally posted by Marta2005

My mom was from Michoacan Mexico and she made Chile Rellenos so different than what I have ever had. She used a pasilla chile and roasted it, peeled it then coated it with flour and dipped it in whipped egg whites...then she stuffed it with cotija mexican cheese and the she fried it and stuck it into a pot. If she had a lot of left over cheese she would dip that into the egg white and fry it and put it into the pot which had tomato and onions, like soup. It was so delicious. I only managed to make that dish once and only because I had my mom on the phone every step of the way. She always cooked a giant pot of about 15-20 chile rellenos. The day I made mine I only made four and it took me almost the day to do it. What I would give for some chile rellenos the way my mom made.

Marta--My favorite chile relleno spot in San Francisco (La Rondalla) serves them smothered with a tomato sauce full of large pieces of onion and bell pepper. It's not exactly soupy, but not far from that. I love the sauce because I can mix most of it with some rice and scoop that up with corn tortillas after I eat the chiles. Yummy!

quote:

The last time I had one was the winter of '68 at a Mexican restaurant on S. Congress in Austin near St. Edwards U. with a particularly enchanting dark-haired beauty as my dining companion. I couldn't finish it and the quantity of grease I took in kept my stomach on edge all night. Despite my intentions when I go into a Mexican restaurant, I always find something else on the menu that I'd rather take a chance on.

This is so ironic, because some of the very best chile rellenos I have ever had are from an old-time Mexican restaurant on South Congress in Austin, the sometimes gloried and sometimes despised Matt's El Rancho. In 1968, however, they hadn't moved to South Congress yet, so that can't be where hermitt4d had his lousy one.

El Rancho's relleno is notable for the pecan-and-raisin garnish on top, definitely not standard Tex-Mex fare. Since my mother ate a lot at El Rancho when she was pregnant with me, my love for the place goes beyond all reason. It's still wildly popular, more than 50 years after it opened.

They make some awesome chile rellenos here in Albuquerque at Western View. We get them on take-out there any time someone visits from out of state. Another good spot is Los Cuates...but IMHO you get more quality when you eat in house there. I definately prefer hatch chiles but anaheim will do, and a nice mix of cheddar/jack cheese. These babies are labor intensive to make right, and the flour/egg mixture is critical. I gotta peruse my notes to find the best batter mix I made...then try to remember to post it later. Next time I have about 4 hours to kill, think I'll be making a nice big batch.

quote:

Originally posted by yumbo

Hey Ya'll -

I've had Chile Rellenos in California. They're basically the elongated peppers stuffed with cheese, batter dipped and fried until they surrender into a flattened and barely-contained gooey state. Then I've had the Tex-Mex rellenos, which are made from a much more robust and spherical pepper and filled with all kinds of meats and cheeses.

Then recently I was in New Mexico, and the chile rellenos I got looked like corndogs. What is up with that?

Can someone give me a quick 101 on Mexican cuisine? Do these New Mexico chile rellenos represent another school of Mexican cooking?

In my experience there are basically two types of rellenos which originate from different areas of Mexico. One type has the chile battered and deep fried, the other is egg wrapped and pan-fried. Poblanos are the chile of choice here, but if good quality Poblanos are not available, Anaheims are also quite common. Fillings can be simple mexican cheeses, meat or mixtures of all. Large diced potatos are also often added to the filling.

Here in San Angelo, we are fortunate to have many good mom and pop tex-mex restaurants with excellent rellenos of both types. Makes it kind of hard to get past them on the menu!!!!!

