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Per serving
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- 1
Soak the walnuts
Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a small pot. Drop in the walnuts, cover, and let them soak for 5 minutes. This loosens the skins, and the skins are the whole reason a nogada turns bitter, so don't skip it.
- 2
Peel the walnuts
Using your fingers or a paring knife, rub and pull the papery brown skin off every walnut. It's tedious, no lie, but it's the difference between a smooth, sweet sauce and a bitter one. Skinned walnuts from the store save you about 45 minutes if you can find them.
- 3
Blend the nogada
Add the peeled walnuts, goat cheese, queso fresco, milk, Mexican crema, 1/4 teaspoon of the cinnamon, and the sugar to a blender. Blend a full 5 minutes until it's completely smooth and pourable. Set it aside. Chill it if you're serving later.
- 4
Start the picadillo
Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Dice the onion and cook 3 minutes, stirring here and there, then mince the garlic in and cook 30 seconds until it smells amazing.
- 5
Brown the meat
Add the ground beef and ground pork. Cook 6 to 8 minutes, breaking the meat into small crumbles as it goes. Small pieces matter here so every forkful is even.
- 6
Season and simmer
Stir in the tomato sauce, golden raisins, chopped dried pineapple, salt, black pepper, ground cloves, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Cook uncovered 8 to 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until most of the moisture cooks off.
- 7
Fold in the fruit
Peel and dice the pear, apple, peach, and plantain into small, fork-friendly pieces. Drop the heat to low, stir in the fruit and the slivered almonds, cover, and cook 15 to 20 minutes until the fruit is soft. Set aside to cool a bit.
- 8
Roast the poblanos
Lay the poblanos on a foil-lined baking sheet and set the rack right under the broiler. Broil 5 minutes until the skin blackens and blisters, flip, and broil another 5. Cover the sheet loosely with foil and let them steam 5 minutes.
- 9
Peel and stuff
Rub off as much of the loose blackened skin as you can, it doesn't have to be perfect. Cut a small slit down the middle of each pepper and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Stuff each one generously with the picadillo. If a fragile one tears or won't fully close, no stress, just do your best.
- 10
Sauce and serve
Set a stuffed pepper on each plate and pour the cool walnut sauce right over the top. Shower with pomegranate seeds and chopped parsley. Green pepper, white sauce, red seeds, the flag on a plate. Serve at room temperature, that's how it's meant to be eaten.
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Chiles en Nogada
Created by: TacoEveryDay
Ingredients
- 1 cup walnuts
- 4 oz goat cheese
- 3 oz queso fresco
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1/2 cup Mexican crema
- 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/8 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 white onion
- 1 garlic
- 1/2 lb ground beef
- 1/2 lb ground pork
- 3/4 cup tomato sauce
- 1/4 cup golden raisins
- 3 tbsp dried pineapple
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/8 tsp ground cloves
- 1/4 cup almonds
- 1/2 pear
- 1/2 apple
- 1/2 peach
- 1/4 plantain
- 6 poblano peppers
- pomegranate seeds
- parsley
Instructions
- Soak the walnutsBring 2 cups of water to a boil in a small pot. Drop in the walnuts, cover, and let them soak for 5 minutes. This loosens the skins, and the skins are the whole reason a nogada turns bitter, so don't skip it.
- Peel the walnutsUsing your fingers or a paring knife, rub and pull the papery brown skin off every walnut. It's tedious, no lie, but it's the difference between a smooth, sweet sauce and a bitter one. Skinned walnuts from the store save you about 45 minutes if you can find them.
- Blend the nogadaAdd the peeled walnuts, goat cheese, queso fresco, milk, Mexican crema, 1/4 teaspoon of the cinnamon, and the sugar to a blender. Blend a full 5 minutes until it's completely smooth and pourable. Set it aside. Chill it if you're serving later.
- Start the picadilloHeat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Dice the onion and cook 3 minutes, stirring here and there, then mince the garlic in and cook 30 seconds until it smells amazing.
- Brown the meatAdd the ground beef and ground pork. Cook 6 to 8 minutes, breaking the meat into small crumbles as it goes. Small pieces matter here so every forkful is even.
- Season and simmerStir in the tomato sauce, golden raisins, chopped dried pineapple, salt, black pepper, ground cloves, and the remaining 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon. Cook uncovered 8 to 10 minutes, stirring now and then, until most of the moisture cooks off.
- Fold in the fruitPeel and dice the pear, apple, peach, and plantain into small, fork-friendly pieces. Drop the heat to low, stir in the fruit and the slivered almonds, cover, and cook 15 to 20 minutes until the fruit is soft. Set aside to cool a bit.
- Roast the poblanosLay the poblanos on a foil-lined baking sheet and set the rack right under the broiler. Broil 5 minutes until the skin blackens and blisters, flip, and broil another 5. Cover the sheet loosely with foil and let them steam 5 minutes.
- Peel and stuffRub off as much of the loose blackened skin as you can, it doesn't have to be perfect. Cut a small slit down the middle of each pepper and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Stuff each one generously with the picadillo. If a fragile one tears or won't fully close, no stress, just do your best.
- Sauce and serveSet a stuffed pepper on each plate and pour the cool walnut sauce right over the top. Shower with pomegranate seeds and chopped parsley. Green pepper, white sauce, red seeds, the flag on a plate. Serve at room temperature, that's how it's meant to be eaten.