There is certainly a lot of work and ingredients that go into making this great Mexican dish. The results are however outstanding. While not piquantly spiced the way other dishes with Chilies might be, it is an interesting combination of savoury and sweet spiced mince in roasted chillies with a creamy note from the sauce (and just a faint hint of chilli heat in the background)
Ingredients
Chillies
Poblanos – 4 large ( see note)
For the Picadillo
Minced pork - 500 grams
Vegetable oil – 2 tablespoons
Olive oil – one tablespoon
Apple – one medium (cored, peeled and chopped)
Yellow Raisins - third of a cup
Dried apricots – ¼ cup
Garlic – 2 cloves
Onion – ½ medium ( finely diced)
Cloves - 3 whole
Cinnamon – ½ teaspoon
Black pepper – ½ teaspoon
Salt – ½ teaspoon
Passata – 3 tablespoons
Slivered almonds – 2 tablespoons
Nogada sauce
Shelled Walnuts – ½ cup ( blanched)
Thick sour cream - one cup
Goats milk cheese – 200 grams
Sugar – one tablespoon
Cinnamon powder – ¼ teaspoon
Garnish
Fresh pomegranate – one
Fresh Coriander ( Cilantro) - third of a cup
Instructions
Pre -preparation
Blanche the almonds and Walnuts in boiling water for three minutes
Allow cooling
Remove the skin from the nuts
Sliver the almonds
Peel and dice onions
Peel and finely chop the garlic
Peel and core apple. Chop into pieces
Peel the pomegranate and remove the seeds
Chop the coriander
Chillies
Smear the Chiilies with one tablespoon of olive oil
Place under the grill of a preheated oven ( 250 degrees Celsius)
Wait until sin becomes blistered and blackened ( Keep a close eye on these to ensure they don't burn
Remove from the oven and place in a glass bowl. Cover with cling film
After 15 to 20 minutes, remove the cling film.
Peel the skins from the chillies. Keep to one side.
Making the picadillo
Add two tablespoons of oil to a skillet. Bring to a medium heat
Add onions and cook until translucent
Add garlic and fry for a minutes
Add the fruit, passata, spices, raisins, and almonds. Cook for two minutes
Add the meat. Cook until no traces of pinkness are left
Fry for a further 10 minutes until the mince starts browning
Remove from the heat and keep to one side
Making the sauce
Place the sour, goats cheese, cinnamon and sugar into a blender.
Blend until smooth
Stir in sour cream
Place in the refrigerator until needed.
Assembly
Fill each with picadillo mixture
Spoon an equal amount of sauce over each
Sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and coriander
Serve
Notes
Please note that this dish is traditionally served at room temperature. Still, if preferred, the picadillo filled chillies ( without the sauce) can be placed in the oven to reheat before serving. Once heated through spoon on sauce and garnish
While Poblano Chillies are traditionally used to make this dish, if you are unable get them Anaheim peppers could be considered. As a very last resort Bell peppers can be used
This recipe serves four portions
Keywords: Chillies with walnut sauce
Nutrition Information
Serving size: 350 grams Calories: 1045 Fat: 56 g Saturated fat: 53 g Unsaturated fat: 5 g Trans fat: 0 g Carbohydrates: 79 g Sugar: 71 g Sodium: 659 mg Fiber: 14 g Protein: 46 g Cholesterol: 40 mg
Recipe by The Chilli Workshop at https://chilliworkshop.co.uk/recipes-with-chilllies/stuffed-peppers/chiles-en-nogada/