I love the poblanos. Some are hot, but I prefer the mild. I like the cheese inside to be thick, and tangy cheddar. (for Petes sake no Velveeta or cheese whiz!) I like the batter that resembles tempura, and stays crisp, not soggy. Some rellenos are drowned in sauce. I prefer sauce (thick) on the side with no meat in it, and mild with a teeny bite of chipotle) I do not like the plain egg batter. It should have flour in it...one place in Alamosa, Colorado has frozen rellenos. Horrible ! They are coated in what seems like corn flakes...and the peppers are too over cooked..I have to say, some of the best rellenos by far came from Tia Juanas in Roswell, NM, and Ritas in Taos NMex, alto the latter is a tiny hole in the wall....Rita knows her stuff ! I have made my own rellenos. They are worth the trouble. And the peppers being roasted at outdoor markets are absolutely addictive ! I watch them being roasted, and hear the seeds popping...what a rush ! Viva good rellenos.

Of course, not all chiles rellenos are battered and fried. (For example, see this one--filled with brisket--from Avila's, in Dallas, Texas.)

A well-known Mexican example is chiles en nogada, a Pueblan specialty in which poblanos are filled with a spectacular picadillo (of beef, pork, cinnamon, cloves, raisins, nuts, etc.), baked (unbattered), then topped with a puree of walnuts and crema, garnished with pomegranate seeds. I'm usually not a chile relleno fan (because so many interpretations of the dish are poor); but when chiles en nogada are done right, they're one of my favorite Mexican dishes.

Scott

Scott, that sure does look and sound good.

Mexican food does not get that refined around Knoxville, TN

Paul E. Smith
Knoxville, TN

I had a good relleno in Harlingen, TX last night at Sauza's. Pobalno pepper stuffed with ground beef(i grew up eating cheese stuffed so still a bit hard to get used to)a crispy beef taco, cheese enchilada, rice and beans. Good salsa, great pico de aguacate (diced avacado, onions, tomato, cilantro).

Meal was large enough that I brought home most of the rice and beans plus the cheese enchilada. Dinner and lunch for the price of one.

Paul

I had a fabulous Green Chile Relleno Burrito today, a Santa Fe autumn special. Long whole green Hatch chile lightly fried with a bit of cheese somewhere, then covered with a little red chile and wrapped in a tortilla. The long chile was mighty warm (spicy) and quite a treat. I'd go for more.

OK, Rellenos are my favorite prep. for New Mexico Chiles....... Here's our simple recipe. Slit open a nice roasted and peeled chile, remove the seed pod leaving the stem on, insert a length of sharp cheddar to fit the pepper,seal this piece of heaven up with a tooth pick. Roll these in an egg wash,then a good tumble in some Ritz cracker crumbs which were hammered into crumbs. Put into a hot skillet with with oil and brown quickly. Do not over cook, let the Chiles be the star of the show!

Let me mention two places with excellent, but very different chile rellenos. First, the Buffalo Grill in Houston serves one for breakfast stuffed with sausage and cheese, battered, and covered with a fried egg and green salsa. They use Anaheim peppers, two of them. It'll get you going on a Sunday morning.

The second is at Matt's El Rancho Grande, a long time Austin institution on South Lamar. Theirs is stuffed with ground beef and white cheese, lightly battered and covered in sour cream, pecans and raisins. You probably wouldn't think raisins and pecans on Chile Rellenos would work but they've been making them that way for over fifty years and its the best relleno I've ever had.

spamlamb:

Just curious, what are the two restaurants in Colorado you would recommend?


Some notes from a gringo relleno lover from Colorado. Rellenos are usually the staple I use to gage quality of Mex-fare in any place that serves them. I have tried them in probably 30-50 different restaurants in the Denver area alone. Not all restaurants bother including them on the menu, partly - I suspect - due to the relative difficulty in making them well. There are only 2 of those 30-50 restaurants where I would order them again (and again, and again...)

quote:

Originally posted by cyrano

quote:

The last time I had one was the winter of '68 at a Mexican restaurant on S. Congress in Austin near St. Edwards U. with a particularly enchanting dark-haired beauty as my dining companion. I couldn't finish it and the quantity of grease I took in kept my stomach on edge all night. Despite my intentions when I go into a Mexican restaurant, I always find something else on the menu that I'd rather take a chance on.

