My dad loved chiles rellenos , which are roasted poblano peppers stuffed with cheese , dipped in an egg batter ( sounds weird but trust me it ’ s yums ) and fried . The stuffed and fried peppers are served with a ranchero sauce that has peppers , tomatoes , onion and chipotle peppers . It is the southwest version of stuffed peppers , a fusion of Spanish and Mexican cooking .

I had it for the first time as an adult at a Mexican restaurant in Lake Zurich , Illinois called Tacos El Norte . Their chiles rellenos are the stuff of dreams . I would pile the peppers and cheese onto a tortilla , douse it with sauce and

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take that first glorious bite . You know the one I ’ m talking about — cheesy , saucy with some texture from the batter and tortilla . So good .

I finally got the courage to try making chiles rellenos at home . I bought poblano peppers , cheese and sauce ingredients . Stuffing the peppers with as much cheese as possible was the hardest part because the peppers were soft from roasting them , but I managed . They fried up beautifully , and that

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first bite was everything I ’ d hoped it would be .

In Florida my husband Neal took it upon himself to make chiles rellenos for my parents . He had enjoyed them so much when I ’ d made them and at Tacos El Norte . A vegetable market on the side of the road was his inspiration . He is quite adept in the kitchen . He roasted the peppers , stuffed them and made a delicious sauce . So good . My parents enjoyed them too .

Much to my delight , Neal ( aka Superman ) made them for me again recently . We didn ’ t have flour , so he ground up some oatmeal in the blender instead . The melted cheese , the delicious sauce and chopped fresh salsa on the side all blended into the perfect culinary creation . If you are wanting something flavorful and delicious , consider making

this recipe . I also included a recipe for Mexican rice . No plate of chiles rellenos is complete without a scoop of tomato-studded rice on the side .

CHILES RELLENOS

Rellenos 6 whole poblano chiles , broiled until skins are blistered ( cover them with tin foil and let them steam for a few minutes and then peel off skin as best you can , leaving stems on ) 1 pound mozzarella cheese , cut into strips about ½ inch wide , 2 inches long and ¼ inch thick or use shredded Flour for dredging 4 eggs , separated ( have no yellow yolks in the white at all or they will not get stiff when you whip them ) 1 teaspoon baking powder Oil for frying

Tomato sauce 1 tablespoon oil 1 cup chopped onion 1 chili ( or more to be as much heat as you can stand ) from a can of chipotle chiles 2 cloves garlic minced 1 bell pepper chopped 1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes , blended briefly in the blender 1 cup chicken broth

Prepare the sauce In a blender , add the onions , garlic chipotle pepper , bell pepper , tomatoes

and chicken stock . Blend thoroughly . Pour into a saucepan and cook until color darkens and sauce tastes delicious , about 45 minutes .

Carefully slit each pepper lengthwise along the center about ½ to ¾ of the way down and remove seeds and veins . Fill each pepper with several strips of cheese , roll in the flour and set aside .

Beat the egg yolks in a small bowl and stir in the baking powder . Set aside . In a large bowl , beat the egg whites until they form stiff peaks ( best to use an electric mixer for this ). Gently fold in the egg yolk mixture .

Pour oil into a frying pan to the depth of 1 inch and heat to 400 F . Take a chili and roll it in the egg batter and gently lay , seam side up , in the hot oil to cook . Cook until brown and then gently turn . Cook the other side . Drain briefly on paper towels . Or if you can ’ t turn them , spoon the oil on top to cook the top a little and then turn them .

Place relleno on plate and spoon sauce over . Serve immediately .

( Adapted from https :// lindysez . com / classic-mexican-chiles-rellenos /.)

MEXICAN RICE 1 1 / 2 cups long grain white rice 1 / 4 cup oil ( vegetable or

canola oil ) 1 teaspoon garlic , minced 1 / 4 medium onion , finely diced 1 / 4 cup tomato sauce or 2 pureed tomatoes 2 teaspoons chicken bouillon granulated or cubes 1 / 4 teaspoon salt 1 carrot , diced 1 / 2 cup peas ( frozen or fresh ) 3 cups water 1-3 whole serrano peppers , optional

Rinse the rice in a fine mesh strainer until the water runs clear . Set aside . In a large saucepan over medium-high heat , add the oil . Once hot , add the rice and stir to combine . Cook over medium heat , stirring frequently , until the rice is lightly golden brown all over ( about 10 minutes ). Add tomato sauce , garlic and diced onion to the pan . Stir . Add chicken bouillon , salt , carrots , peas and water ( and serrano peppers if using as they add a little flavor but not spice ).

Bring to a boil and then cover . Reduce heat to low and cook for about 20 minutes or until the water is completely absorbed . Remove from heat and allow to rest for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork .

( Adapted from https :// tastesbetterfromscratch . com / authentic-mexicanrice /.)