Chiles Rellenos - Poblanos Stuffed with Cheese

Have you ever tasted chiles rellenos? If you haven't, let me try to describe it to you! They are poblano chiles (some spice but it is a manageable heat) softened with roasting, then peeled, stuffed with cheese, battered with a fluffy egg batter and fried until crispy. A Mexican version of comfort food. 

The restaurant we eat them at serves it with white cheese sauce drizzled on top. I serve mine with a tomato sauce. It helps to cut all the richness of the cheese that is stuffed inside the pepper.  I use my Restaurant Style Salsa recipe for the sauce.  I'll give you more information below on how to adapt it.

Have your sauce ready then fry up the chiles rellenos. You can keep the rellenos on a cooling rack on a jelly roll pan in a 200* oven so you can enjoy them all at once or your family can eat them as you fry them. 

Chiles Rellenos                                                                     Printable Recipe

4 large poblano peppers
2 cups shredded Chihuahua quesadilla cheese (or a mix of other cheeses that melt, like Monterey Jack and Cheddar)
1/4 to 1/3 cup all-purpose flour for dredging
5 egg whites at room temperature
1 egg yolk, beaten
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
lard or canola oil (1/2-3/4" depth in skillet)

Two-Toned Scalloped Potatoes

This scalloped potatoes recipe has a delicious creamy sauce.  We eat it as a main dish with meat added but you could leave out the meat and easily serve it as a side dish.  One day I didn't have enough white potatoes so I tossed in some sweet potatoes.  It was tasty!

Two-Toned Scalloped Potatoes                                                     Printable Recipe

3 Tablespoons olive oil
2 Tablespoons flour
2-1/2 cups milk
8 ounces Velveeta (or you can use 2 cups shredded cheddar or any other cheese you like)
salt to taste

3 medium potatoes, peeled and sliced thin
2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced thin

2 tablespoons finely chopped onion
ham slices, chopped, or dried chipped beef, chopped

Homemade Feta Style Cheese

This tangy, salty cheese originated in Greece.  They usually make it with a combination of sheep and goat's milk.  I use our goat milk but you can use cow's milk too.  This cheese can be sliced and frozen to crumble later or crumbled now, frozen on a sheet and then bagged to keep. Its one of the easier cheeses to make and is a bit more forgiving that others. 

Homemade Feta Style Cheese

1 gallon milk (preferably raw and can use cow or goat) 
1/16 teaspoon Mesophilic starter culture powder
1/8 teaspoon liquid rennet 

1 cup (approx) canning salt (non-iodized)
1 teaspoon white vinegar

Heat the milk in a double boiler until it is 86 degrees. 

30 Minute Mozzarella

Have fun turning milk into cheese!

30 Minute Mozzarella

1 gallon WHOLE cow's milk (not ultra high pasteurized*) 
1-1/2 teaspoons Citric Acid Powder
1 cup cool water cool (to mix with citric acid)
1/4 teaspoon liquid rennet, liquid
1/4 cup water (to mix with rennet)
salt to taste

Put the cool milk into a stainless pot. I use a double boiler. Dissolve the citric acid into 1 cup of cool water. Stir into the milk. Bring the temperature of the milk to 90 degrees and remove from heat. Mix the rennet into ¼ cup cool water and stir into the milk for about 10 seconds.  Use the spoon to slow down the turning of the milk so it can rest.

Baked Honey Mustard Mac and Cheese

My husband came up with this idea.  I adapted a cheesy sauce recipe I had already been using to incorporate his idea.  I must say, it's tasty and a nice change up on mac n cheese!

Baked Honey Mustard Mac and Cheese

8 ounces macaroni, rigatoni, or other favorite pasta shape (I used Tinkyada GF)
3 Tablespoons olive oil
3 Tablespoons flour
2-1/2 cups milk
8 ounces Velveeta (or you can use 2 cups shredded cheddar or any other cheese you like)
2 Tablespoons mustard *
2 teaspoons honey
pinch of nutmeg
1 cup panko bread crumbs
2 Tablespoons olive oil or butter, melted

Cook pasta according to package directions. While pasta is cooking make your cheese sauce.  Add oil and flour to pan.  Heat and cook for a minute.  Add in milk, bit by bit, whisking as you go until the sauce has thickened. Stir in cheese until melted.  Add in honey, mustard, and nutmeg.  Taste it, you want just a hint of the mustard coming through but not so much it overwhelms. Pour into drained pasta.

Stir to coat the pasta. Dump into 1-1/2 quart baking dish.

Mix panko and olive oil or butter together.  Top the pasta mixture   Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes or until top is nice and brown** and the macaroni and cheese is bubbling.

