Best Cheater Gringa Chile Rancheros Recipes

CHILE RELLENOS TOPPED WITH RANCHERA SAUCE, GARNISHED WITH WHITE CHEESE AND CILANTRO

Steps:

• Roast the poblanos over a gas flame, turning until blistered and slightly charred all over. Put them in a heavy plastic bag and set aside to steam for 10 to 20 minutes. Peel the skin. Carefully make a lengthwise slit in each of the peppers and remove the seeds and membranes. Rinse and drain well using paper towels pat the peppers dry.
• Heat oil in a large skillet or saucepan, add meat and brown. Add chopped onion, and garlic stirring for one minute. Add tomatoes, salt, cumin and black pepper and cook for 10 to 15 minutes. Stir constantly until meat stuffing is dry. Set aside to cool.
• Stuff the peppers with the filling and secure with a toothpick.
• In a bowl beat egg whites until stiff and foamy. Add egg yolks to egg whites and blend.
• In a separate bowl add flour for dusting peppers and set aside.
• In a deep skillet heat the oil. Batter and flour dust peppers and drop into hot oil. Fry to a golden brown on both sides. Lay peppers on paper towels to soak up excess grease. Serve chili rellenos topped with Ranchero Sauce, garnished with shredded queso blanco and chopped cilantro.
• In skillet heat oil until hot. Brown onion, garlic, peppers, and tomatoes for 2 minutes or until transparent. Add the tomatoes and cumin, and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes until sauce is lumpy. Set aside.

HUEVOS RANCHEROS

Steps:

• For the ranchero sauce: Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F and put the tomatoes, garlic cloves and onion on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast the vegetables, turning occasionally, until blistered and charred in spots, about 35 minutes. When cool enough to handle, remove the papery skins from the garlic.
• Meanwhile, bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add the ancho chiles, cover, and remove from the heat. Let sit for 10 minutes, then drain and pat dry.
• Put the vegetables and any juices from the baking sheet into a blender. Add the ancho chiles, 1/2 teaspoon each chopped chipotle and adobo sauce and 1/2 teaspoon salt and blend until fairly smooth. Taste; if you want the sauce spicier, stir in the remaining chopped chipotle and adobo sauce.
• Heat the oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the sauce (it will sizzle) and 1/3 cup water and cook, stirring, until thickened but pourable, about 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt as necessary. Cover and keep warm over low heat. If the sauce thickens too much, add 1 tablespoon of water at a time to thin it out.
• For the refried beans: Put the beans in a medium bowl with about half of their reserved liquid and mash with a potato masher until smooth. Heat the vegetable oil in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat until shimmering, then add the mashed beans and a big pinch of salt and mash again until smooth. Cook, stirring and scraping with a rubber spatula, until heated through. If the beans seem dry, add some more of the reserved liquid until they are creamy. Taste, season with salt if necessary and cover and keep warm over low heat.
• For serving: Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F and line a baking sheet with paper towels. Heat 2 teaspoons vegetable oil in a medium skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add 1 tortilla and cook until the underside blisters, about 15 seconds. Flip the tortilla with tongs and continue to cook until the underside blisters, about 15 seconds. Remove from the pan to the lined baking sheet. Repeat with the remaining 7 tortillas, adding more oil if necessary. Spread about 2 tablespoons of the refried beans on each tortilla and keep warm in the oven.
• Using the same skillet the tortillas were fried in, heat 1 tablespoon oil until shimmering, about 1 minute. Crack 4 eggs into the skillet and cook until the edges are crispy and whites are almost set. Cover the skillet with a big pot lid and cook until the whites are completely set, 1 more minute. Remove the tortillas from the oven, top four with an egg, then return to the oven and repeat with the 4 remaining eggs.
• Top the remaining tortillas with the remaining eggs. Sprinkle each with a pinch of salt, some ranchero sauce, Cotija cheese, cilantro and onion. Serve immediately.

CHEATER "GRINGA" CHILE RANCHEROS

Steps:

• Finely mince the onion and set aside. Mince or press the garlic and put in a small bowl. Keep these two separate!
• Cut the roast into bite-sized pieces.
• Mix together the salt and flour in a high-lipped plate or pie tin. Dredge the meat in the flour.
• Pour enough peanut oil to coat the bottom of a wok or large skillet and set the heat to high. Wait until the oil has heated and is very slightly smoking. Be careful here! You don't want it overheated.
• Put 1/4 of the dredged meat in the hot oil and don't touch it. Let it caramelize for about 2 minutes, then using a metal spatula, stir/flip the meat, making sure to loosen as much of the crispy flour as possible. Brown another few minutes, letting the meat sit for best coverage. Scoop/scrape the meat out of the pan and put into the crock pot.
• Add more oil as necessary to repeat this step until all the meat is caramelized. Remember - you're not cooking the beef, you're only trying to give it color and flavor!
• Scrape as much of the leftover crispies out of the pan, add a little more oil, and put the onions in and cook until tender. Add the garlic and cook for a minute more, being careful not to burn.
• Add the cooked onions and garlic in the crock pot, then add the salsa ranchero and the salsa verde. Mix together, cover the crock pot and turn to low.
• Cook for 3 - 4 hours, or until beef is tender. Serve with rice and beans, or use as taco meat, enchilada filling or wherever you need a tasty meat. Enjoy!