Chiles Rellenos-stuffed chiles: Roast, peel, and seed the peppers. The easiest way is to preheat the oven to 450deg., pierce each pepper with a fork or knife, then place them on an oiled cookie sheet and roast until the skins begin to blister. Remove wrap with a damp towel or place in a sealed plastic bag for 20 min. to steam them. Under running water, remove the skins and carefully slit the pepper and remove the seeds and veins. Fill each chile with strips of cheese (several 2"x1/2"x1/4" pieces). Separate 4 eggs then beat the whites until stiff then fold in the beaten yolks. In a large skillet heat oil 1" deep, add a large spoonful of the egg mixture, then lay a chile in the middle and top with another spoonful of the egg and smooth the egg to enclose all sides. Carefully baste the top to set. Cook until golden on the underside (about 1 min.) then flip over to cook the other side. Drain on paper towels. Serve with a dollup of sour cream, a little tomato sauce, and a few sprigs of cilantro, (or your favorite salsa).

Above is the "official" recipe, but we've been experimenting with good success on a simpler variation. What has worked is to stuff the raw pepper with a thin strip of cheese and then stuff with thick polenta. Polenta is just cornmeal boiled in water with a little salt. Mix 1 c. water with 1 c. cornmeal. Bring another cup of water to a boil and add the corn-water mix and continue to boil and stir until the mix thickens (about 10 min.) One can let the polenta cool a little and add an egg and mix well before stuffing the peppers. Then brush the stuffed the peppers with oil and bake in an oiled pan in a hot oven (400deg) about 20 min. Top with a little tomato sauce or salsa when serving.

Chiles Rellennos (Jalapenos): With a sharp paring knife cut peppers perpendicular to the stem at the widest point just below the stem. Then insert knife into pepper and cut out the seeds and the ribs. Stuff cheddar cheese strips into cavities of peppers. Mix a heavy batter of eggs and flour—about ¼ c. flour per large egg + salt. Make the batter very thick-almost as thick as icing. The batter must adhere to the pepper, so if the peppers are wet or sweating, they should be dried off. Coat peppers well with batter and deep fry until they are browned. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and a salsa of your choice.