Chiles en Nogada

Chiles en Nogada

Poblano Chiles Stuffed with Sweet and Savory Beef, Pine Nuts, Pineapple, Almonds, and Raisins with a Fresh Walnut Crema. Courtesy of Chef/Owner Barbara Sibley and her team at New York City’s La Palapa (www.lapalapa.com).

Makes 6 servings

Roasting the Chiles Poblanos

12 chiles poblanos

  1. Wash and dry chiles
  2. Roast chiles for about 10 to 15 minutes until the skin is blistered and charred all over. They can be roasted over a gas burner holding the chiles with tongs and turning them toward the flame to blister the skin. This can also be done on the grill. To char the chiles under the broiler place the chiles on a foil lined cookie sheet and roast about 4 inches from broiler. Turn the chiles so that they char evenly all around.
  3.  Place the hot chiles in a bowl with plastic wrap or a moistened towel over it. Allow the chiles to steam in the bowl for about 15 minutes. Use your fingers or a small knife to peel off the skin. It should come off very easily.
  4. Be careful when cutting into hot chiles as the steam inside will be full of the capsaicin oil and can burn.

Cooks Note about fresh raw chiles: When buying fresh chiles, choose ones that have firm flesh and no breaks or wrinkles on the skin. Most chiles are harvested with the stems on and this keeps the chiles fresh longer. They should be rinsed before use or washed with a food safe soap as some chiles are processed with wax, similar to apples, to extend their shelf life. Raw chiles should be stored in the refrigerator in a loosely closed plastic bag. Raw chiles have a tough skin and often they are roasted to remove the skin before using them for rajas, chile strips, or for stuffing. This is can be done best with jalapeños or poblanos.

The Picadillo

1 lb.beef ground

1 lb. pork ground

4 cloves of garlic chopped

1 medium onion chopped, about 1 cup

2 cups canned whole tomatoes, drained and pureed

2 bay leaf

1 teaspoon thyme

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

2 teaspoons salt

¼  cup corn oil

¼  cup candied pineapple

¼  cup golden raisins, plumped in sherry or warm water

¼  cup pine nuts

¼  cup almonds slivered

½ cup diced peeled apples

¼  cup sherry

2 tablespoons salt, adjust to taste

Sprigs Italian Parsley

½ cup pomegranate

  1. In a sauté pan with the ¼ cup of corn oil sauté the onion and garlic until soft over medium heat for about 3 minutes.
  2. Add the pork and beef, thyme, bay leaf, clove and black pepper and sauté until the meat is cooked through. Add the tomatoes and continue to cook until they mix well with the meat.
  3. Add the pineapple, raisins, pine nuts, almonds, apples, sherry and salt. Continue to sauté until the apples soften.
  4. Taste and add salt if needed.

The Salsa Nogada

1 cup walnuts soaked/peeled

1 cup queso fresco*

½ cup milk

¼ cup sherry

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar

2 cup heavy cream

  1. Soak the walnuts in 2 cups of warm water for 20 mintues. Remove from the water and remove as much is the brown skin that covers the walnuts as possible.
  2. In a food processor or blender place the walnuts, queso fresco, milk, sherry and salt. Blend until creamy.
  3. Whip the heavy cream and sugar as if to make whipped cream.
  4. Fold the walnut mixture and whipped cream together.

* Ricotta may be substituted however reduce milk to ¼ cup and adjust salt to taste.

To serve: Place the chiles on a platter with a dollop of the nogada, a parsley sprig and a sprinkle of pomegranate seeds.