For the second year in a row, I am noticing New Mexico-produced Hatch chile peppers in grocery stores. They seem to beckon, “pick me,” and so I brought home a grocery bag of the peppers. I decided to prepare the traditional Mexican dish, Chile Rellenos. Most contemporary recipes use poblano peppers to make this dish. However, Anaheim and Hatch chile peppers can be substituted. The main criteria is to purchased chili peppers which are large and thick enough to be stuffed with cheese and other fillings. To make this dish, skinned Hatch chilies are stuffed and then are dipped in an egg batter and deep fat fried. And the batter — egg whites which are beaten until stiff and then combined with the yolks — is what makes this dish unique. The batter is light and crunchy and perfectly matches the nice bite of the chili pepper and smooth cheesy filling. This dish is a little tedious to prepare, but the result is so, so delicious! Irresistible.
