Anyone familiar with this blog knows that food is the biggest reason we travel. This is the most exciting thing about every trip we take!
So as we plan our route through Mexico in 2022, it’s important to us that Puebla August or September. Why? Ennogada, Chile.
Chiles en nogada is a beautiful and delicious Mexican national dish that is usually only served in August or September when the pomegranates are ripe. This is our pride and joy Puebla That’s where we spent most of our time in Mexico.
You can’t just go to Puebla in the fall, so I’m excited to share this simple yet authentic Chili Ennogada recipe. It was developed by chef Alonso Hernandez, who runs a popular restaurant Cooking classes in Puebla.
If you can find the right ingredients, you can make this delicious Mexican dish any time of the year.
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What is “Nogada Chile”?
Chiles en nogada is a Mexican seasonal dish of poblano peppers stuffed with a picadillo mixture made of minced meat (usually pork or beef), sliced fruit (pears, peaches, apples), spices and aromatics . The stuffed peppers are covered with a creamy walnut sauce (nogada sauce, hence the name “chiles en nogada”) and then sprinkled with pomegranate seeds and fresh parsley before serving.
Although tourist restaurants sometimes serve inferior hot sauces at other times of the year, they are usually only prepared in August and September when pomegranates are in season.
The first time we had this dish, it was off-season in Puebla, so the dish was made with light-colored pomegranate seeds. They lack the sweetness and acidity of ripe pomegranate seeds, so it’s best to wait until August or September to try this dish in Mexico if you can.
If you can visit Puebla in September, eating chiles en nogada around September 16th is ideal. Not only is it a Mexican national dish, it is also a celebratory dish made in honor of Mexico’s Independence Day.
The colors of chiles en nogada not only look beautiful but also have symbolic meaning. They represent the colors of the Mexican flag – red for pomegranate seeds, green for fresh parsley and white for walnut paste. This is a patriotic dish that is the pride of all Poblanos (and Mexicans in general).
like Poblano Mooreit is said that chiles en nogada is Invented by nuns from a convent in Puebla. They were created in honor of Mexican generals Augustin de Iturbide When he visited Puebla after signing the agreement Treaty of Cordoba.
raw material
For the stuffed peppers
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3 poblano peppers
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2 apples
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2 peaches
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2 pears
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1 onion
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2 cloves garlic
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1/2 kg tomatoes
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1 cinnamon stick
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50 g raisins
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100 g almonds (sliced)
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1/2 cup sugar
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150 g beef brisket cubes (or ground beef)
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150 g pork cubes (or minced pork)
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6 eggs
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250 g flour
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100 ml vegetable or rapeseed oil
Nogada Sauce (Walnut Cream Sauce)
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350 g walnuts
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1/2 cup regular milk
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250 g goat cheese
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1 teaspoon sherry, brandy or rum
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1 tablespoon vanilla extract
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1/2 cup sugar
For service
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1 pomegranate
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parsley (for garnish)
instruct
- Chop the garlic and set aside.
- Cut onions, tomatoes, peaches, apples and pears into small cubes. Set aside.
- Preheat some oil in a pan. Add garlic and stir-fry gently. Add onions and sauté until translucent. Add the tomatoes, then the chopped fruit, one at a time. Cook all ingredients over low heat for about 15 minutes, or until mixture is evenly combined. Stir constantly.
- Once the mixture is cooked and softened, add half a cup of sugar, cinnamon (cut into small pieces), raisins, and sliced toasted almonds. Continue to cook over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Cut the pork and beef into small pieces. Fry them separately to soften them, then add them to the fruit and vegetable mixture. Add salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is reduced completely. Set aside.
- Roast the poblano peppers over a flame until the skins are blistered and completely blackened. Place the peppers in a plastic bag and steam for about 10 minutes, then remove as much loose skin as possible. Cut each pepper and remove seeds. Pat the peppers dry inside and out with paper towels and set aside.
- Stuff peppers with fruit and vegetable mixture. Coat the stuffed peppers in flour and set aside.
- Beat egg whites until stiff. Add the egg yolks and a pinch of salt and flour.
- Preheat a pan with a cup of oil. Have a large spoon and a slotted spatula handy as you’ll need them to flip the stuffed peppers.
- Dip each stuffed pepper into the beaten egg mixture until completely coated. Using a large spoon, drop the coated peppers into the hot oil and fry gently until evenly golden brown. After frying, strain the peppers with a slotted spoon and place them on paper towels to remove excess oil. Set aside.
- Mix walnuts, milk, goat cheese, sherry, vanilla and half a cup of sugar until you have a smooth consistency.
- Arrange the poblano peppers on a deep plate and pour a generous amount of the nogada sauce (walnut sauce) over the top. Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and chopped parsley before serving.
notes
This chili en nogada recipe was created by chef alonso hernandez Casa Mexicana in Puebla, Mexico.
final thoughts
We haven’t had a chance to try Chef Alonso’s dishes yet Cooking classes in Puebla But we’ll do that as soon as we get back to Mexico. Until then, here are a few photos from various places cooking class We shot this in the city of Puebla a few years ago.
A plate of poblano peppers. Poblano chile is the backbone of every Nogada chile.
The authentic chiles en nogada recipe uses three fruits – criollo peaches (pictured below), panochera apples (la manzana panochera), and sweet pears.
A plate of Peras de leche or sweet milk pears
Like mole poblano, making chiles en nogada requires a lot of preparation. We start by peeling off the skins of all the fruits.
The cooking class we attended was at a restaurant in Puebla, so I think they made us peel more fruit than we needed. ha!
Isn’t the peeled fruit beautiful? Knowing they will be used in the poblano chile filling makes us even more excited.
It’s one thing to eat these local dishes, but it’s another thing to learn how to make them yourself. It really makes you appreciate how much love and care goes into making these dishes.
Blister the poblano peppers on the stove to enhance their flavor and make them softer for filling.
Ms. Traveleater cooks the beef and pork and incorporates it into the stuffing mixture.
When the picadillo mixture is ready, stuff the peppers in one by one.
Traditional recipes like the one featured in this article call for stuffed peppers to be coated in flour, then dipped into a beaten egg mixture and shallow fried. I guess this is a traditional way of making it in Puebla because we did the same thing in our cooking class.
However, search online and you’ll find that many recipes these days skip this step. After stuffing the poblano peppers, pour directly into the walnut sauce.
Personally, I prefer it the traditional way as it adds more layers of flavor and texture to the dish.
How delicious do these stuffed peppers look? I love all the colors!
After shallow frying the peppers, it’s time to dip them in a creamy walnut sauce. Just sprinkle some pomegranate seeds and parsley on top and you’re good to go! enjoy!
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