Chile Rellenos with a Cinnamon Tomato Sauce

I'll use any excuse to make something special. Holidays, I will have to admit, are more about the food that accompanies them than anything else. Call me a heathen, call me unpatriotic, but don't call me hungry.



Cinco De Mayo means chips, guacamole, and margaritas. I like to set it up a notch or so higher with Chile Rellenos. My dear husband first started making this recipe years back and it has become one of my Top 10 recipes of all time. The sauce turns it from average to sublime. Something about the cinnamon and cloves really makes it shine. Leftovers are even better than the day of. Any recipe that tastes better as leftovers is a keeper, in my book.


CHILES RELLENOS DE QUESO

8 chiles, roasted and peeled
6-8 ounces cheese, Monterrey jack cut into 1/8ths
oil, for frying
4 eggs, separated
1 1/2 cups flour, all purpose
Tomato Sauce:
1 large can diced tomatoes
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chicken broth1 teaspoon salt
1-2 dried chiles, ground
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon, ground
pn cloves, ground

Prepare tomato sauce (see below).
Cut a tiny slit in one side of each chile to remove seeds, leaving stems on.
Dry the chiles on paper towels.
Cut cheese into long thin sticks, one for each chile.
Place one stick in each chile, using more if chiles are large.
If chiles are loose and open, wrap around cheese and fasten with wooden a wooden toothpick.
Pour oil 1/4" deep into large heavy pan.
Heat oil to 365 F.
Beat egg whites in a medium bowl until stiff. Beat egg yolks lightly in a small bowl and fold into the beaten egg whites, gently but thoroughly.
Roll chiles in flour, then dip in egg mixture to coat. Fry in hot oil until golden brown, turning with a spatula.
Drain on paper towels.
Serve immediately topped with tomato sauce.


For the preparation of the tomato sauce, combine tomatoes, onion and garlic in blender or food processor and blend to a puree.
Heat oil in a medium saucepan, add tomato mixture.
Cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add broth, salt, chiles, cloves and cinnamon.
Simmer gently 15 minutes.