Hot Dog/Hamburger/French Fry Chili Sauce

Homemade Lower Sodium Chili Dogs

You know what I’m talking about! That tasty sauce used on chili dogs et al. Not a lot of meat but with plenty of super thick gravy. It’s not the kind of chili you serve up in a bowl and eat by itself. It’s made to be a topping – for hot dogs, hamburgers, french fries, or nachos. Maybe even mixed with pasta for chili mac. Or how about spooned on top of a bed of polenta for a tamale inspired meal? Or taco-style salads? There’s always chili gravy on cornbread, spooned over a baked potato, or as an omelet filling. The possibilities are endless.

This sort of chili sauce is usually associated with fast food joints. And, if you’re on a low sodium diet, the sauce can be prohibitively salty. But there’s no reason why a low sodium version can’t be made at home. And then you can enjoy your own homemade fast-food type treats.

True confession time. I have always loved chili dogs and chili burgers. In fact, they run in my family. My uncle, Tom Koulax, started a famous Los Angeles area chain of restaurants that specializes in chili burgers and chili dogs. I grew up eating Original Tommy’s very tasty and very messy delights.

Nachos with Low Sodium Chili Sauce

 So, when it came to making a homemade version of chili sauce gravy, I looked for a clone of the Original Tommy’s recipe. I found a pretty good one from Todd Wilbur, the “Top Secret Recipes” guy.

The spices were fine, but I didn’t care for using full fat hamburger and incorporating the fat with 1½ cups of flour. I’m sure the end result is probably more like the real thing, but it wasn’t something I wanted to do. I tried lessening the fat content and flour amount by using Ultra Gel for part of the thickener. That worked fine, as did using all Ultra Gel when making it for gluten sensitive family members. But I wasn’t completely satisfied.

Thick & Tasty!

Then I remembered my mother telling me that her dad, my grandfather, used to thicken homemade chili and beans with crushed up crackers. I thought maybe that’d work with the chili sauce. But instead of crushing whole crackers, I decided to try matzo meal (finely crushed matzo crackers). I can get Manischewitz Matzo Meal at all my local grocery stores, and it’s got zero sodium. I used 1 tablespoon matzo meal for each cup of liquid, and iIt was perfect! I could cook the hamburger meat in the flavored liquid as long as necessary, until it was soft and tender. The matzo meal dissolved into the liquid, and with additional simmering, created a thick, spoonable sauce. I was done tinkering. Hello chili dogs, chili fries, and chili burgers!

(For a list of lower sodium hot dogs, click HERE.)

Hot Dog/Hamburger/French Fry Chili Sauce

Adapted from Todd Wilbur

http://andyhifi.50webs.com/tommys/originaltommysworldfamouschili.htm

(Printable Recipe)

1 lb lean ground beef

2-3 C NSA beef broth, water, or combination of both*

3 T NSA chili powder (I use Penzeys, the Spice House, or Gebhardt)

1-2 T white vinegar

2 tsp dried minced onion

1 tsp  sugar

1 tsp  paprika

½ tsp  garlic powder

2 tsp  ground cumin

2-3 T NSA matzo meal (1 T per cup of liquid)*

Brown meat in large heavy dutch oven. Crumble meat into very small bits. Do not leave any big chunks.

Add broth/water and seasonings; stir well. Simmer at least 30 minutes or more to tenderize and soften meat.

Add matzo meal and stir well. Simmer on low heat for at least 20 minutes until matzo meal has dissolved into sauce. Stir frequently. Add broth/water as needed to make a thick gravy. (Remember, hot dog/hamburger/french fry chili sauce is not supposed to be meaty.)

*Note: The more liquid you use, the closer you’ll get to the kind of chili sauce served at fast food joints. Their chili sauce gravy is never meaty or chunky.

Optional: If desired, after cooking, whizz mixture a bit with a stick blender for a smoother consistency.

For more of a Coney style sauce:

Use the larger amount of vinegar (2 T)

Add 2 T low sodium yellow mustard

Use 1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce or 1 C NSA ketchup for part of liquid

Add ½ - 1 tsp celery seed

Spanish Rice with Homemade Chorizo

Spanish Rice with NSA Homemade Chorizo

No apologies, no shame – My husband and I both love sausage. I especially love breakfast sausage, and he really likes Italian sausage. And we’ve been enjoying several varieties throughout our low sodium years. Usually I make up my own homemade salt-free spice mix. Seasoning one pound of meat at a time, and no links.

