Chiles en Nogada (Stuffed Poblano Peppers in Walnut Cream)

About This Recipe

Chiles en nogada is the most visually and symbolically patriotic dish in Mexican cuisine. Roasted poblano peppers are stuffed with a fragrant picadillo of minced pork, almonds, raisins, peaches, pears and spices, then covered in a cold creamy nogada sauce made from fresh walnuts, cream cheese, sherry and milk, and garnished with ruby pomegranate seeds and flat-leaf parsley. The three colours — green pepper and parsley, white walnut sauce, red pomegranate — represent the Mexican flag. The dish is traditionally served in August and September when all its seasonal ingredients align. It is served at room temperature, never hot. Making it is a project, but the result is unlike anything else in Mexican cooking.

Ingredients

Serves 6

• 6large poblano peppers
• 400 gpork mince
• 1peach or apple, peeled and diced
• 1pear, peeled and diced
• 40 gblanched almonds, roughly chopped
• 30 graisins
• 2tomatoes, chopped
• 1onion, finely diced
• 2garlic cloves, minced
• 0.25 tspcinnamon, ground
• pinchcloves, ground
• 150 gfresh walnuts, shelled
• 150 gcream cheese
• 50 mldry sherry
• 100 mlmilk
• 4 tbsppomegranate seeds
• large handfulfresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
• to tastesalt and pepper

Instructions

1. 1

   Char peppers

   Place poblanos directly over a gas flame or under a broiler, turning, until the skin is completely charred all over. Place in a sealed bag for 10 minutes to steam, then peel off the skin. Carefully make a slit down one side and remove seeds without tearing the pepper.

2. 2

   Make picadillo

   Brown pork mince in oil. Add onion, garlic and tomatoes and cook 10 minutes. Add fruit, almonds, raisins, cinnamon and cloves. Season and cook together 10 minutes until fragrant and slightly dry. Cool.

3. 3

   Make nogada sauce

   Blanch walnuts in boiling water for 2 minutes; drain and peel the papery skin. Blend walnuts with cream cheese, sherry and milk until smooth and creamy. Season with salt.

4. 4

   Stuff peppers

   Fill each pepper generously with the picadillo through the slit. Press the pepper back together.

5. 5

   Assemble and serve

   Arrange stuffed peppers on a platter. Spoon nogada sauce generously over each pepper. Scatter pomegranate seeds and fresh parsley leaves over the top. Serve at room temperature.

Variations

• •

  Vegetarian version: replace pork with a mixture of lentils, potato and the same fruits and spices.

Storage

Components can be made a day ahead and assembled just before serving. Do not sauce ahead — the nogada turns brown.

Frequently Asked Questions