Chile rellenos with salsa roja, salsa verde, and toasted pumpkin seeds

5.00

Chile rellenos are deep-fried dried chillies stuffed with a truly astounding amount of cheese. They're the ultimate accompaniment to a glass of Cune's Rioja Crianza, and we've served ours topped with pumpkin seeds and two different salsas for an extra special starter.

First published in 2024

Ingredients

Metric

Imperial

Salsa roja

Salsa verde

Chile rellenos

  • 6 romano peppers, or other long peppers
  • 450g mixture of grated Gruyère and mozzarella cheese
  • 3 eggs, separated
  • plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
  • vegetable oil, for deep-frying

Garnish

Method

1

To make the salsa roja, first cover the dried chillies with boiling water and set aside 

2

Pre-heat a cast iron skillet over medium-high heat and place the fresh chilli, onion, garlic cloves and tomatoes into it. Cook the vegetables until charred, turning regularly and removing from the pan as they are done 

3

Remove the skins from the chillies and any loose pieces of skin from the tomatoes

4

Combine the rehydrated chillies and all the charred vegetables in a blender or food processor with the coriander, lime juice and some salt. Blend to a paste 

5

Heat a splash of olive oil in a frying pan and cook the sauce for a few minutes, or until it reaches a uniform consistency. Check the seasoning and set aside 

  • olive oil, for cooking
6

To make the salsa verde, combine all the ingredients except the olive oil in a blender and whizz to a paste. Loosen with olive oil and season with salt. Set aside 

7

Char the peppers whole over an open flame such as on a gas hob or BBQ. Once blackened all over, place into a bowl and cover with cling film, then allow to steam until completely softened. Once soft, remove the blackened skins 

8

Slice each pepper lengthwise, then stuff with the cheese, taking care not to overstuff – the pepper should still close up  

  • 450g mixture of grated Gruyère and mozzarella cheese
9

Heat a couple of inches of vegetable oil for frying in a wide, deep pan 

  • vegetable oil, for deep-frying
10

Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. Add the egg yolks slowly with the beaters on low speed 

11

Spread a plate with the seasoned flour 

  • plain flour, seasoned with salt and pepper
12

Dip the peppers into the flour, then into the egg

13

Gently lower the peppers into the hot oil, then fry for 2–3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown and crisp. Drain on kitchen paper

14

To plate the dish, spread a serving plate with salsa roja and top with the peppers, garnish with salsa verde, pumpkin seeds and feta. Finish with a swirl of olive oil, if you like

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