It’s really not a difficult process. I’ve got a great local butcher shop that sells the same ground pork they use for in-house sausage but completely unseasoned. It’s got the perfect grind and just the right amount of fat. So I buy five frozen 1-pound packages at a time. When I want sausage for something, I simply thaw a package and blend in seasonings. Sometimes I’ll make patties, but most of the time, I cook sausage crumbles to be used in soup, pizza, omelettes, burritos, Spanish rice – you name it.

Another favorite sausage is Mexican style chorizo, a spicy chili sausage flavored with tangy vinegar. Always loved the flavor but not too keen on the ingredients. Traditional chorizo includes salivary glands and lymph nodes. Not exactly my favorites. And the salt content is prohibitive. Way back when, I used to buy soy chorizo in order to get the taste I loved but without the offal. But, again, too much salt for use now.

While rummaging through some sausage recipes I had printed years ago, I came across three for chorizo. I combined elements from those and from examples online to come up with a workable recipe. I used it in one of my favorite applications for sausage –– Spanish rice.

In the Pan and Ready to Serve

My husband is in charge of making rice in our rice cooker. He uses brown rice and NSA chicken broth/stock for the liquid. He makes a full pot, so I always have leftover cooked rice, and Spanish rice makes a great one-dish meal. I don’t really care for a strong tomato presence in Spanish rice, so I’ll often just dissolve a bit of tomato powder in some chicken broth to add to the leftover rice while heating it up. Or sometime just a chopped tomato or two, depending on size. For me, Spanish rice always includes chopped onions, bell peppers, and tomatoes (if using), along with minced garlic. All sauteed in olive oil. Add some cumin, a handful or two of frozen corn, some cooked rice, and whatever cooked meat desired.

The homemade chorizo made this last batch of Spanish rice outstanding! Better than plain ground beef, or even taco flavored beef. Better than sliced chicken. There was something about the combination of chili and vinegar that set this Spanish rice apart from any others I had cooked before. And the lack of salt wasn't even noticed. I happily realized I could enjoy chorizo without strange meat parts and also without salt. A true win-win! So here’s to a future filled with chorizo omelettes, scrambles, burritos, Spanish rice, country potatoes, breakfast casseroles, lentil soups, hominy grits, pinto beans, tacos, tostadas, and who knows what else.

Mexican Style Chorizo
(Printable Recipe)

1 lb. Ground meat (pork, turkey, or beef)

1 tbsp. Ground mild chili (ancho or California)

1 tbsp. Paprika (mild, hot, smoked, or combo)

⅛ tsp. Ground cloves

¼ tsp. Ground black pepper

½ tsp. Ground coriander

½ tsp. Crushed Oregano

½ tsp. Ground cumin

2 Cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp. Vinegar

Whisk spices together in a small bowl. Add spices and vinegar to ground meat and mix until everything is evenly and thoroughly combined. (I put on vinyl gloves and use my hands to knead the mixture) Cover and refrigerate to blend flavors. At least 30 minutes; up to two hours.

Note: This sausage is better as crumbles and doesn't lend itself to patties due to the extra moisture added by the vinegar.

Making Sausage in my Trusty Plastic Blue Bowl

Tamale Pie - Classic American Style

American Style Tamale Pie

I love tamales. I love the meaty chili filling surrounded by masa. It’s one of my favorite things to order at a Mexican restaurant. I even like this casserole that uses a masa crust and tastes close to the real thing. Yet, in spite of all this, I also like the old-fashioned American style Tamale Pie casserole. No attempt at trying to make it taste authentic. It’s a cornbread-like crust that tops a ground beef filling with tomatoes, bell peppers, corn, and just a hint of chili seasoning.

It had been a long time since I made Americanized tamale pie and the craving hit me recently. I started to look up recipes online but then remembered that I’d always used one from my very old Betty Crocker Cookbook. I found the recipe for “Fiesta Tamale Pie” and happily realized I had most of the ingredients on hand. It was easy to put together, easy to alter to low sodium, and the end result was quite tasty. I topped each serving with a combination of store-bought NSA pico de gallo along with some chopped avocado and extra cilantro. It was so enjoyable that I wondered why I hadn’t made it in a while. Now that I’ve rediscovered this classic and homey casserole, I know I’ll be making it more often. It’s a perfect one dish meal!

