Chiles en Nogada Season is here

I am a big fan, so for all of those that don't know, the season starts in September and ends in December, so now is the best time to practice your culinary skills, this is one of those dishes that its relatively simple to make, but when done right, can be sublime.

A simple recipe:
This dish is a bit involved, but the effort is worth it. It really is an extraordinary blend of flavors. And if you ever get to Guyamas Restaurant in Tiburon, Mill Valley California, by all means order it! You won't be disappointed.

You must start this dish one day ahead by soaking the walnuts for the nogada sauce overnight.

The Picadillo:
2 lbs of boneless pork
1/2 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 Tbsp salt, or to taste

6 Tbsp of lard or the fat from the broth
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
The cooked meat (about 3 cups - note if you use more than 3 cups, you will need to increase the amounts of the other ingredients)
A molcajete (mortar and pestle)
8 peppercorns
5 whole cloves
1/2 inch stick cinnamon
3 heaping Tbsp of raisins
2 Tbsp blanched and slivered almonds
2 heaping Tbsp acitron or candied fruit, chopped
2 tsp salt, or to taste
1 1/2 pounds of tomatoes, peeled and seeded
1 pear, cored, peeled and chopped
1 peach, pitted, peeled and chopped

1 Cut the meat into large cubes. Put them into the pan with the onion, garlic, and salt and cover with cold water. Bring the meat to a boil, lower the flame and let it simmer until just tender - about 40-45 minutes. Do not over cook. Leave the meat to cool off in the broth.

2 Strain the meat, reserving the broth, then shred or chop it finely and set it aside. Let the broth get completely cold and skim off the fat. Reserve the fat.

3 Melt the lard and cook the onion and garlic, without browning, until they are soft.

4 Add the meat and let it cook until it begins to brown.

5 Crush the spices roughly in the molcajete and add them, with the rest of the ingredients to the meat mixture. (If you don't have a molcajete, you can use the blunt end of a pestle to crush the spices in a bowl.) Cook the mixture a few moments longer.

6 Add chopped peach and pear to the mixture.

The Chilies:
7 Put 6 chiles poblanos (and you MUST use this type of chili) straight into a fairly high flame or under a broiler and let the skin blister and burn. Turn the chiles from time to time so they do not get overcooked or burn right through. (See How to roast chile peppers over a gas flame tutorial using Anaheim chiles.)

8 Wrap the chiles in a damp cloth or plastic bag and leave them for about 20 minutes. The burned skin will then flake off very easily and the flesh will become a little more cooked in the steam. Make a slit in the side of each chili and carefully remove the seeds and veins. Be careful to leave the top of the chili, the part around the base of the stem, intact. (If the chilies are too hot - picante, let them soak in a mild vinegar and water solution for about 30 minutes.) Rinse the chilies and pat them dry.

9 Stuff the chilies with the picadillo until they are well filled out. Set them aside on paper towels.

The Nogada (walnut sauce)
The day before:
20 to 25 fresh walnuts, shelled
cold milk

10 Remove the thin papery skin from the nuts. (Note, these are Diana Kennedy's instructions. I have found it virtually impossible to remove the skins from the fresh walnuts that come from our walnut tree. The above photo shows the sauce which includes the skins. I think it would be creamier without the skins, but what can you do? We found that blanching the walnuts did not help get the skin off. Completely cover the walnuts with cold milk and leave them to soak overnight.

On serving day:
The soaked and drained nuts
1 small piece white bread without crust
1/4 lb queso fresco
1 1/2 cups thick sour creme (or creme fraiche)
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
Large pinch of cinnamon

11 Blend all of the ingredients in a blender until they are smooth.

To Serve
To assemble the dish, cover the chilies in the nogada sauce and sprinkle with fresh parsley leaves and pomegranate seeds.


[Edited on 9-22-2007 by comitan]

Jesse, I've made them, and don't think they are simple at all, but they are SOOOOO worth the trouble!

If you are cooking them I'm sure going to try to come to Tres Virgenes-- I like them best when someone else makes them

Comitan, I use the recipe from "Like Water for Chocolate". It doesn't say to soak the nuts,but I really didn't know what she meant about peeling them after shelling them. Does she refer to the brownoutside ofthe nut meat or the hard membrane inside the shell? I'm always careful not to allow that inner sort of shell into the sauce. My sauce is good, and not bitter.

Jesse,any advice on this? Not trying to obtain professional secrets, of course And one more question-- might you serve quail with rose petals some day?

Quote:

Originally posted by Paula Comitan, I use the recipe from "Like Water for Chocolate". It doesn't say to soak the nuts,but I really didn't know what she meant about peeling them after shelling them. Does she refer to the brownoutside ofthe nut meat or the hard membrane inside the shell? I'm always careful not to allow that inner sort of shell into the sauce. My sauce is good, and not bitter. Jesse,any advice on this? Not trying to obtain professional secrets, of course And one more question-- might you serve quail with rose petals some day?

Quote:

Originally posted by Paula Comitan, I use the recipe from "Like Water for Chocolate". It doesn't say to soak the nuts,but I really didn't know what she meant about peeling them after shelling them. Does she refer to the brownoutside ofthe nut meat or the hard membrane inside the shell? I'm always careful not to allow that inner sort of shell into the sauce. My sauce is good, and not bitter. Jesse,any advice on this? Not trying to obtain professional secrets, of course And one more question-- might you serve quail with rose petals some day?

Yeah, we have them til December, but we only make about a dozen a day because the sauce needs to be prepared fresh daily and you cannot use it the next day.

By the way, a little secret, after you prepare the filling, add a splash of Cognac so the flavors in the raisins, almonds, and fruits expand and become more complex. This alone is usually enough to leave Connosieurs from the mainland wondering how is it possible that a northener can cook better Chiles en Nogada.

[Edited on 9-22-2007 by JESSE]

Quote:

Originally posted by JESSE By the way, a little secret, after you prepare the filling, add a splash of Cognac so the flavors in the raisins, almonds, and fruits expand and become more complex. This alone is usually enough to leave Connosieurs from the mainland wondering how is it possible that a northener can cook better Chiles en Nogada. [Edited on 9-22-2007 by JESSE]