Chiles en Nogada

Chiles en Nogada is an amazing dish from Puebla, Mexico. The green poblano peppers, white creamy sauce, and red pomegranate seeds bring the colors of the Mexican flag together in one bright burst of flavor. Here at Crowded Earth Kitchen, we love Mexican cuisine… and of all of the Mexican dishes we’ve sampled, we love Chiles en Nogada the very most! It’s a beautiful, memorable dish to serve at a dinner party, and the completed dish freezes very well.

Many versions of Chiles en Nogada include pork or chicken. If you’d like, add some cooked, cubed pork or chicken to the filling (see below). We prefer the flavor profile of this vegetarian version. Whether or not you wish to add meat to your Chiles en Nogada is entirely up to you!

Ingredients (Serves 5)

5 large poblano peppers

1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

For the filling:

2 tablespoons butter

1 cup of peeled, diced apple

1 cup of sliced button mushrooms

1/2 cup raisins

1/4 cup slivered almonds

1 cup cooked, diced potato

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon salt

For the sauce:

2/3 cup goat cheese

1 1/2 cups hot milk (not boiling, just hot)

1 slice of whole wheat bread, crumbled

1 cup walnuts

1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

Step 1) Roast poblano peppers over a medium flame gas stove burner for several minutes, turning the peppers frequently until the peppers are mostly blackened. Alternately, you can place the peppers under the broiler in the oven, turning frequently until the peppers are mostly blackened.

Step 2) Remove the peppers from the flame and immediately place in a plastic bag. Fold the bag closed and allow the peppers to steam for a few minutes. Then, rub your hands on the outside of the bag. The light friction will cause the charred skin to peel off of the peppers. I like to leave a little of the charred skin on for flavor; this technique will remove enough of the char without making a big mess!

Step 3) Carefully cut the tops off of the peppers and scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Don’t use your fingers to scoop out the seeds, as this may irritate your fingernails. Trust me. Set the prepared peppers aside.

Step 4) Add butter, apple, mushrooms, raisins, almonds, potato, cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon salt to a medium size saucepan. Cook over a medium heat, stirring frequently, for approximately 3 minutes. The main purpose of this step is to blend flavors.

Step 5) Carefully spoon the filling from Step 4 into your prepared peppers. A tablespoon works well for this. Arrange your peppers in a pie dish. If a pepper breaks when filled, don’t stress out about it – just place the pepper carefully in the dish and continue on.

Step 6) After all of the peppers are filled, cover the pie dish loosely with foil. Place the pie dish in a preheated 325 degree oven for 15 minutes.

Step 7) While the peppers are baking in the oven, combine goat cheese, hot milk, crumbled bread, hot milk, walnuts, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in a blender. Pulse until very smooth. The sauce should be fairly thick. If it’s runny, add a bit more crumbled bread. If the sauce is too thick to pour (not likely), add a bit more hot milk.

Step 8) Remove peppers from the oven and pour the white sauce carefully over the top. Sprinkle your Chiles en Nogada with pomegranate seeds, and serve immediately!