It also lends itself to lots of variations depending on what you’ve got available and what appeals to you. You could use ground turkey, chicken, or even pork instead of beef. You could substitute NSA/low sodium whole beans, especially pinto or black beans, for half or all the meat. Or you could do the same with the corn, using well rinsed hominy. Instead of regular NSA diced tomatoes, you good use unsalted Rotel for added spice. Or perhaps use some chopped jalapenos, Anaheims, or poblanos instead of all bell peppers. You could even substitute masa for half of the cornmeal in the crust.

Hot from the Oven!

Here’s my adaptation of the original Betty Crocker recipe:

Classic American Tamale Pie

Adapted from Betty Crocker’s New Picture Cookbook – 1961

(Printable Recipe)

I small onion, finely chopped

⅓ cup chopped green bell pepper (optional)

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1 lb. ground beef

1 14 oz. can NSA diced tomatoes

2 cups NSA frozen corn (I used 1 cup corn and 1 cup rinsed hominy)

1½ tsp. NSA chili powder

½ tsp. ground cumin

10 pitted ripe olives (I used Lindsay low sodium olives – 40 mg sodium/5 olives)

1 cup cornmeal

1 cup milk

2 eggs, well beaten

½ cup grated cheddar cheese (optional)

Heat oven to 350. Saute onion, bell pepper (if using), garlic, and ground beef together until meat is cooked through and vegetables have softened. Drain excess fat. Add tomatoes (with juice), corn, and seasonings. Simmer for about 5 minutes. Pour mixture into square 9 x 9 inch casserole dish. Press olives into mixture. Combine cornmeal, milk, and eggs. Spoon over filling. If desired, sprinkle top with cheese. Bake approximately one hour until cornbread topping is fully cooked. Let rest for about 5 minutes before serving.

Quick Low Sodium Chili

In my last post I compared Mrs. Dash Chili seasoning mix to homemade Quick Chili, but I didn’t give a recipe for the DIY version. Homemade Quick Chili is one of those “Pull-Out” meals — Pull Out of Pantry, Fridge, or Freezer. If you’ve got the right stuff on hand, you can get this meal on the table in no time at all.

Quick Chili - What do you need?

(Printable Recipe)

1 pound ground meat: It can be ground beef, chicken, turkey, or pork. (If it’s frozen, thaw it in the microwave while you’re getting everything else ready to go.) It can even be chopped up leftovers like pot roast, meatloaf, hamburgers, roast chicken, etc. You get the idea.

Quick Chili in a Bread Bowl
(with leftover roast pork, corn, hominy, & no salt Rotel)

3 cups liquid: You can use all low sodium broth or any combination of broth and a low sodium tomato product (sauce, diced, whole). The broth can be homemade, canned, or even dry granules.

1½ cups chunky vegetables: Low sodium canned pinto or black beans (rinsed and drained), no-salt-added canned corn (drained), frozen corn, canned hominy (rinsed and drained), etc. Leftover chunks of sweet potato, butternut squash, or zucchini squash could also be added.

Seasonings: I like to use Penzeys or Spice House Chili con Carne seasoning blends because they include tomato powder, onion, and garlic along with the chili powder. I don’t have to juggle several jars of seasonings. I start with at least 2 teaspoons and add more if I think it’s needed.

Helpful Pantry Spices

If I’m not using a con Carne spice blend, I’ll put in 1 teaspoon each of regular chili powder and ground cumin to start with. I’ll also add a teaspoon of dried or freeze-dried onion (or ½ teaspoon of onion powder) and ¼ teaspoon of garlic powder.

Thickening: You can add a couple of tablespoons flour to the ground meat while it is browning. Then add the liquids and combine. You can also thicken at the end: flour slurry (2 tbsp. flour to ¼ cup water); cornstarch slurry (1 tbsp. cornstarch to 2 tbsp. water); or my favorite, masa slurry (1 tbsp. masa harina to 2 tbsp. water). Of course, you can choose not to thicken the chili at all. That’s the easiest and quickest option.

Toppings: Low sodium salsa. Pico de Gallo. Chopped cilantro. Avocado chunks. Low sodium ripe olives (rinsed and drained). 1-2 tablespoons shredded cheese. Dollop of sour cream. Chopped green onion. Crushed low sodium/ unsalted tortilla chips. Crumbled low sodium crackers. Chopped tomatoes. Just keep in mind that the whole point of Quick Chili is that prep work is kept to a minimum. So use what you’ve already got available and nix anything that requires too much fussing.