This is so ironic, because some of the very best chile rellenos I have ever had are from an old-time Mexican restaurant on South Congress in Austin, the sometimes gloried and sometimes despised Matt's El Rancho. In 1968, however, they hadn't moved to South Congress yet, so that can't be where hermitt4d had his lousy one.

El Rancho's relleno is notable for the pecan-and-raisin garnish on top, definitely not standard Tex-Mex fare. Since my mother ate a lot at El Rancho when she was pregnant with me, my love for the place goes beyond all reason. It's still wildly popular, more than 50 years after it opened.

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Originally posted by Legran22

quote:

Originally posted by cyrano

quote:

The last time I had one was the winter of '68 at a Mexican restaurant on S. Congress in Austin near St. Edwards U. with a particularly enchanting dark-haired beauty as my dining companion. I couldn't finish it and the quantity of grease I took in kept my stomach on edge all night. Despite my intentions when I go into a Mexican restaurant, I always find something else on the menu that I'd rather take a chance on.

This is so ironic, because some of the very best chile rellenos I have ever had are from an old-time Mexican restaurant on South Congress in Austin, the sometimes gloried and sometimes despised Matt's El Rancho. In 1968, however, they hadn't moved to South Congress yet, so that can't be where hermitt4d had his lousy one.

El Rancho's relleno is notable for the pecan-and-raisin garnish on top, definitely not standard Tex-Mex fare. Since my mother ate a lot at El Rancho when she was pregnant with me, my love for the place goes beyond all reason. It's still wildly popular, more than 50 years after it opened.

I have the same feeling for Matt's El Rancho. Nothing bad, but nothing really notable except for the Chile Rellenos. The sour cream-pecan-raisin topping is absolutely delicious. Makes you wonder while other TexMex restaurants don't serve them this way. I go to Matt's just for the Rellenos. Matt's El Rancho was originally located on First Street on Town Lake just two blocks east of Congress where the Four Season Hotel is now located. They sold the land and moved out to South Lamar and built a new restaurant, sometime in the 80's, as I recall.

Well, I thought I'd pass on my recent visit to an 'authentic' Mexican restaurant in St. Augustine, FL.

I must confess, I love good Mexican food. It shouldn't be fiery hot of it's own accord, like Tex-Mex in Texas is. My thoughts about this is that they only use absolute heat to cover a poor recipe and preparation. If I want it hotter, I always ask for some Salsa mas Picante, a concoction usually made in the kitchen by the cook by some semi-secret recipe involving roasting chilis and adding garlic and onion. A delightful picker-upper. If it's real good, I'll spoon it over everything on the platter, and damn the consequences I'll endure later.
But, to me, good Mexican food is flavorful, spicy, but not scorching. It will leave your tongue intact, but tickle your taste buds with knowledge of possible disaster. My favorite dish is a chicken enchilada, a tamale, and a chili relleno. With rice and beans, of course. All this accompanied with a cold Negro Modello, and preceded by a fresh pico de gallo (preferably) or a salsa and tortilla chips.

At this particular establishment, the chips and salsa were acceptable, although the salsa was a bit sweet. It lacked any real 'bite'. The beer I ordered was good and icy cold, but delivered sans glass. I had to ask for a one. It came with a lime wedge implanted into the bottle, a practice I find deplorable, a truly gringo contrivance.
I ordered lightly, an enchilada, taco and chili relleno. The waitress was loath to change anything on the menu, it seemed that they were hard wired to the menu as it was. There was no chicken enchilada available with a relleno, it seemed. So, I settled for a beef enchilada.

When the main course arrived, it came on two dishes. One contained a beef taco, the larger an enchilada and a pile of what appeared to be hamburger smothered in Velveeta cheese sauce. I asked the waitress what the pile of stuff was, and she said it was a chili relleno.

