Mari Luz Martinez Barrios and Maria de la Luz Barrios Herrera
By Joseph Sorrentino
EDITOR’S NOTE: Freelance writer Joseph Sorrentino lives in and travels throughout Mexico covering the food and beverage scene. Here, he reports from his visit to Puebla, where he explored the use of walnuts in dishes including Chiles en Nogada.
Walnuts were brought to Mexico by the Spanish around 1539. Trees were first planted in an orchard that was part of a Franciscan convento in Calpan, Puebla, and grew well in their new country. The walnuts, known as nuez castilla, the Castillan walnut, have made their way into Mexican cuisine, especially in Puebla, where they star in the iconic dish chiles en nogada.
Beginning in July, signs go up virtually everywhere in Puebla and across much of Mexico advertising
chiles en nogada — poblano chiles stuffed with as many as 11 ingredients, including fruits, nuts and meat; bathed in walnut cream sauce called nogada; then topped with a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds and sprigs of parsley.
“It is probably the most popular dish in Puebla,” says Antonio Porras, whose family has owned La Lunita Restaurant in San Pedro Cholula for four generations. But it’s not available for long. According to Porras, the season typically runs from July until late September when pomegranate, walnuts and the fruits commonly used in the dish are in season.
DIFFERENT TAKES ON TRADITIONAL RECIPES
Like many traditional Mexican dishes, chiles en nogada’s origin is a little murky. It’s generally believed the dish was first made by nuns in the Santa Mónica convent in Puebla for a celebration of Mexican independence.
There are probably as many recipes for chiles en nogada as there are restaurants and families making it. One of those comes from Concepción Fernandez, whose version features poblano chiles stuffed with pears, apples, peaches, walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, and pork in her tiny restaurant in San Pedro Yancuitlalpan. She’s especially particular about the fruit she uses.
“Panochera is an apple that is sweeter than other types, pera lechera is a small pear that is also sweet and combines well with walnuts, and the peach is durazno criollo, which has more flavor,” Fernandez explains. For the nogada, Fernandez uses walnuts, queso fresco, queso filadelfia, and, she says, “a little milk to thin it out.” The chiles are charcoal roasted because, as Fernanez says, “Everything with charcoal has a better flavor.”
Mari Luz Martinez Barrios and her mother, María de la Luz Barrios Herrera, offer a slightly different version of chiles en nogada at Dos Aromas restaurant in Zacatlán. In their recipe, the poblanos are stuffed with a mixture of bananas, tomatoes, almonds, raisins, apples, pears, peaches, walnuts, onions, garlic and beef.
“We use rayada apples and it is because they have more consistency,” Barrios says. They use canola oil for frying because, as Herrera explains, “There is no flavor, and it does not interfere with the dish.” Their nogada features goat cheese, cream and a little sugar.
At Dos Aromas, chiles en nogada season stretches until late October. “After that, it is cooler, less sunshine and the flavors of the ingredients change,” Hererra says. The women are very friendly, but Barrios won’t give out her exact recipe.
“It is a secret,” she says with a slight smile. “And even if you had it, you would not know how to make it.”
Porras’ rendition of chiles en nogada at La Lunita’s is similar to Fernandez’s. Like her, he uses panochera apples and pera lechera pears, but relies on a mix of beef and pork instead of only pork for his stuffing. He serves his chiles en nogada all year.
“We freeze the mix of fruits, and we use pomegranates from greenhouses,” he says. He suggests serving the dish with a vino rosado, white wine or sidra, a hard cider.
While chiles en nogada is a dish made stateside, Porras is skeptical that U.S. chefs can replicate the quality and flavor diners enjoy in Mexico. “It is possible [for them] to get poblanos [in the U.S.], and they can use the fruits from there, but they would not have the same flavor,” he says. “The secret is using the fruits from this area and this season.”
BEYOND THE CHILES
Although chiles en nogada is the most famous dish made with walnuts in Mexico, it’s not the only one gracing restaurant tables.
Giuseppe Merlo offers two dishes using walnuts at Trattoria Merlo, his restaurant in Chipilo. Both are made with nogada that Merlo makes with percanera walnuts instead of castillos.
“With these, it is not necessary to remove the skin,” he says. “They can be found all year and it is the easiest to use. With castillo, you must soak them and peel the skin. This walnut has a stronger flavor.”
His Berenjena Merlo is baked eggplant that’s diced, mixed with the nogada, and served over pasta or chicken. His Portabella Noce features portabella mushroom caps brushed with balsamic vinegar, baked for 15 minutes at 250º C (about 500º F), and sauteed in olive oil. The nogada is ladled onto the cap, which is then heated a few more minutes and plated with more nogada.
“Drink a red wine with these — a merlot, malbec or carmenere,” he suggests.
Although the origin for chiles en nogada is unclear, Merlo knows where his recipes came from. “My head,” he said while tapping it.