Quick Chili with Several Toppings

DIRECTIONS: Brown ground meat. Add liquid, vegetables, and seasonings. Bring to boil, lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Taste and add more seasoning or liquid if needed. Add thickener of choice if desired and adjust seasoning again. Add toppings of choice. Ready to serve!

What can you do with Quick Chili?

Serve it in a bowl with low sodium crackers. Ladle it over low sodium cornbread, toast, or biscuits. Spoon it over baked potatoes. Spoon it over low sodium/ unsalted tortilla chips. Use a slotted spoon to plop a hefty portion onto a bowl of greens for a quick “taco” salad. Use a slotted spoon to fill a burrito or taco. Spoon it onto an omelet. Poach a couple of eggs in it. Serve over rice. Add more liquid and turn it into a soup.

JUST A REMINDER: Quick Chili is NOT to be confused with any long simmered chili. There’s no comparison. Quick Chili has a definite chili flavor but doesn’t require long prep or cooking. It is what it is, but it’s pretty darn good when you need something fast and tasty.  

Quick Chili: Mrs. Dash Mix vs Homemade

We all have days when spending a lot of time fixing a meal is just too much. Whether it’s illness, exhaustion, not enough time, or just plain lack of motivation — It happens to the best of us. Especially when you do a lot of “from-scratch” low sodium cooking. That’s why I’m always on the lookout for low sodium products that can help with short cuts in the kitchen.

Mrs. Dash Seasoning Mixes

Mrs. Dash has a slew of seasoning mixes to help the harried low sodium cook. From sloppy Joes to tacos to pot roast and meatloaf. I haven’t used seasoning mixes for years and years, but recently I decided to try the Mrs. Dash Chili seasoning just to find out how it tasted and determine how much time it really saved. (You can find Mrs. Dash seasoning mixes online at Healthy Heart Market and Amazon, and most grocery stores now carry a small assortment.)

The directions are simple enough: Brown 1 lb. ground meat; add seasoning mix; add approximately 16 oz. (2 cups) tomato product (sauce/diced/whole); and add one 15 oz. can of undrained low sodium beans. (I never use undrained beans in anything. I always rinse them first and then add about ¾ cup of broth or water, if necessary.) Bring to a boil, and simmer for 10 minutes. Done!

There’s enough wheat flour and cornstarch in the mix to thicken the chili quickly. So there’s no need to simmer for a long time. In fact, if you go beyond the 10 minutes, you may scorch the chili. (The sugar in the mix and the canned tomatoes are the culprits.) After it has thickened, you can add more liquid and turn the heat on very low, but you’ll need to remember to stir it frequently to avoid burning the chili.

How does it taste? It’s not bad. Strong tomato flavor and very, very mild, almost indiscernible chili flavor. I’ve made it twice now, and each time I added a teaspoon or more of chili powder and ground cumin for a slight improvement. There’s no way to get around it. This is a quick mix, and you’ll never get the complex flavor of long-cooked chili. But it could be useful if you’re really pressed for time and already have canned tomatoes and beans in your pantry, along with ground beef ready to go.

Now comes the 2nd question: How does Mrs. Dash Chili mix compare to homemade quick chili? Well, you’d still need a pound of ground meat, about 3 cups of liquid, and approximately 1½ cups of vegetables (beans, corn, hominy, etc.). You’d also need some chili powder.

Both Penzeys and Spice House carry salt free Chili con Carne seasoning blends. The Chili con Carne blends include chili powder, tomato powder, onion, garlic, and all the spices required to make a tasty (and quick) chili. The Spice House blend also contains arrowroot, a thickener.

Chili in a Bread Bowl
(made with leftover pork roast)

The difference between using the Mrs. Dash seasoning mix and using the Chili con Carne blends is flavor. The blends make chili that tastes like chili is supposed to taste. (Of course, you can use regular salt free chili powder and add a bit of dried onion, garlic, and cumin. The advantage of the blends is that everything is already included.) If you want a stronger tomato presence, then you can add a can of tomato sauce to the chili. If you don’t, you can use all beef broth.

