My friend Renee made this dish last weekend. She intended it as dinner and called to invite us to join them, but when we explained that we had company coming and suggested they join us instead, it worked out very well cut into smaller pieces and passed as an appetizer. She used fire roasted chiles she buys from someone in Lake Havasu where they have a winter house (and spent last week) which are rather entertainingly of unspecified origin--apparently the guy just throws whatever green chiles they have lying about in the hopper, including jalapenos, so the heat level of every batch she buys is all over the place.
We loved it: essentially, it's a mixture of meats, chiles, onions, garlic and cheese bonded with a custard.
Chile Relleno Bake (4 servings)
Ingredients:
1/2 pound ground beef
1/2 pound chorizo or pork sausage (used the 12 oz Hempler's pkg)
1 cup onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup fire roasted green chiles, or 2 4 oz cans
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
4 eggs
1/4 cup all-purpose flour, unsifted
1-1/2 cups milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 tsp dried oregano
Red Pepper Flakes to taste
Directions:
In a large skillet, crumble together the beef and chorizo or sausage. Cook overmedium heat, stirring until meat is browned. Add onion and garlic; cook until onion is limp. Drain off fat. Line a 9-in.x9-in.x2-in.baking dish with half of the chilies; top with 1-1/2 cups of the cheese. Add the meat mixture and top with remaining chilies; set aside. Beat together eggs and flour until smooth; add milk, salt and hot pepper sauce. Blend well. Pour the egg mixture over casserole. Bake uncovered, at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until knife inserted off-center comes out clean. Sprinkle remaining 1/2 cup sheese on top. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.