I moved to Berkeley the summer of 1962. At the time I thought it was temporary. My older sister had lost her housemate and needed someone to help her pay the rent. I had been holding down two jobs waitressing after school and weekends so I think she thought I was a good prospect. Of course, I was so naïve at that time, I thought she wanted to spend the summer with me.
I found a job on Telegraph Avenue two and a half blocks from Sather Gate called Don Paquins. I knew absolutely nothing about Mexican food. The kitchen was tiny and presided over by a short, pleasant woman named Eva. I spoke not a word of Spanish. She showed me how to make chili rellenos, among other dishes. I have never found a method yet that I enjoy more than hers.
Several years later, I was chef at a little French restaurant further down the Avenue, close to Ashby. Eva opened her own restaurant, Casa de Eva, three doors down. It was wonderful to see her again and have a few laughs over that first summer we met a decade earlier.
- 1 Tbsp avocado oil
- ½ cup onion diced
- ½ cup green pepper diced
- 1 jalapeño pepper minced without seeds
- 1 large garlic clove minced
- 1 ½ tsps ground cumin
- ¼ tsp cayenne
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 cup diced tomatoes or 20 tamatillos for green sauce
- 1 cup chopped fresh cilantro
- 8 fresh Poblano or pasilla chili peppers or canned mild green Anaheim chilies
- ½ pound sharp cheddar cheese or Monterey Jack
- 1 egg per chili separated
- 3 tbsp plus white flour
- ½ tsp salt
- cold water
- ¼ cup avocado oil
- 2 cups red or green sauce
- ½ cup grated Jack or cheddar
- 1 cup sour cream
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Combine the oil, onions, peppers, cumin, and cayenne in a sauté pan over medium heat. Just as the onion begins to brown, add the chicken stock, tomatoes and cilantro. Turn heat down to a slow simmer.
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While the sauce is simmering, leaving the stems on, broil, grill, or use your gas burner to char the skins of the chilies. Put the chilies in a plastic bag for 10-15 minutes. Peel the skins off. If pieces of skin stick, use a sharp knife to peel off without removing the meat. Dry the chilies on paper towels.
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Slice the sharp cheddar into wedges about a half-inch shorter than your chilies. Lay a chili on a dinner plate. Cut the chili from top to bottom and lay out flat. Take out the seeds. Place a wedge of cheese in the center of the chili with the skinny part of the wedge toward the bottom. Wrap the sides of the chili over the wedge of cheese. Set aside.
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Separate the eggs. Beat the whites until they form stiff peaks. Beat yolks with 3 tablespoons flour and the ¼ tsp salt until thick and creamy. Fold together gently the yolks and the whites in a wide bowl.
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Use a pan with sloping sides to make it easier to turn the rellenos. Heat the oil over medium high heat. Check the temperature by putting a drop of egg mixture into the oil. When it sizzles, it’s ready.
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With a large spoon, make pillows of egg mixture the size of your chilies in the pan. Don’t crowd them. You need space to turn them over.
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Gently place a chili on top of each pillow, corralling the fringes of the egg mixture around the chili. When the edges begin to turn golden, add a dollop of egg mixture on top of the chilies. Slide a pancake turner under the relleno while using a large spoon as a side support. Turn them over and continue sautéing until golden brown.
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In a glass or stainless steel rectangular baking dish, pour ¾ of a cup of the sauce evenly across the bottom of the pan. Lay the rellenos on top of the sauce in a single layer. Pour the remainder of the sauce over the top and sprinkle with grated cheese.
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At this point, if you are not ready to eat the rellenos right away, you may refrigerate them covered and reheat them in the oven at 350 degrees for twenty minutes.
Enjoy!
