Recipe: Mitla Café's Chile Rellenos

The family-owned Mitla Café, which has served San Bernardino, Calif., for four generations, shares with "Sunday Morning" viewers their recipe for this traditional Mexican dish.

Don't miss Lilia Luciano's story featuring the Mitla Café on "CBS Sunday Morning" November 21!

Chile Rellenos

Prep: 25 Min
Time to chill: 1 hour
Cook: 20 Min
Yield: 6
Serving: 6

Ingredients:

• 6 Anaheim chile peppers
• 1 8-ounce package of shredded Monterey jack cheese (Oaxaca cheese is also a great option, along with other cheeses good for melting)
• 3 eggs, separated
• 3/4 cup of all-purpose flour
• 1 cup of Manteca (lard). You may substitute with vegetable shortening

Instructions:

1. Place the peppers on a griddle with the fire on medium heat. Turn the peppers often to ensure they are evenly blackened. Place the charred peppers in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Allow peppers to steam as they cool. Once cooled, properly peel the charred skins; be careful not to rip the chile. Place the peeled peppers on a plate and refrigerate to cool, at least two hours.
2. Once chilled, cut a slit along the long side of each pepper and remove the seeds. Rinse the peppers inside and out and pat dry with a paper towel.
3. Pour cheese into a bowl. Grab a handful and press it together in your palm. Place the ball (ideally football-shaped) of cheese into the pepper and give it a firm squeeze. Repeat for the remaining peppers. Place the stuffed peppers back into the refrigerator to cool and become firmer to the touch.
4. In an electric mixer, whisk the egg whites and about a tablespoon of the flour until they form firm stiff peaks. Gently fold in the egg yolks. The batter should have a fluffy consistency and be yellow in color.
5. Heat the manteca (lard) in a skillet over medium heat. Roll each stuffed pepper into the remaining flour, tapping off the excess. Dip the peppers in the egg mixture to coat all sides. Gently lay the coated peppers in the hot manteca. Do not crowd the peppers. Depending on the size of your skillet, stick with two at a time. Fry peppers until light golden brown and giving the cheese ample time to melt. Approximately 3-5 minutes on each side.
6. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Eat them as-is, or you can top them with your favorite salsa. Variations on serving include sprinkled cotija cheese over the top, and/or chopped cilantro.

Check out the "Sunday Morning" 2021 Food Issue Recipe Index for more menu suggestions, from all of the chefs, cookbook authors, flood writers and restaurateurs featured on our program, as well as the writers and editors of New York Times Cooking.