Recipes from the garden of Bruce and Susan Ellis

Chiles Rellenos Casserole

SERVINGS 4
PREP TIME
20 mins
Ingredients
• 2 large fresh poblano chile peppers or fresh Anaheim chile peppers (8 ounces)
• 4 ounces Monterey Jack cheese with jalapeno chile peppers, shredded, or shredded Mexican-style four-cheese blend (1-1/2 cups)
• 2 ounces crumbled Cotija cheese (1/2 cup)
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• Directions
1.
Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Grease a 2-quart square baking dish; set aside. Quarter the chile peppers and remove seeds, stems, and veins.* Immerse peppers in boiling water for 3 minutes; drain. Invert peppers onto paper towels to drain well. Place the peppers, cut side up, in prepared baking dish. Top with cheeses.
2.
In a medium bowl combine eggs and milk. Add flour, baking powder, cayenne pepper, and salt. Beat with a rotary beater until smooth (or place in a food processor or blender; cover and process or blend until smooth). Pour egg mixture over chile peppers and cheeses.
3.
Bake, uncovered, about 15 minutes or until a knife inserted into the egg mixture comes out clean. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Okonomiyaki with garlic scapes and cabbage

Ingredients
• 1/2 cup mayo
• 1 Tbs. sriracha (hot chile sauce)
• 1 Tbs. ketchup
• 2 cups very thinly sliced green cabbage
• 4 thinly sliced garlic scapes (or 1 bunch of scallions, thinly sliced)
• a pinch of salt
• 5 eggs
• 1 tsp. soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
• 1 Tbs. toasted sesame seeds
• 1/3 cup flour
• Olive oil, butter, or peanut oil for frying
• 1/2 lime

Directions
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the mayo, sriracha, and ketchup. Taste and adjust the amounts of everything until you like it. This is what my friend calls “the funky pink sauce,” and she advises that you just don’t think about what is in it. I support that advice
2. Heat a Tablespoon of oil or butter in a large frying pan, stir in the cabbage and scapes (or scallions) and saute with a big pinch of salt for a couple minutes, until the vegetables just start to soften. Then, remove from the heat.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, soy sauce, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. Then, whisk in the flour until smooth. Stir in the cooked vegetables.
4. Using the same big frying pan (I didn’t even wipe it out), heat more butter or oil over medium-high heat. Drop large spoonfuls of the batter into the pan and squash them flat as they cook (they should sizzle when they hit the pan, otherwise the pan isn’t hot enough). Cook for a couple of minutes, until brown, then flip and cook until the second side is brown (just another minute).
5. Transfer cooked pancakes to a plate. Repeat until all of the batter is cooked.
6. Squeeze the half lime all over the okonomiyaki. Serve them accompanied by the pink 
sauce for dipping or spreading. And, if desired, sprinkle them with chopped peanuts, cilantro, sesame seeds, or bonito flakes to garnish.

Here’s a photo of a recipe found online and changed by Susan for their favorite salsa.