*I used my homemade which is fluffy and full of air.  If you purchase a dijon mustard for this you will want to use less!

**I made my dish with plain panko.  It was OK but the addition of a fat will make it brown nicer and have a better flavor.

Foodie Friends Friday Linky Party #63

Welcome to Foodie Friends Friday 

CHEESE Party!!

Last week's recipes that received the MOST CLICKS.   Thanks for making my OATMEAL PECAN PIE one of them!!

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An InLinkz Link-up

Thank you to everyone for making last week's Foodie Friends Friday Fruit Party a huge success. Did you see all the recipes that caught OUR attention last week? Check out the Host Favorites on the Daily Dish for links to all the recipes.

An InLinkz Link-up

Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart

This is a great way to use some of your fresh garden tomatoes. 

Tomato and Goat Cheese Tart

1 unbaked pie crust

4 ounces chèvre (goat cheese) (plain if using pesto otherwise chose a flavor you like or stir in your favorite fresh herb)

pesto

tomatoes

salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Place sliced tomatoes on paper towel. Sprinkle with salt.  Allow to sit for a little bit and  the tomatoes will let loose of its juices. If you slice them thinner they will also let go of more juices. Dab with a paper towel.

I decided to go half and half on my base.  I stirred a little pesto into one half of the goat cheese.  Use as much or as little as you like.  We like pesto so I used a fair amount.

The other half I mixed in fresh chopped parsley.  We did not think it had enough flavor so using more herbs would be a good idea or just stick to pesto.

Place unbaked pie crust into your pie dish. I wanted to use my stoneware pie dish for a crisper crust.  It is a deep dish so that is why my tart looks small compared to it.

Spread goat cheese onto bottom of pie crust.

 Layer drained tomatoes.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until crust is light brown and tomatoes are soft. If crust is browning too quickly, cover with a piece of aluminum foil or pie crust shield.  

Remove from oven and let set 5 to 10 minutes.  Eat warm or allow to cool and eat later.  

Chèvre (Homemade Goat Cheese)

Chèvre is the French word for goat so it is used to describe any cheese made from goat's milk. Next to paneer it is one of the easiest cheeses to make. Chèvre cheeses come in a variety of sizes and shapes including cones, cylinders, discs, and hearts. It takes the shape of whatever mold you put it in. 

 It can be mild or tangy.  Most of that depends on the quality and taste of the goat milk is to start. We keep a good check on our goat's milk and people have often said they cannot tell the difference between it and cow's milk. If you taste your milk plain and it tastes "goaty", your cheese is going to also.  Some people like that.  We do not.   I use a dry culture from the New England Cheesemaking Supply Company.

Chèvre

1gallon goat's milk  (not ultra high pasteurized*)
1 packet dry chevre culture

 Heat a gallon of goat's milk to 86 degrees

Add one packet of Chèvre starter, mix well.  Let set in the pot with a lid on for 12 hours, at room temperature (at least 72F). ** I tipped the pot here so you can see the separation of the whey.

Gently ladle the curds into a mold in the shape of your choice or dump into a cheesecloth lined colander. The one I am using here is the Crottin (2-1/2"x4-3/4") and has small holes on the sides and bottom to allow for draining.  If you are using a cheesecloth you will need to tie and hang up to drain. 

Allow to drain for 6-12 hours, at room temperature.  I forgot and put mine in the refrigerator and it was just fine.

The longer it drains the drier it will be.  Just check in on it every few hours. This is how much it shrunk in 12 hours. If you use cheesecloth  that one will be drier I believe than the one in my mold since it has more places for liquid to escape.

Wrap in plastic and store in the refrigerator.   I hear it can be frozen.  I have not done that myself but will here to use up milk.  I will let you know how it works out. This batch made two logs approximately 11 ounces in weight.  Will vary by goat milk and how long you drain it.

Slice and serve with honey, jam, or fresh pesto and crackers. I will be trying this soon in other recipes and will be sure to share any successes.

*The proteins in ultra high pasteurized milk have lost their ability to set into curds.

** By mistake I let it set for 24 hrs before draining in the fridge.  I found it made more curds that were more moist and less tangy the the original version. It is the same amount of time spent at room temperature but the difference is whether it is in the whey or not.  Please ask me questions if you have any.

Pin it:  http://www.pinterest.com/pin/273593746085836972/

Breakfast Slam

A local restaurant makes this dish.  I show you what recipes you can make to put it all together yourself!!

Breakfast Slam

Omelet
Sausage Gravy
Perfectly Pan Fried Potatoes
Chopped Fresh parsley

Place omelet on the plate, potatoes on the side, and ladle sausage gravy on top.  Sprinkle with fresh parsley.