"I don't believe so. A chili relleno is a work of art. A poblano pepper, seeded, stuffed with Monterey Jack cheese or a savory Mexican cheese, dipped in an egg batter and lightly fried, producing a wonderous fluffy and tangy treat, then covered with a mild red sauce and sprinkled with grated cheese. This resembles something the dog would ralph up," I soliloquized.

"Oh. Well we make them like this. We put a pepper on the plate, add meat, and cover it in cheese," she said, turning and walking away.

My friend told me to send it back. I replied it would do no good, as they obviously hadn't a clue about 'authentic' food. And, being as it had been 16 hours since I had eaten, I decided to eat the mess anyway. The 'enchilada' was simply a corn tortilla stuffed with hamburger, then covered in a white cheese sauce, very sweet at that. The taco was comparable to Taco Bell. I never did find evidence of a 'pepper' under the pile of soggy hamburger that comprised the relleno. The best part of the meal was the Negro Modelo.

I have had the Velveeta Relleno experience 3 times now. Twice in GA (Jefferson and Attapulgas) and the above in St. Augustine, FL.
The restaurateur in Attapulgas told me that he tried traditional type fare, but the locals pretty much demanded sweet and smothered in con queso. Everything had con queso on it, even the tamales and enchiladas. There wasn't a savory red sauce with bell peppers and onions to be found there. No mole either.

May as well stuff the Chili with steak strips $ Cheese whiz and call it a Cheese steak Chili Relleno whiz Wit...............

Relleno discussions are so odd to me, because my part of Texas (between Abilene and Lubbock - you might be thinking that's far west, but it's actually not far from the geographical center of Texas) completely defies these statements about Texans using poblanos.  In all of the years I've lived and eaten Tex-Mex here(born and raised here, lived up and down the East before coming home for the last 18 years), I've never been served a poblano in rellenos. Even when you get a BAD relleno, they're anaheims, roasted and peeled, and can tip toward the eggy version (which I like if they're done very, VERY well) and the fried version, which I prefer.  Generally cheese-stuffed, sometimes ground beef & cheese, generally covered with chile gravy (that's colorado sauce if you're feeling fancy) and melted cheese.  We're starting to see some bastardized Sysco version which is an Anaheim, but skinny - the cigar-looking version.  They're... not good.  It's almost as if they took the chile, cut a long strip out of the top of it, stuffed it, then.. kind of smooshed/rolled it back together?  
 
Additionally, to the poster who stated that Tex-Mex is fiery hot - no, no, no, it isn't!  Tex-Mex is marked more by deep chili and cumin flavors, which of course can be hot - but any "fieriness" comes from any salsas (or, depending on the time of year, how hot the jalapenos or serranos happen to be in the pico).  But generally, think warm, spicy and cumin-smoky, not fiery.  And to lay a blanket of " like Tex-Mex in Texas is. My thoughts about this is that they only use absolute heat to cover a poor recipe and preparation." over Tex-Mex is inaccurate and, honestly, fightin' words.  
 
I highly recommend Robb Walsh's The Tex-Mex Cookbook for those uninitiated in Tex-Mex as its own distinct, storied, and venerable indigenous cuisine.  He does a great job in covering not just recipes, but the history of the cuisine. 

I should mention that a chili relleno with verde sauce makes an excellent hangover cure.....

What, covered in a verde sauce, wouldn't be a great hangover cure? ;)

 
 
 
 
 
 
ed's recent relleno at La Tapitia in Phoenix, Oregon. :)

Bill,
You're making me hungry again! That was an excellent relleno!

bill voss


 





ed's recent relleno at La Tapitia in Phoenix, Oregon. :)

 
That's a Chili R!!!!!

they are light, full of cheese, and crispy good.

They can be heavenly.

I just checked on the web two local, higher-end chains that I have not been to:
Chuy's uses Anaheims
Christina's uses Poblanos
I'll try both in the near future and compare.