Carnerellenos Recipes

Steps:

• Char the chiles.
• Turn a gas burner on high. Char the chiles on the burner grate, turning with tongs (Marcela is a pro and uses her hands!), until blackened all over. Or char the chiles under the broiler.
• Let them soften.
• Transfer the charred chiles to a heavy-duty resealable plastic bag and close. Let stand 10 minutes. The chiles will steam in the bag, making them soft and easy to peel.
• Remove the skin.
• Gently rub the chiles with paper towels to remove as much skin as possible. It's okay if a few flecks remain-they'll add flavor, so don't rinse them off.
• Open the chiles.
• Using a paring knife, make a slit across the top of a chile just below the stem, leaving the stem intact. Starting from the middle of the slit, slice lengthwise down to the tip of the pepper (cut through only one layer). Open the chile like a book and pull out the seeds and inner membranes. You may need to use a paring knife to loosen the top of the seedpod. Repeat with the remaining chiles.
• Prepare the sauce.
• Puree the tomatoes, onion and garlic in a blender until smooth. Warm the olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the tomato puree and simmer 5 minutes, stirring occasionally; the sauce will be broth-y. Season with salt and pepper and keep warm.
• Make the filling.
• Place the cheese in a bowl, then add the oregano, crumbling and rubbing it with your fingers to release its flavor. Season the mixture with salt and pepper.
• Stuff the chiles.
• Fill each chile with about 1/4 cup cheese mixture. Fold in the sides to cover the filling, then thread 2 toothpicks across the seam to form an X. You will probably need to make a second toothpick X to secure each chile so the filling doesn't leak out when you fry.
• Mix the batter.
• Beat the egg whites with a mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Add the egg yolk and beat 3 more minutes.
• Batter and fry.
• Heat about 1 inch vegetable oil in a deep skillet over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 375 degrees F.
• Dredge: Pour flour into a shallow dish and season with salt and pepper. One at a time, coat the stuffed chiles with the flour.
• Batter: Holding each chile by the stem, lower it into the egg batter to cover completely. Let any excess batter drip off.
• Fry: Add the chiles to the hot oil, 1 or 2 at a time; fry, flipping once with tongs, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Drain on paper towels.
• Eat!
• Place a fried chile on each plate and pour the warm sauce over it. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Roast the peppers over a gas burner or on the grill, turning each chile until it is charred all over. Place in a closed plastic bag, 10 to 15 minutes. Peel the skin and rinse the peppers to clean the surface of excess skin. Cut a slit on the side of each chile lengthwise, being careful not to cut through the chile. Carefully remove the seed sack and the veins.
• Roast the corn over grill or a dry skillet on high heat until golden brown. Be careful not to overcook. Remove from heat and set aside. When cool enough to handle, cut the kernels from the cob.
• In a bowl, mix Crema Mexicana and 1 ounce capers for the garnish.
• For the Sauce: In a saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat and saute onions until transparent. In food processor or blender, add garlic, tomatoes, water, and half of the capers. Process until blended, but not completely smooth. Add mixture to onions. Bring to a boil and simmer over low heat for 10 minutes.
• For the Filling: In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute onions, garlic, and epazote until transparent. Add shrimp and cook until pink. Lower heat, add crab meat and corn kernels, and simmer for 5 minutes or until heated through. Remove from heat and cool down slightly. Carefully stuff each chile with 1/4 of the filling. Place the stuffed chilies on a platter. Cover with the sauce, dollop with the crema, and garnish with whole cilantro leaves.

Steps:

• Set an oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler.
• Roast peppers on the top rack of the preheated oven until the skins are charred, about 5 minutes per side. Remove from the oven and allow to cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Set the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• While peppers are cooling, whisk eggs, flour, milk, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl until smooth. Slice the queso fresco into eight even rectangles, just shorter than the length of the peppers.
• Carefully peel off the waxy skin of the cooled peppers. Gently cut a slit down the length of the peppers and use a spoon to remove the seeds and membranes.
• Spread about 1/4 cup of the milk mixture on the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Wrap each pepper around a queso fresco rectangle. Place each chile/cheese wrap seam-side down in a single layer in the baking dish. Cover with remaining egg mixture. Sprinkle Cheddar cheese over the top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until the egg mixture has risen and the cheese is golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Steps:

• FOR THE CHILES:.
• Cook ground pork and ground beef in a skillet over medium high heat. Add onions and cook until tender. Drain fat from the meat and onions.
• Add salt, raisins, almonds, cloves, coriander, and garlic. Add enough stock to moisten; cook until thick. Reserve remaining stock for sauce.
• Roast chilies and remove outer skin. Slit each chile down the center, just enough to remove as many seeds as possible and fill chiles with meat. If desired, you can add some shredded monterrey jack cheese. Secure with a toothpick if necessary.
• FOR THE BATTER:.
• Beat egg whites until stiff; beat the yolks until thick and then fold gently into the egg whites. Add flour and mix well; add salt. Using a large spoon, dip stuffed chiles into batter. Drop into 1/2 inch hot oil and fry until brown on both sides. Remove chiles and drain on paper towels.
• FOR THE SAUCE:.
• Brown flour in the shortening. Add beef stock and tomato sauce and cook 5 minutes. Pour sauce over stuffed chiles and serve.

Steps:

• Slit whole chilies open on one side with sharp knife; stuff with slices of cream cheese.
• Open steak flat on a sheet of waxed paper. Score steak and turn over. Lay stuffed chilies across unscored side of steak. Roll up and tie with kitchen string.
• Place steak in crock-pot slow cooker. Pour salsa verde over steak. Cover and cook on low 6 to 8 hours or on high 3 to 4 hours or until meat is fork tender.
• Remove steak and cut into 6 pieces. Serve with sauce from crock-pot.