Recipe of the week: Bear's Chile Relleno Casserole

[Bear Bibeault]

Bear's Chile Relleno Casserole

5 large Poblano chiles
24 oz (680 g) chicken fajita meat (bagged or freshly grilled)
1 c (236 ml) enchilada sauce
4 oz (114 g) can sliced black olives
8 oz (228 g) Jack cheese, shredded or sliced
6 eggs
1/3 c (1.5 oz) (43 g) all-purpose flour
12 oz (340 g) pico de gallo
6 oz (170 g) cheddar cheese, shredded

1. Preheat oven to 450ºF (232ºC). Roast Poblanos 20 to 30 minutes until blackened and blistered (could also be done on the grill). Cool slightly, peel and seed. Chop into bite-sized pieces.

2. Reduce oven to 350ºF (177ºC).

3. Cut chicken into bite-sized pieces. Mix with olives, enchilada sauce and half the chiles, and place into 13"x9" (33cm x 23cm) casserole.

4. Beat eggs with flour. Pour over chicken.

5. Bake 30 minutes.

6. Layer with the jack cheese,  remaining chiles, pico, and top with cheddar.

7. Bake another 10 minutes.

8. Turn on broiler and cook until cheese just begins to brown.

9. Let rest 10 minutes to firm up a bit.

10. Serve with warmed tortilla chips.

[Pete Letkeman]

Well now you are talking. I'm not too sure about how spicy hot it is, but it looks good to me.
Interesting the chili pepper is known for being a hot pepper some what like the jalapeno pepper.

My question is how to you know, before tasting a pepper if is a hot pepper?
I've have jalapeno peppers not much hotter then a regular garden bell pepper and I've have a jalapeno pepper that is really hot.
When you buy them from the local store you have no idea how hot it is.

This summer, my brother planted jalapeno peppers and they've all been on the hot side. Is that because the seed or how and where it was grown.
This looks like a case of Nature vs Nurture,

If you are up for taking a walk Mexico style for food then have you tried gorditas?
By the way, for those of you who may not know, the recipe for home made taco shells is corn flower (google "masa flour") and water.
The recipe for wraps/big flour tortillas is flour, water and oil/lard for the most part.
Within 30 minutes or you can probably make 12 (maybe more) taco or tortillas shells.

[Bear Bibeault]

Pete Letkeman wrote:Well now you are talking. I'm not too sure about how spicy hot it is, but it looks good to me.

The Poblanos are medium hot (less than Jalapeños) but you can adjust the heat via how hot an enchilada sauce you use.

Interesting the chili pepper is known for being a hot pepper some what like the jalapeno pepper.

Jalapeños average about 5000 units on the Scoville scale, while Poblanos are in the 2000 range.

My question is how to you know, before tasting a pepper if is a hot pepper?

Rub the pepper with you finger and then rub your eyes. You'll know pretty quickly. (No! Don't really do that!)

Actually, there's no way to know. I've bought Jalapeños that have been as mild as bell peppers, and then some that are rocket hot.

I've have jalapeno peppers not much hotter then a regular garden bell pepper and I've have a jalapeno pepper that is really hot.

Exactly. I wrote the above before reading this.

This summer, my brother planted jalapeno peppers and they've all been on the hot side. Is that because the seed or how and where it was grown.
This looks like a case of Nature vs Nurture,

I grow many types of hot peppers, and plants that get stressed produce hotter chiles. So, there is some nurture aspect in it. Purposefully stressing the chile plants is sort of an art.

If you are up for taking a walk Mexico style for food then have you tried gorditas?

I live in Texas. What do you think?

Hmmm, maybe next week's recipe will be my homemade corn tortillas.

[Pete Letkeman]

Bear Bibeault wrote:Actually, there's no way to know. I've bought Jalapeños that have been as mild as bell peppers, and then some that are rocket hot.

Given that, how do you suspect that they are able to consistently make salsa taste about the same from grocer to grocer, for instance the 'Old El Paso' brand. Is this just the law of averages?

Bear Bibeault wrote:I live in Texas.

While I live in Southwestern Ontario Canada and I'm as white/Caucasian as they come at least by appearance.
However my Mom was born in Mexico and she has family in Texas. My Mom is not a Mexican and looking at her you'd say she is Caucasian as well.
She is a "Mexican Mennonite" see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mennonites_in_Mexico. However she has been in Canada since she's been about years old.

As a result I do get the occasional Mexican dish like Chile Relleno or homemade tacos or I'll make them myself.
For the most part I can cook, because I can read and follow recipes. This does not mean that I make gourmet meals.

[Bear Bibeault]

Pete Letkeman wrote:Given that, how do you suspect that they are able to consistently make salsa taste about the same from grocer to grocer, for instance the 'Old El Paso' brand. Is this just the law of averages?

I'm sure that they source their ingredients carefully. A grocery store gets produce from all over.

While I live in Southwestern Ontario Canada and I'm as white/Caucasian as they come at least by appearance.

My heritage is Quebecois as you might have been able to tell by my name.

As a result I do get the occasional Mexican dish like Chile Relleno or homemade tacos or I'll make them myself.

Yum. I had fish tacos for dinner tonight, in fact.

For the most part I can cook, because I can read and follow recipes.

A useful skill!

[Pete Letkeman]

Bear Bibeault wrote:I'm sure that they source their ingredients carefully. A grocery store gets produce from all over.

I'm not too sure about that. While brands do a good job marketing their products they do not always have the end customer in mind.
There are certain allowances allowed by the FDA and other governmental offices just like there are certain allowances for restaurants.

As far as guessing people's heritage, I stopped trying to do that when I started working for international companies.

[Bear Bibeault]

Pete Letkeman wrote:As far as guessing people's heritage, I stopped trying to do that when I started working for international companies.

Mine is French Canadian all the way back. My parent's generation was the first born in the US.