CHILES RELLENOS

Ingredients

For the tomato sauce/salsa:
• 4 medium sized tomatoes, roughly chopped into large pieces
• 1 jalapeño, seeds removed
• 1 onion, roughly chopped into large pieces
• 3-4 cloves of garlic
• salt and pepper to taste
• 3-4 tbsp vegetable or sunflower oil
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
For the chiles rellenos:
• 4-5 poblano chiles
• 1 corn, kernels removed
• 3/4 cup mushrooms, chopped into small pieces
• 1 zucchini, chopped into small pieces
• 3/4 teaspoon of ancho chili powder
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup of oaxaca cheese
For the chipotle crema:
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2-3 chipotle in adobo sauce (comes in a little can found in grocery stores), chopped
• 1 tsp adobo sauce, from the can
• 1 tbsp. lime juice, fresh
• salt and pepper to taste
Garnish:
• San Miguel nut & spice mix
• 1/2 cup queso fresco cheese

Instructions

1. Mix together the ingredients for the chipotle crema and set aside.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 400°. On a medium baking sheet, place the tomatoes, onions, garlic, jalapeños. Massage with oil, salt and pepper, and bake it for about 20 minutes. Once done, puree it in a high speed blender with fresh cilantro. Set aside.
3. For the chile relleno, keep the oven on, put it on broil setting. On a baking sheet, put the poblano chiles and broil them on the middle rack for about 2 minutes, then turn. Keep doing so until all the sides are nicely charred. Once charred, remove from the oven. Switch the oven off. Put the charred chiles in a large bowl. Cover with saran wrap and let it cool for about 20 minutes. Once cooled, with your hands, remove the charred skins from the chile. Slit it open and gently remove the seeds. Make certain you are wearing gloves; the seeds can burn your hands - and don't touch your eyes!
4. To prepare the filling, in a large sauté pan, add in the oil and heat on medium. To the pan add corn, mushroom, zucchini & garlic. Add the ancho chili powder, salt and pepper. Mix until well blended. Sauté for about 10 minutes until it is nicely cooked. Remove to a medium sized bowl. Now add the Oaxaca cheese and mix. Do not over mix.
5. Stuff each chile pepper with this filling. Turn the oven to broil and place under the broiler for about 5 minutes. Keep watch to make sure it does not burn. Once they are slightly browned, remove from oven.
6. Place each chile relleno in the center of a serving plate. Add about 1/4 cup of the tomato sauce around the relleno. Top with the chipotle crema drizzle. To the top add a sprinkle of the queso fresco cheese. Finish with a sprinkle of the San Miguel nut & spice mix.