Chili Relleno Casserole

Some time back, I posted a group of recipes entitled A Mexican Supper which housed three dishes: Oven Fried Chicken Chimichangas, Guacamole and Spanish Rice, the latter of which was a direct recipe from the time honored Better Homes & Gardens Cookbook, which I've had in my cookbook library since the early 1970s. It was given to me as an off-to-college parting gift from my mother.  I've made many recipes from this cookbook over the years but this one was not among them.

Fast forward to the 1990s when I met and married my Number One Fan, who also has her copy of the venerable publication.  What I find interesting is that her copy of the cookbook and mine are quite differently worn.  Hers seems pristine and crisp while mine is smeared with food stains, wrinkled pages, dog-eared corners and clearly shows a great deal more use than hers, or perhaps, she's just a cleaner, more organized cook.

She has made this dish, originally called "Chilies Rellenos Bake" enumerable times and I always loved it.  I wasn't really aware until today that it comes from the familiar red-gingham spiral bound cookbook that served as the cornerstone of my cooking repertoire. The recipe as originally presented is poorly written, however.  It doesn't give a convenient list of ingredients before explaining the recipe, like most other recipes in this cookbook, which baffles me.  I wonder why the editor did that?  It makes trying to figure out what exactly goes into the recipe an arduous paragraph to read.

My Number One Fan made a few modifications to this recipe, namely omitting flour, substituting heavy cream for milk, adding whipped cream cheese and using more green chilies than the original recipe calls for.

By the way, if you don't know what Chili Relleno is, a whole Poblano chili pepper is cored and stuffed with meat and/or cheese, then dipped in an egg batter and fried.  Mexican cooks can get very creative in the variety of meats with which the pepper is stuffed, including chicken, shredded pork and even smoked brisket.  This casserole contains beef and combines some semblance of the ingredients from the originating recipe without all the hassle.  You could easily substitute a different meat if you wish, such as shredded chicken or pork.

Ingredients
1 lb 80/20 ground beef
1/2 cup yellow onion, diced
2 10-oz cans whole green chilies, (like Old El Paso), well drained (about 5 chilies per can)
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar or Monterrey Jack cheese, or any combination of Mexican cheese blends
3/4 cup heavy cream + 1/4 cup water
1/3 cup whipped cream cheese (like, Philadelphia)
4 eggs
3-4 dashes of hot sauce (like, Tabasco)
non-stick cooking spray (like, Pam)
salt & pepper to taste 

The Recipe
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

In a skillet over medium high heat, saute the beef and onions together until the meat is browned and the onions begin to pick up a little color, about ten minutes   Remove from heat, drain off the fat and set aside.

In an 11 x 7 inch casserole dish sprayed liberally with the non-stick spray, split open the green chilies from one can and lay them out on the bottom of the dish.  Then, layer in 1-1/2 cups of the shredded cheese followed by the beef and onion mixture. Finally, split open the green chilies from the second can and lay these out on top of the beef and onion mixture.

In a mixing bowl and using a whisk, thoroughly blend together the four eggs, the whipped cream cheese and the cream with water, along with several dashes of the hot sauce. Season with salt and pepper.  Pour it over the chili mixture. Top the whole casserole with the remaining 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.

Bake uncovered in 400 degree oven for 50 minutes to an hour until the eggs are set, and the center does not move when you wiggle the casserole dish or when an inserted knife or fork in the center comes out clean. The cheese, of course, should be lightly browned and bubbly.

Allow to stand and cool for a few minutes or so before cutting into squares and serving.