Chiles Rellenos, Mexican Millet, Hominy Soup

Dinner 1/12

Chiles Rellenos
(stuffed with FYH Monterey Jack, recipe below)

Mexican Millet
(test recipe for VwaV2)

Hominy Soup with Pepitas
(onion, garlic, jalapeno, cumin, mexican oregano, hominy, tomato, veg stock, tamari, pepper)


The millet is a nice change of pace if you're looking for something akin to Mexican Rice -- and works wonders as a base for the rellenos...

Chiles Rellenos
(serves two)

2 large Poblano peppers

filling of choice (soy cheese, home fries/soyrizo, onion or any combo)

1 tbs. flax seed (finely ground)
3/4 cup AP flour (divided use)
water
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tsp. cumin (optional)
1/2 tsp. cayenne (optional)

oil for frying


The key word to remember here is "gently" -- these can be a little delicate depending on the pepper...

Roast the Poblanos over an open flame (or use the broiler in the oven) until blackened -- the key is to blacken them as quickly as possible. The longer they spend over the flame, the weaker the structure of the pepper gets.

Place into a paper bag (or the microwave) and let sweat for 5-10 minutes. Gently peel the blackened skin off. Don't rinse them (a few specks of black is OK) or they'll get soggy, and again weaken the pepper. Make a slit down the length of the pepper and gently remove as much of the seed pod inside as possible.

Heat the oil to 375F

In a large mixing bowl, add 1 Tbs. finely ground flax seed with 1/4 cup of water and stir to combine. Slowly add 1/2 cup of AP flour, salt and pepper (you can add the optional 1/2 tsp. of cumin and 1/2 tsp. of cayenne here if you like it even spicier). Mix all the ingredients together until it makes a very thick pancake-style batter. You will probably need to add additional water to get it to the right consistency.

Gently place your filling of choice in poblano (being careful not to over stuff). Fold one flap of the poblano over the other (or secure with toothpicks) and and roll in 1/4 cup of seasoned AP flour. Place the poblano into flax seed/flour batter and coat thoroughly -- you may want to spoon the batter over the top and opening if you don't want the filling spilling everywhere.

Using a slotted spoon, gently lift one batter-coated poblano (seam up) and place in the oil. Deep-fry the poblanos one at a time, or the oil doesn't stay hot enough and it takes longer to cook and therefore makes it too oily. With the slotted spoon, gently splash the oil over the top of the poblano, which will cook (and seal) the top without spilling the filling. Deep-fry for 3-5 minutes until coating turns light brown.

Tags: millet, vwav, chiles, rellenos, hominy, soup, vegan, food, dinner, tofu666