To get the best taste without long cooking, simmer the flavored meat for at least 20 minutes. If desired, thickening can be accomplished by sprinkling a couple of tablespoons of flour over the ground beef and sautéing briefly just before adding the liquid. Or making a cornstarch slurry to add at the end. My favorite thickener is to add a couple of tablespoons of a masa slurry to simmer 5-10 minutes before serving.

CONCLUSION: Mrs. Dash Chili mix is a good product to use when you want to get a quick meal on the table. It cooks up super fast. The downside is that the chili flavor is lacking, it has a very strong tomato flavor, and it thickens so quickly that you have to be careful to avoid scorching it.

Homemade quick chili takes a little bit longer to cook but has a much better flavor. It’s almost just as easy as Mrs. Dash if you use one of the Chili con Carne blends from Penzeys or the Spice House.

My Two Cents: I won't buy another Mrs. Dash chili seasoning mix. I tried it, and it was OK, but, to me, the taste wasn't anything worth fixing again. I'd much rather spend a little more time and end up with a product that has a distinct and more developed chili flavor. Plus I really didn't like the ultra speedy thickening. I felt like I had no control over what was in my pot.

CAVEAT: Quick Chili is NOT to be confused with any long simmered chili. There’s no comparison. Quick Chili is simply something with a distinct chili flavor that can be made lickety split. The labors of love with chunks of beef simmered for hours in a strong chili sauce are for another time.

Want a basic recipe for low sodium Quick Chili? Click HERE!

ONE CAN SALSA

One Can Salsa

Salsa is one of those must-have condiments if you’re following a low sodium diet. A couple of spoonfuls can enliven plain baked or grilled chicken. The same with fish. Add some salsa and you’ve instantly created a tasty meal. Salsa does wonders for eggs too. Want fantastic scrambled eggs? Saute some salsa in oil or butter before adding beaten eggs. Or use salsa as the filling and topping for an omelet. Fix up some speedy huevos rancheros by poaching eggs in salsa and serving over corn tortillas. Top refried beans with it. Use salsa instead of tomato sauce in and on top of meatloaf. Combine salsa and mashed avocado for guacamole. Make Spanish rice with salsa and chicken broth. Use salsa instead of catsup on hamburgers. Slow cook a chuck roast or pork shoulder with salsa. Shred for burritos, tacos, or enchiladas. And, of course, who can resist salsa and tortilla chips? Uses for salsa are only limited by your imagination.

Store bought salsa, whether fresh or jarred, often contains way too much sodium. So what are some low sodium options? One alternative is to make your own homemade salsa.

During the summer, you can get delicious, garden-fresh tomatoes (either from your garden or a farmers market). But unfortunately, those wonderful summer tomatoes eventually disappear.

What’s the answer? One Can Salsa! Start with a can of no-salt-added diced tomatoes, add a few other ingredients, and you can easily make a delicious low sodium salsa. And it makes less than 2 cups, so you’re not dealing with a pile of leftovers.

Here’s the recipe:  (Adapted from Happier than a Pig in Mud blog)

One Can Salsa
(Printable Recipe)

1 14.5 ounce can no-salt-added diced tomatoes, drained* (reserve drained tomato juice)

2 tablespoons coarsely chopped onion (shallots or green onions are fine too)

1 clove garlic

Pinch sugar

⅛ teaspoon cumin

1 tablespoon fresh cilantro**

1 teaspoon lime juice or vinegar

¼ - ½ fresh jalapeno (I have good luck keeping cut jalapeno fresh by wrapping the leftover portion in aluminum foil)

Blend all ingredients in a small food processor. Add spoonfuls of reserved tomato juice if too thick. Refrigerate at least 30 minutes (one hour would be better). Feel free to adjust ingredient amounts to your own tastes.

* For a hotter version, use 1 can of no-salt-added Rotel

**CILANTRO: Fresh cilantro adds a unique flavor to salsa. However, once you use a few sprigs, storing the rest of the bunch becomes a problem. There are plenty of ideas online about how to keep cilantro from going bad. I’ve tried several methods and finally zeroed in on freezing. After using leaves from a fresh bunch, I cut off the stems (plop the bunch on the cutting board and whack off the thicker stems in one fell swoop), wash the remaining leaves and tender stems, and run them through my salad spinner a few times to dry. Then I transfer the leaves to a clean tea towel, roll it up, and let it dry some more in my fridge. Finally I place the leaves in a freezer bag and freeze. Whenever I need some cilantro, I just break off a chunk of frozen leaves. Relatively easy and I always have some decent tasting cilantro on hand. Not as good a fresh, but a whole lot better than dried.

