Rellenos de Ejotes y queso (Green bean and cheese wrapped in egg)

A delicious take on green beans, this is a very "casera" recipe. It's not traditional but it's one that Salvadoran households make here and there, and you will most likely not find it at any restaurant. The main ingredient is green beans and the supporting actors are cheese, egg and tomato base sauce. This recipe may seem a bit difficult to make, but there are plenty of tips to make it easier.

What is a relleno de ejotes y queso?

In the Salvadoran cuisine we love "rellenos" which tranlates to, stuffing. But typically our rellenos are wrapped in whipped eggs, fried and then stewed in sauce. We make rellenos de: papa (Potato), güisquil (Chayote squash), chile verde (Green bell pepper), flor (squash flower), ejotes (green beans), coliflor (Coliflower) and much more. The rellenos de Ejote y queso consist of a piece of cheese enclosed by a couple of green beans, dipped in the whipped egg and fried in a tomato sauce base. I typically enjoy it with white rice and a small salad on the side.

How to make rellenos de ejotes y queso?

In my opinion rellenos de ejotes y queso are the trickiest to make, trying to keep 10 greenbeans together can become a bit frustrating. Watching my mom make them over and over again I picked up a few techniques that definetly helped. To make the relleno pick the technique that works best for you!

Ingredients for 5-7 rellenos:

• 1 lb of green beans

• Chesee of preference. I like to use queso fresco or Oaxaca cheese.

• 6-7 eggs depending on size

• 4 Roma tomato

• 1/2 green bell pepper

• 3 garlic cloves

• 1/2 white small onion

• 1 tsp ground anatto

• 1 tsp cumin

• 1/2 tsp oregano

• 1 tsp paprika

• 1 tsp ground black pepper

• 1 tsp chicken bouillon

• Salt to taste

• Cooking twine (Optional)

Instructions:

1. Place a medium to large pot on medium heat and fill it up half way with water. Let it come to a boil.

2. In the meantime, prepare the vegetables: Wash and clean all of the vegetables listed. Cut 1/4 inch from both ends of each green bean, use your fingers to snap it off or a knife. Cut the tomato, onion, and green bell pepper into medium pieces.

3. Once the water is at a boil, add salt and parboil the green beans for about 2-3 minutes. Do not overcook as they can begin to fall apart and this will make it diffifult to put the relleno together. Turn off the heat and remove the green beans from the pot to cool in a dry container. Drain the water from the pot.

4. Add the tomato, green pepper, onion and garlic to the blender along with all the spices listed, and blend until smooth. Add the sauce to the same pot you used to parboil the greenbeans. You can choose to char or boil the vegetables before blending them but it's not necessary.

5. Prepare the cheese: Cut the cheese into thin layers in a regtangular shape, about 1 x 3 inches

6. Prepare the whipped egg: You need one big container and one small container. Seperate the egg whites from the yolk, place the egg whites in the big container and the yolk in the small container. With a hand held electric mixer whip the egg whites until fluffy and firm. Continue mixing and gradually add the yolks in as you mix. You should get a firm fluffy consistensy after adding in the yolks.

7. Place a frying pan on low to medium heat with about 2 tbsp of oil and begin preparing the rellenos to fry. You may need to replenish the oil as you fry because the egg absorbs the oil. These are the two methods i use to make the rellenos, once they are fried add them into the pot with the sauce.

   1. Use a plate to build the relleno: Add 1/3 cup of whipped egg, line up 4-6 green beans on top, add a slice of cheese, layer with another 4-6 greenbeans and add a bit more of whipped egg mixture. Once the oil is hot, slowly push off the relleno from the plate onto the fying pan with a spatula. If the relleno is spreading out once it's on the frying pan, hold it in place with the spatually against the edge of the frying pan for a few seconds to allow the egg to set. Use two spatulas to turn over the relleno as it fries. Fry until golden on all sides and add it to the pot with the sauce.

   2. Use cooking twine: Use a piece of cooking twine to tie your relleno together through the entire cooking process. Set a piece of the twice, then place 4-5 green beans, add a slice of cheese, add another 4-5 green beans on top, and then tie the twine to hold it all together. Dip the relleno in the egg with your hand or big spoon and place it on the fyring pan. Once golden on all sides add it to the pot with the sauce.

8. If you have any egg mixture left, you can fry it on its own to make "huevo en torta" and add it to the sauce as well.

9. Once you have fried all the rellenos and add them to the pot with the sause, let it stew for 15-20 minutes on medium heat. Serve with your choice of sides or enjoy it on it's own!

Head over to @flourishwithg on instagram or TikTok to see the step by step video on how I made these rellenos!