Chile Rellenos

Begin by roasting the peppers. You can do this on the grill or put them in a 450 degree F oven for about 25 minutes. Put them on the grill rack or on a sheet pan and turn them occassionally so they’ll get evenly charred. The blacker the better.

Put peppers in a plastic bag and allow them to steam for at least 10 minutes (this makes them easier to peel).

Then run the pepper under cold water and peel off the skin. Make a small slit down one side of the pepper and remove the seeds and pepper guts. Then fill the pepper with slices of cheese and spinach leaves (you could add refried beans or cooked chicken or whatever you’d like to stuff inside a pepper). Squish the pepper closed as best you can.

Beat your egg whites in a small bowl with a mixer until peaks form.

Beat the egg yolk with one tablespoon of flour and a little salt until you have a thick paste. Mix the egg yolk mixture to the egg whites and stir.

Roll the peppers in the remaining flour and then dip each one into the egg batter.

Cover the bottom of a heavy pan with enough oil to cover the peppers. Heat the oil over medium heat until it starts to shimmer. Fry peppers, seam side down, on all sides until golden brown (about four minutes per side). Then set the peppers on a paper towel to allow grease to drain.

Pour salsa (warm it up in microwave) over each pepper and top with more grated cheese. Serve immediately.