COOK: Venison and Queso Chile Rellenos with Smoky Salsa Roja
Chile rellenos are one of my favorite indulgent savory treats… I have a hard time not ordering at least a taco if not a full platter whenever we go to a restaurant that has them. The fella doesn’t love these fried cheesy stuffed peppers quite as much as I do, but he likes them a lot more when they’re stuffed with seasoned ground venison (to be fair, so do I) mixed with the melty cheese!
They’re a little bit labor intensive to assemble but so worth it, and this venison and cheese stuffed chile relleno recipe is definitely worth the time! The egg batter is light and fluffy, and the filling is more substantial than the peppers that are just stuffed with cheese. The smoky quick tomato sauce is quick to throw together and is sooo good.
If you don’t have ground venison for the filling, you can substitute lean ground beef or Mexican chorizo sausage in this recipe, or other ground game meat.
We’re trying to work through some of last year’s venison in our freezer before visiting his parents for the holidays, as they have 80 pork burgers for us in their deep freezer, and finger’s crossed, more game meat and fish?
His dad hasn’t gotten anything yet but it’s still early in the deer season (and he almost always catches more fish than he can eat and is happy to share with us- I know, it’s a rough life). Hopefully next year we can join him and his uncles at deer camp- Covid and the fella’s class schedule have kept us home for the last two. Ah well, at least we still have a full freezer, and we’re grateful for that!
Serving your Venison and Cheese Chile Rellenos
I made fresh blue corn masa and flour tortillas to wrap these in, and topped them with a quick and smoky simmered salsa roja made with some fresh roma tomatoes and jalapenos from the garden, sauteed onions, and a dab of mesquite-smoked butter.
They’re great as an entree platter with rice, beans, and a small side salad. Serve with warm tortillas on the side and make tacos with your stuffed peppers. Delicious!
Roasting or grilling the tomatoes would have added even more depth to this sauce, but it was delicious as is and ready in less than the time it took to stuff the peppers.
If you don’t have any smoked butter on hand, you can still make this salsa roja- add more smoked paprika, some smoked salt, or a chipotle pepper or two to approximate the smoky flavor. And if you have a smoker, definitely make a pan of smoked butter next time you are running it and stash some in your freezer- it’s a delicious way to add complexity to a dish.
Chile Relleno Make-Ahead Tips:
You can roast and peel the poblano peppers a day or two ahead of time, and the ready-to-fry stuffed peppers will hold in the fridge. You could also prepare the filling in advance and stuff the peppers just before frying them.
The smoky salsa roja tomato sauce can be made ahead and refrigerated for 3-4 days, or frozen for 3-6 months without any loss of quality or flavor.
The egg batter does not keep at all, so make that and dip the peppers in it just before frying them. Ideally, serve these stuffed peppers while they’re piping hot! You can reheat leftovers, but they won’t be crispy the next day. They still make good tacos though, if you make too many!
Venison and Queso Chile Rellenos
Ingredients
Chile Rellenos
- 4 large poblano peppers
- 2 c. grated Chihuahua cheese
- ½ lb ground venison can use beef or chorizo
- 1-3 T. chili powder to taste
- 1-2 tsp. ground cumin
- ½ large onion small dice
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- Neutral oil for frying peanut
Egg batter & dredge:
- 1 c. all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 eggs room temperature, separated
Smoky salsa roja
- ½ large onion med diced
- 6-8 medium roma or paste tomatoes diced
- 1-2 Tbsp. minced jalapeno mix of green and red
- 1 tsp. ground cumin
- ½ tsp. smoked paprika
- 1-2 Tbsp. mesquite smoked butter
- 2-3 cloves garlic chopped
- salt to taste use smoked salt if you don't have smoked butter
Instructions
- Roast whole poblanos over gas burner, in broiler, or on a grill until lightly charred. Put the hot roasted peppers in a covered container to steam.
- Rub to remove the skins, and carefully cut out the stem and remove the seeds. Set peppers aside.
- Preheat a saute pan and sear ground meat with spices over medium-high heat until browned. Reduce heat to medium, add onion and garlic and sweat until onion is translucent. Let cool slightly.
- Start your sauce- sweat the onion in the butter with a bit of salt until onion is transparent. Add chopped tomatoes and seasonings and simmer on low for about 20 minutes, stirring often.
- Puree sauce lightly with an immersion blender or transfer to a regular blender. Leave somewhat chunky- this is a thick, rustic sauce. Keep hot.
- Stuff your peppers- alternate with spoonfuls of cheese and meat filling. If any tear or have large openings in the top, secure with a toothpick.
- Season the flour to taste on a plate or shallow dish, and dredge the peppers in the flour to evenly coat. Pop them in the freezer on a sheet pan for a few minutes to firm up while you make the batter and they're easier to handle.
- A heavy cast iron pan or dutch oven works well to pan fry these. Fill with several inches of oil- about halfway up the pan or enough to half cover the peppers if using a dutch oven. Start heating your oil.
- Put a wire rack on a sheet pan in the oven and set it to keep warm (170-200 F).
- Separate the eggs, and beat the whites to stiff peaks, then fold in the yolks and add a pinch of salt.
- Roll the peppers in the egg mixture and fry 2 at a time- this is messy! Make sure the batter covers the top of the pepper to seal in the filling.
- Transfer the peppers with a slotted spoon to the rack in the oven to drain and stay hot while you fry the second batch. Remove any toothpicks before serving!
- Serve with rice, warm tortillas, taco garnishes (onion, cilantro, radish, and avocado) and refried beans if you like! You can make tacos with any extra ground meat filling or just eat it over rice.
Notes