Chiles Rellenos

I want to document this, because I don't know that I'll be spending another evening fidgeting with our tiny garden chiles in quite this way, wonderful as they were. I love chiles rellenos -- love them. Lawson grew some beautiful poblanos and Anaheims this year, and for the first time they were big and thick enough to stuff. But they weren't big enough to work with comfortably.

First I roasted, peeled, and deseeded them. I remember when Russell and I had to help you peel and deseed a giant batch of roasted green chiles every fall, Mom. Nothing sticks to the hands like chile seeds.

Then I stuffed each with little twigs of Monterey Jack cheese and prettied them up a bit.

The batter was just eggs, with the whites and yolks beaten separately and folded together, and salt. Following James Peyton's suggestion, I sauteed them in a little olive oil, then baked them for just a few minutes to finish them off.

They were phenomenal. I made tortillas, too, and a big pot of Anasazi beans, and Lawson cut up some fresh tomatoes. Oh, man. But it was a lot of work.

My new favorite drink helped me through: bourbon, soda, and a mint sprig. It's the good parts of a mint julep without the oppressive sweetness of a sugar syrup.