Chiles En Nogada, Poblano Peppers In Walnut Sauce

By Abigail García

This is one of the most typical, and well known mexican dishes. I can’t decide whether I like the most: to cook it, to eat it or to admire it! I recommend trying all! Don’t be overwhelmed by the huge list of ingredients, all of them will make a wonderful combination in a single dish. Enjoy!

Yields 12 servings

Cook Time: 45 min

Preparation time: 3 hours

Ingredients:

• 10-12 poblano chiles, without skin and seeds

For the Filling:

• 1 pound of ground beef
• 1 pound of ground pork (I used loin)
• ½ white onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, chopped
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ cup raisins (I prefer golden)
• ½ cup roasted almonds, chopped
• ½ cup pine nuts
• 1 large peach (not too ripe), chopped
• ½ T of candied citron or if you don’t find it, candied pineapple chunks
• 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano
• 1 tablespoon dry thyme
• 1 teaspoon ground clove
• ¾ cup tomato puree (not seasoned)
• salt and pepper to taste

For the Nogada (walnut sauce):

• ½ pound walnuts
• ½ bolillo (Mexican plain bread) or ¼ plain french baguette
• ¾ cup milk (not skim)
• 6 oz cream cheese
• 1 teaspoon sherry or brandy
• a pinch of salt

To decorate:

• 1 cup of pomegranate seeds
• ½ cup chopped parsley

For the chiles, you can clean them 1 or 2 days in advance and store them in an airtight container in the fridge. Be carefull that the cut you make to take out the seeds, is not too big, since you don’t want them to break while you stuff them or serve them.

For the filling:

You can prepare it 1 or 2 days in advance and keep in the fridge. To stuff the chiles, take it out at least one hour before stuffing.

• In a big saucepan, over medium high heat, saute the onion and garlic in the olive oil, until transparent. Add the meat (beef & pork) and cook for 6-8 minutes, until cooked through. Remove from the heat and strain almost all the juices, so that it is not so soggy when adding the rest of the ingredients. Put the meat back into the saucepan, over medium heat.
• Add the tomato puree and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Then, add the rest of the ingredients and mix well. Cook for approximately 6-8 minutes, or until the peach is cooked through but doesn’t break apart.

For the walnut sauce:

• Soak the bread in the milk for a few minutes. Blend all the ingredients in a blender until smooth. You must have a thick sauce but still with a cream consistency, so feel free to add a little more milk if its too thick. Reserve until plating.

To serve:

Stuff each chile with the mix of meat and fruits, you will use a little more than half a cup of the filling. Then, put the chiles on a plate and cover with the walnut sauce. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and chopped parsley.

The chiles go well with white rice and you may eat them at room temperature. No need to heat them through. Please, enjoy!