Chili Rellenos

Chili Relleno with Breadcrumb Coating

This is a favorite at our house. It’s probably the item I order most at Mexican restaurants. Unfortunately, as tasty as it is, a chili relleno dinner at a restaurant contains too much salt for anyone monitoring their sodium intake. There’s the relleno batter, cheese stuffing, and sauce. Add to that cheese-topped refried beans and flavored rice. And, of course, there’s the ubiquitous basket of fried & salted corn tortilla chips along with the house salsa. Excess sodium, to be sure.

One option is to just order a relleno al a carte along with some plain corn tortillas when at a restaurant. Another option is to make your own rellenos. They’re a bit labor intensive but worth it.

I’ve made them coated in breadcrumbs & fried. Coated in breadcrumbs & baked. Dredged in masa meal and fried. And dipped in the traditional egg batter. I’ve topped them with homemade salsa and also with homemade ranchero sauce. But no matter how I’ve prepared them, they’ve always been good. Best of all, we’ve enjoyed them without any worries about sodium overload.

Chili rellenos have four basic parts: the chilies, the stuffing, the coating, and the finishing sauce.

The chilies are poblanos. I try to find nice big ones that are shiny & firm. I wash them, place them on a broiler pan with a rack, and broil them until the skin is quite blackened and blistered on one side. Then I turn them over to get the other sides charred. (This can also be done on a grill or a gas stove burner.) I put the chilies in a bowl, cover them, and let them steam as they cool. Then I peel off the skins and slit one side to remove the seeds inside. (I make a “T” near the top and use a grapefruit spoon to remove the seeds.) I try my best to keep the stems attached. Most of the time, I’m successful.

Broiled, Peeled, Cut, & Ready to Stuff

I use fresh mozzarella for the stuffing. Usually Bel Giosioa brand or Trader Joe's Ovoline. I cut it into cubes or strips and stuff the chilies. I try not to overstuff the peppers, but, at the same, time, I want to use up all the cheese. I wrap the fresh mozz cubes in paper towels and give a squeeze to remove excess moisture.

No matter what coating I’m using, I dredge the stuffed chilies in flour first and refrigerate them for at least 30 minutes. The flour gets moist and acts like a paste to hold the cheese inside the slit portion of the chilies. The cold stuffed chilies hold up better when frying. I’ve found that it also helps if I fry the cut side first. If I’m using breadcrumbs, I’ll dip the stuffed & floured chilies in an egg wash before coating with crumbs. Same with using masa meal. For the egg batter, I just make sure the whipped egg whites are pretty stiff.

Stuffed, Dredged, & Ready for Batter

My favorite Mexican restaurant serves its rellenos with a delicious ranchero sauce, and that’s what I try to duplicate at home. But sometimes, I opt for homemade One Can Salsa.

As with many things I cook, making chili rellenos is more of a method rather than an exact recipe. Here’s a general guideline for using the traditional egg batter :

Chili Rellenos

(Printable Recipe)

4 large poblano peppers

1 8-oz. package fresh mozzarella, cut into cubes or strips

Flour for dredging stuffed chilies

Egg Batter:

About 1 egg for every two peppers; separate yolks from whites

Prepare chilies and stuff with approximately 2 oz. cheese. Line a plate with plastic wrap and coat lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Dredge peppers in flour, place on prepared plate, cover lightly, and refrigerate. Some people have good luck holding the cut chilies together with toothpicks.

Whisk the egg yolks in a small bowl; set aside. Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Add the egg yolks to the beaten whites. Fold in gently with a rubber spatula until just combined. Be careful to not deflate the egg whites; set aside.

Pour enough oil into a frying pan to make at least a ⅓ - ½ inch layer. Heat to medium-high. Make sure the oil is hot.

Breaded Relleno Frying

Using tongs, dip the peppers into the egg mixture to coat both sides. Gently lay the coated peppers into the hot oil. Spoon any leftover egg mixture on chilies while the first side is frying. Fry peppers on each side until golden brown and the cheese has melted.

Serve immediately or hold in 325 degree oven. Serve with salsa or ranchero sauce.

Egg Batter Relleno with Ranchero Sauce