Chiles rellenos

You know, in spite of having to cobble together postings with photos I beg borrow or steal, it's working out ok. These rellenos are precisely, exactly, to a tee, what I wanted. And - I got it! I just had to take a break to Google Mexican peppers. I wasn't sure if what I had were Anaheim or poblano. They were poblano. Now, I hate that whole roasting thing to get the skin off. If God didn't want us to eat skin, why did he put it there? Well, ok, there is the whole banana thing. Let's talk about something else.

Chiles rellenos (2 servings)

4 poblano peppers

Mexican shredded cheese mix

frozen corn kernels, thawed

garlic powder

onion powder

pinch of red pepper flakes

salt and pepper to taste

2 eggs, lightly beaten with a tbsp of water

breadcrumbs (preferably unflavored)

2 mild dried chili peppers (such as guajillo or pasilla)

3 - 4 tomatillos

chile powder, salt and pepper to taste

lemon or lime juice to taste

cilantro, finely chopped

Bring a pot of water to boil. Drop in the poblanos, cover and turn off the heat. Let them steep for 5 minutes. Remove to a cutting board and let them cool. Make a slit from the stem down to the end and scrape out the pith and the seeds. Be careful not to break them while you do this.

While this is going on, put cheese, corn, garlic and onion powders, red pepper, salt and pepper in a bowl and toss to combine. Stuff the poblanos with this mixture, being sure you can still close them up for the next step.

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees with a rimmed baking pan inside. Dip the peppers one by one in the egg and then coat with the breadcrumbs. Bake the peppers on the pre-heated pan for 12-15 minutes, until crispy and browned.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Soak the dried peppers in hot water, slice open and remove the seeds and ribs. Tear into small pieces and place in the food processor. Chop up the tomatillos and add to the processor. Add 1/2 cup broth or water. Pulse to make a puree. Place in a saucepan, add chili powder, and maybe some salt and pepper and some lime juice. Bring to a simmer and cook very slowly for about 10 minutes.

Drizzle this sauce over the rellenos when you serve them. Garnish with some cilantro.