Chiles rellenos

Chiles rellenos is a classic Mexican dish from Puebla consisting of charred chilli peppers, which are then stuffed, battered and deep fried. They are one of my all time-favourite dishes and so fun to make. These peppers are stuffed with cheese and chipotle, served on top of a habanero and ancho-infused salsa roja and finished with a zingy pico de gallo. This is adapted from a recipe I developed whilst working at the Ottolenghi Test Kitchen.

Ingredients Serves 4

6 red romano peppers

200g mozzarella, roughly torn into small pieces

200g feta, broken into pieces

2 tsp chipotle paste (or 1/2 tsp chipotle flakes)

½ tsp ground cumin

Pinch of fine sea salt

1lt sunflower oil, for frying

2 limes, cut into cheeks to serve

Salsa roja

2 tbsp olive oil

15g unsalted butter

1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped (120g)

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

300g ripe, sweet cherry tomatoes

1 dried habanero chilli

½ a dried ancho chilli

1 tsp cumin seeds

1 tsp fine sea salt

½ tsp coriander seeds

120g water

2 tsp tomato paste

Batter

4 eggs, separated

80g plain flour

2 tbsp Stella Artois unfiltered

½ tsp ground cumin

½ tsp fine sea salt

Pico de gallo

2 ripe tomatoes, finely chopped

2 jalapeños, finely chopped (seeds removed if you prefer less heat)

5g coriander, finely chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

1½ tbsp lime juice

¼ tsp fine sea salt

Method

Turn the oven grill to the highest setting.

Cut a slit along one side of each pepper, keeping them attached at the top and bottom. Arrange the peppers on a rack set over a baking tray, slit-side up.

Grill until soft and blackened in patches, about 7 mins, then turn the peppers and grill for another 4-8 minutes, until that side is soft and blackened in patches too. Keep an eye on them, they may be ready sooner if your oven grill runs hot. Set the tray aside and leave the peppers to cool on the rack, slit-side down, so liquid drains away.

Meanwhile, make the salsa roja. Add the first 10 ingredients (everything except the water and tomato paste) to a large saute pan on a medium-high heat and fry, stirring often for 15 minutes, until the tomatoes have broken down and the onions are soft and golden-brown. Turn the heat down to medium or medium-low if the mixture starts to catch or burn.

Remove the habanero or squeeze it with the back of a spoon before removing it if you like heat. Transfer the salsa to a blender with the water and tomato paste and blend until completely smooth. Pour back into the pan to reheat later.

For the batter, whisk the egg white in a stand mixer until you have medium-stiff peaks. Whisk the egg yolks, then add them to the whites along with the beer, flour, cumin and salt. Gently fold everything together until combined with no lumps.

In a medium bowl, combine the mozzarella and feta with the chipotle paste, cumin and a pinch of salt.

In a small bowl, stir together all the ingredients for the pico de gallo.

Turn the peppers over so they’re slit side up, pat the insides dry and season with a pinch of salt. Stuff the peppers with the cheese mix, then pinch them together, using the stickiness of the peppers to help you seal them shut as much as possible.

Heat the oil in a wok or large pan. Once very hot (180C, if you have a temperature probe), dip the peppers into the batter three at a time, and turn them gently to coat them in the batter completely.

Transfer to the hot oil and fry for 2-4 mins on each side, or until crisp and golden-brown. Transfer to a wire rack to drain and repeat with the remaining three peppers and batter.

To serve, warm the salsa, then spoon onto the platter. Top first with the fried peppers and then with the pico de gallo. Mix some chipotle paste with oil and drizzle on top. Finish with lime