Oaxaca Queso y Chipotle Chile Rellenos con Tomate Sofrito

A chile rellenos with a deep smokey chipotle pepper flavor!
   
     Chipotle are jalapeno peppers that have been smoked and dried over burning jalapeno bushes.  Oaxaca cheese has a smooth, mildly sharp flavor and the texture is like mozzarella cheese.
     Sofrito refers to the base preparation for many Spanish sauces.  A sofrito can also be a sauce of its own.  Tomato sofrito is commonly served with egg recipes.
     The technique for making this style of chile rellenos is similar to making an omelette souffle.  The egg yolk and egg white are separated, then the egg white is turned into a medium stiff meringue.  The egg yolk and meringue are folded together to create a chile rellenos batter.
   
     Tomate Sofrito Recipe:
     Heat a saute pan over medium/medium low heat.
     Add 1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil.
     Add 1/4 cup of small chopped onion.
     Add 2 tablespoons of small chopped celery.
     Add 1/4 cup of small chopped green bell pepper.
     Add 1 chopped green onion. 
     Saute the vegetables till they become tender, but do not let them brown.
     Add 1 cup of tomato puree.
     Add 1 chopped fresh plum tomato.
     Add 1/2 cup of chicken broth.
     Season with sea salt and black pepper.
     Add 2 pinches of cumin.
     Add 2 pinches of coriander.
     Add 1/2 teaspoon of Spanish paprika.
     Reduce the temperature to low heat.
     Simmer and reduce the sauce, till it becomes a medium thin tomato sauce consistency.
     Keep the sauce warm over very low heat.
   
     Oaxaca Queso, Chipotle Chile Relleno Recipe:
     Grate 1/4 cup of Oaxaca cheese and set it aside.
     Cut 3 or 4 chipotle peppers in half and set them aside.  (Canned chipotle peppers that are packed en adobo sauce are best for this recipe.)
     Separate the whites and yolks of two eggs and place each in separate mixing bowls.
     Whisk the egg whites, till medium stiff peaks are formed.
     Gently fold the yokes back into the whites to make a light foamy batter.
     Heat 4" inches of vegetable frying oil in a high sided pot to 360 degrees.
     Spoon 3/4's of the batter into the hot oil to form a floating round island of egg that is about 4 to 5 inches wide, while gently shaking the pot to create gentle waves of hot oil.
     Note:  Shaking the pot gently will cause the egg island to "cup" slightly, so the edges of the egg island become higher than the middle.  Use extreme caution when gently shaking the pot of hot oil back and forth to create gentle waves.  Wear a protective kitchen mitt!
     Quickly sprinkle the Oaxaca cheese on the uncooked center of the floating batter.
     Place the chipotle peppers on top of the cheese on the center of the floating batter.
     Spoon the last 1/4 of the egg batter on the center of the floating egg batter, to cover and seal the peppers and cheese in the egg batter.
     Spoon the hot oil over the top of the chile rellenos, so the hot oil partially cooks the top of the floating chile rellenos.  (Use a long serving spoon!)
     Use a slotted spoon or slotted spatula to flip the chile rellenos over in the oil to cook the other side, after the top half is sealed.  
     The chile rellenos should be a golden color when fully cooked.
   
     Oaxaca Queso y Chipotle Chile Rellenos con Sofrito:
     Spoon some of the sofrito sauce on a plate.
     Place the chile relleno on the sauce.
     Garnish with thin slivers of green onion tops.
     For Breakfast:  Serve with a breakfast potato of your choice!  The chile rellenos in the photographs was served with chopped potato and whole pearl onions sauteed with butter and seasoned with sea salt and black pepper. 
    
     This breakfast chile relleno is spicy and full of great Mexican flavors!  Cheese, chipotle and eggs are a great combination.  The mild sofrito sauce is nice with a spicy chile relleno.  Pearl onions add a nice touch to home fried potatoes.  Yum!  ...  Shawna