Green Pasta

Nice change up from the usual marinara sauced pasta.  My youngest daughter named the dish.

Green Pasta

frozen or fresh ravioli
OR
other favorite pasta shape
or gnocchi
(reserve some of the pasta water from cooked pasta)
basil pesto
grated Parmesan

Cook your pasta and drain until most of the liquid is out.  Sprinkle on some Parmesan and add a dollop or two or three of the pesto.  Stir.  There should be enough liquid to mix with the pesto and Parmesan to make a lovely green sauce.  Feel free to serve with more Parmesan sprinkled on top.

Rosso Verde Pizza

Pistachios on pizza?!  No way!  I thought the same thing when my husband brought it home from the pizza place.  But between it, the sweet red peppers, and the pesto, it works.  You must try it!  This is my version. We came up with a fun name, it means Red Green Pizza in Italian.

Rosso Verde Pizza

grilled pizza dough or quick pizza dough

pesto

shredded mozzarella (or a blend of your favorite pizza cheeses)

sauteed diced red peppers

pistachios 

For this recipe I used pre-grilled pizza dough and cooked it in the oven.  For fresh grilled pizza follow instructions on the grilled pizza dough page.  You can also use the quick pizza dough recipe and top it.  

Preheat oven and stone to 450 degrees.  Place frozen pizza dough or rolled our fresh dough on a pizza paddle or flat cookie sheet. Frozen pizza doesn't need cornmeal, it won't stick but the fresh DOES.  Spread on the pesto. Use as much or as little as you like. 

Sprinkled on your grated cheese.

Add the red peppers.

Now, on to adding the pistachios.  We left ours whole but you could chop them up a little bit if you want but don't obliterate them.  You want the crunch.

Slide it onto the pizza stone. 

Bake for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown.  Careful to watch your crust.  Brown is nice but at the end can quickly be too brown.

Slice and enjoy! 

Homemade Ricotta

Homemade Ricotta

Leftover whey from cheese

OR

1/4 cup vinegar

1 gallon milk

LEFTOVER WHEY VERSION: Turn on fire and bring on the heat! I don't stir, I just walk off.  You'll notice clumps and bits heading to the top. Drain into cheesecloth lined colander.

MILK VERSION: Heat milk until almost boiling, remove from heat and add vinegar.  It should separate.  Drain into cheesecloth lined colander.

Can be frozen and used later. Fantastic for lasagna or stuffed shells.

Homemade Mozzarella

You can easily double this recipe and save time!

Homemade Mozzarella

1 gallon whole milk (not ultra high pasteurized*)  - I use our own goat milk
1-1/4 teaspoons Citric Acid Powder (cow's milk recipe says 1-1/2 tsp)
1/4 teaspoon liquid rennet, liquid
1/2 cup cool water cool (divided in half)

salt to taste

Put the cool milk into a stainless pot, preferably a double boiler. Dissolve the citric acid into 1/4 cup of cool water. Stir into the milk. Bring the temperature of the milk to 88 degrees and remove from heat. Mix the rennet into ¼ cup cool water and stir into the milk for about 10 seconds.  Use the spoon to slow down the turning of the milk so it can rest.

Allow the milk to set for 10-15 minutes to coagulate. You should be able to press down on it and it should bounce back a little.  If you cut it with a knife it should break clean.  I always  start checking it at 8 minutes.

Using a large icing spatula cut into 1" grid vertically.

 Then use a bent ladle to cut to cut 1" horizontally.  Let rest for 10 minutes.

Place the pot of curds back onto heat and slowly bring the temperature of the curds to 108 degrees. Hold at 108 degrees for 35 minutes.  Since I use a double boiler it doesn't require much if any heat to hold that.

Stir every 5-10 minutes to keep the curds from matting together.

 They will slowly turn into a more curd like product.

Drain the curds into a colander for 15 minutes. SAVE THE WHEY for RICOTTA!!!
(While you are waiting fill a bowl with cool water. There needs to be enough to cover your cheese.) 

Place colander on a plate, sprinkle with salt.  I use about 1/2 teaspoon. Heat in the microwave for 50 seconds. Remove from microwave and work to mix the curds together. Return to microwave for another 25 seconds.

Divide mozzarella into the size you want.  Shape into balls.

 Place in cool water. Place in fridge until mozzarella is completely cool. 

I pat mine dry, then freeze on wax paper lined cookie sheets.  After they are frozen I use a vacuum seal system to put them in bags.  When thawed they are just as good as fresh.

Shredding the cheese....

for pizza!!

*The proteins in ultra high pasteurized milk have lost their ability to set into curds.