Caramelized shiitake mushrooms and red onions tucked inside roasted green chiles with melty cheese add up to pure comfort food with an elegant twist. Owner and chef Stefani Mangrum calls it Latin fusion, and it’s the focus of her menu at La Fonda del Bosque. She makes the corn coulis with fresh sweet corn, but you can also use frozen.

FILLING

  • 1 pound shiitake mushrooms, de-stemmed and cut in a thick julienne
  • 1 stick (8 tablespoons) butter, divided
  • 1 cup olive oil, divided
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 2/3 cup whole garlic cloves, peeled
  • 2 medium red onions, cut in a thick julienne
  • 1 pound goat cheese
  • 1 pound shredded asadero cheese, grated
  • 16 Hatch green chiles, roasted, peeled, and deseeded with the stem on

CORN COULIS

  • 3 ounces butter, divided
  • ½ teaspoon minced garlic
  • 1 large red bell pepper, finely diced
  • 1 pound fresh sweet corn, cut off the cob
  • 2 cups white wine
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

BATTER

  • 5 eggs, separated
  • 2 cups flour
  • Pinch of cumin
  • ½ bottle dark beer
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

ASSEMBLY

  • Vegetable oil for frying

Serves 8 (2 rellenos per serving; these freeze very well)

FILLING

  1. Cook shiitake mushrooms in a medium pan in a few tablespoons of butter and olive oil over medium heat in a single layer. Caramelize the edges of the mushrooms. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set aside to cool.
  2. Roast whole garlic cloves in a small pan in olive oil and a pinch of salt. Slow cook at the lowest possible heat until soft and golden brown. Drain and set aside to cool. (Save the olive oil to add extra flavor in your everyday cooking.)
  3. Cook the red onions over medium heat with remaining butter and olive oil until golden on the edges. Set aside to cool.
  4. In a large bowl, add the goat cheese, asadero cheese, cooked mushrooms, onions, and garlic. Mix together. (Garlic can be left whole or roughly cut.)
  5. Fill the peeled and deseeded chiles with the mushroom-and-cheese mixture. It helps to make little logs with the mixture to get all the crevices filled.
  6. Place the filled chiles in the freezer for 45 minutes or until they are firm to the touch. (This will help keep the rellenos from falling apart in the battering process.)

CORN COULIS

  1. While the rellenos are in the freezer, start the corn coulis by heating half the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the minced garlic, bell peppers, corn, and white wine. Cook over medium heat until the wine is cooked out. Season with salt and pepper.
  2. Reduce heat to a simmer. Add the cilantro and remaining butter. Simmer for 5 minutes, then remove from heat and set aside.

BATTER

  1. Add egg yolks, flour, cumin, dark beer, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix until smooth. (This will be a thick paste.)
  2. Whip the egg whites in a mixer until the peaks are stiff. Gently fold the egg whites into the yolk-and-beer mixture, working from the sides inward so as not to break down the egg whites.

ASSEMBLY

  1. Coat the rellenos in the batter, making sure they are fully coated so your filling will not leak out.
  2. Cook rellenos in a fryer or Dutch oven at 360° for 6 to 9 minutes, or until golden brown. (They can be kept in a warm oven for an hour.)
  3. For serving, spoon the corn coulis on a plate and top with two rellenos.

This recipe originally appeared in Reinventing the Relleno by Lynn Cline.