Ingredients
Chillies
- 8large poblano chiles
Picadillo
- 500 gminced pork
- 250 gminced beef
- 1onion, chopped
- 4 clovesgarlic
- 2tomatoes, chopped
- 1apple, diced
- 1pear, diced
- 1peach, diced
- 1plantain, diced
- 60 graisins
- 60 gblanched almonds
- 60 gpine nuts
- 1 tspground cinnamon
- ½ tspground cloves
- 2 tbsplard
- salt, pepper and a little sugar
Nogada
- 200 gfresh walnuts
- 200 mlmilk, for soaking
- 200 gqueso fresco
- 100 mlcrema
- 1 tbspsugar
- a splash of dry sherry
- a pinch of salt
To finish
- seeds of 1 pomegranate
- flat-leaf parsley
Directions
- Char the poblanos directly over a flame until blackened all over, then put them in a bowl under a cloth for 10 minutes to steam.
- Rub the skins off, cut a single slit down one side, and remove the seeds and veins while keeping the stem and the shape of the chilli intact.
- Now peel the walnuts, which is the hard part and cannot be skipped. The thin brown skin is bitter and will turn the whole sauce grey and astringent.
- Soak the walnuts in warm milk for several hours to loosen the skins, then rub each one clean between your fingers.
- For the picadillo, brown both meats in lard, add the onion and garlic, then the tomato, then the fruit, nuts and spices, and cook it down for 30 minutes until thick and glossy.
- Season it so that it reads sweet and savoury at the same time, then let it cool completely.
- Blend the peeled walnuts with the cheese, milk, crema, sugar, sherry and salt into a smooth pouring sauce. It should be white rather than beige, which is the test of whether you peeled them properly.
- Stuff the chillies generously and close them around the filling.
- Serve at room temperature, with the sauce poured across the length of each chilli.
- Scatter with pomegranate seeds and parsley: green chilli, white sauce, red seeds.
- Puebla tradition holds that nuns created the dish in 1821 to honour Agustín de Iturbide, matching the colours of the new Mexican flag, so the presentation is not something to improvise with.
Technique
- Peel every walnut. It is an hour of tedious work and it is the difference between the dish and a grey approximation of it.
- It is seasonal, made in August and September when fresh walnuts, poblanos and the stone fruit all coincide.
- Serve it at room temperature rather than hot. The nogada splits if it is heated.
Substitutions
- Cream cheese thinned with milk in place of queso fresco.
- Milk and a little cream if crema is unavailable.
Variations
- Capeados, dusted in flour, coated in whisked egg and fried before saucing.
- Without sherry, which some households prefer.
- With the picadillo made sweeter, in the older convent style.
History
Puebla tradition says nuns created the dish in 1821 to honour Agustin de Iturbide, its green, white and red matching the new Mexican flag.
Frequently asked questions
What is Chiles en nogada?
Chiles en nogada is a main from Mexico: stuffed poblano in walnut cream with pomegranate; patriotic colors. Puebla tradition says nuns created the dish in 1821 to honour Agustin de Iturbide, its green, white and red matching the new Mexican flag.
How long does Chiles en nogada take to make?
Chiles en nogada takes 2 hr plus several hours soaking the walnuts of preparation and 1 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 8 servings. It is rated hard to make.
What can I substitute in Chiles en nogada?
Yes, within limits. Cream cheese thinned with milk in place of queso fresco. Milk and a little cream if crema is unavailable.
What is the most important thing to get right in Chiles en nogada?
Now peel the walnuts, which is the hard part and cannot be skipped. The thin brown skin is bitter and will turn the whole sauce grey and astringent.
