Chile Relleno

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1. 1Step 1: Preheat the oven to 400℉.
2. 2Step 2: Dice onion and sauté on medium heat with olive oil, salt, pepper, and cumin until softened, about 4 minutes.
3. 3Step 3: Meanwhile, on a lined baking sheet, place 4 poblano peppers. Bake as-is (no oil or seasoning) for 10 minutes. Then, flip and bake for another 10 minutes.
4. 4Step 4: Once finished in the oven, transfer peppers to a heat-safe bowl and cover with plastic wrap so they will steam, loosening up the skin even further. Peel them later once they have cooled.
5. 5Step 5: To the sautéed onions, add canned crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes with green chiles, and minced garlic. Stir and turn the heat down to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes.
6. 6Step 6: Optional step: Once the sauce has simmered for 15-20 minutes, purée it until smooth in a blender. Then, pour the sauce back into your original sauté pan and simmer on low.
7. 7Step 7: After the peppers have steamed for 10 minutes or so, gently peel them and cut a slit down the middle of each with a knife. They will be very tender, so be careful to not cut through to the other side.
8. 8Step 8: Carefully seed each pepper.
9. 9Step 9: Carefully tuck ¼ cup of shredded queso cheese inside each pepper, being careful to not tear them. Set the stuffed peppers aside.
10. 10Step 10: Separate the egg yolks into a small bowl and the egg whites into a medium mixing bowl.
11. 11Step 11: Whip egg whites until they form stiff peaks using a hand mixer. Then, add one yolk at a time until well combined and fluffy.
12. 12Step 12: Dip the stuffed peppers in flour and then in the egg mixture. Do this to all of them while ½ cup vegetable oil heats in a second pan.
13. 13Step 13: Fry each poblano pepper for about 2-3 minutes per side or until it’s gold and crispy. Do this in batches as they are fragile.
14. 14Step 14: Serve immediately on top of the warm salsa. Garnish with fresh cilantro and additional cheese if you have more on hand.