Authentic Chiles En Nogada Recipes

CHILES EN NOGADA (STUFFED POBLANO CHILE PEPPERS)

Steps:

• Place chicken in a large pot with the halved onion, two carrots, one stalk celery, and 1 clove garlic, and cover with water. Boil until done. Slice meat into bite-sized pieces.
• In a large skillet over medium heat, saute onion and garlic until soft, then add chicken, raisins, brown sugar, 4 ounces walnuts, pepper and bay leaves. Mix together and saute for 3 to 5 minutes, then stir in vinegar, cilantro and tomato paste; reduce heat to low and let all simmer for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
• Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Cut a slit in each chile pepper along one side, lengthwise, so that they can be reconstructed after they are stuffed. Stuff each chile pepper with cooled chicken mixture and place in preheated oven to keep warm.
• To Make Sauce: In a large saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream cheese, goat cheese, sour cream, 8 ounces walnuts, nutmeg and granulated sugar. Heat, stirring, for 5 to 7 minutes. When blended together, pour sauce over warm chile peppers and garnish with fresh chopped cilantro.

CHILES EN NOGADA

Steps:

• For the chiles: In a medium saute pan over medium heat, heat the vegetable oil. Add the chicken and cook until it starts to turn white, about 5 minutes. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the apples, apricots, cranberries, pears, raisins and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 2 more minutes. Add the wine and simmer until the chicken is tender, about 5 minutes. Season with sugar, salt and pepper, and then remove from the heat.
• Stuff each roasted poblano pepper with one-quarter of the chicken mixture and set aside.
• For the sauce: In a medium saute pan over medium-low heat, cook the shallots in the vegetable oil until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until it turns a light caramel color, about 5 minutes. Add the wine and simmer until it is almost completely evaporated, about 15 minutes. Add the heavy cream and simmer until reduced by half, about 15 more minutes. Stir in the almonds and season with salt and pepper.
• To serve, place each stuffed poblano pepper on a plate and top with 2 tablespoons sauce. Garnish with the cilantro and pomegranate seeds.

CHILES EN NOGADA

Steps:

• Make the picadillo: Heat olive oil in a large skillet over high. Spread pork in an even layer and cook, undisturbed, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Toss and continue to cook, breaking up meat with the back of a spoon and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan, until meat is crumbled and lightly browned, 4 to 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the browned meat to a large bowl and set aside.
• Reduce heat to medium and cook onion, apple, pear, plantain, garlic and 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher salt, stirring occasionally, until tender but not browned, 10 to 12 minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary. Add 1 teaspoon pepper, the oregano, cinnamon and clove, and cook, stirring frequently, until very fragrant, 1 minute.
• Stir in sherry and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated and no longer smells of alcohol, 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and their juices, peach, raisins and almonds and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated, 5 minutes.
• Add the cooked pork, olives, lemon zest and 1 cup water, and cook, stirring occasionally, until all the liquid has evaporated, the vegetables and fruit are tender and the pork is cooked through, 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the parsley and lemon juice, season with salt and pepper, and set aside until ready to use.
• Meanwhile, fry the poblanos: Heat vegetable oil in a large saucepan fitted with a deep-fry thermometer on high until thermometer registers 375 degrees. Working in four batches, fry the poblanos, turning once, until skin is opaque and blistered, 1 to 2 minutes per side. Transfer poblanos to a large, heatproof bowl, wrap tightly with plastic and let sit 15 minutes. When cool enough to handle, peel skin from chiles, leaving stem intact. Chiles should still be firm and bright green. Using a paring knife, make a 2-inch cut (about 1 inch from the top) lengthwise down the side of each poblano and carefully remove seeds and ribs.
• Place the poblanos cut-side up on a rimmed baking sheet and fill each with about 1/2 cup picadillo, gently pressing the filling into the poblanos with the back of a spoon, until full but not bursting or splitting. Set aside.
• Make the sauce: Purée the walnuts, almonds, crème fraîche and queso fresco with 1 1/4 cups water and 3/4 teaspoon salt in a blender until creamy. Season with salt and thin with more water, if necessary.
• Serve stuffed chiles at room temperature topped with nogada sauce, pomegranate seeds and parsley leaves.

CHILES EN NOGADA (MEXICAN STUFFED POBLANO PEPPERS IN WALNUT SAUCE)

Steps:

• Roast poblano chiles over an open flame on a gas stove or grill until the skin is black and charred on all sides, turning often, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Place the charred chiles in a plastic bag or in a large bowl covered with plastic wrap. Allow to sit for 5 to 10 minutes, then open and peel off the skin. Cut a slit in each chile lengthwise and remove the seeds.
• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until soft and translucent, 3 to 4 minutes. Add ground pork and cook until browned, breaking up with a spoon while cooking, about 7 minutes. Mix in tomatoes, plantain, apple, peach, parsley, candied orange peel, pine nuts, raisins, almonds, cloves, salt, and pepper. Simmer until filling is cooked through and flavors are well combined, about 10 minutes.
• Combine walnuts, milk, goat cheese, sugar, and cinnamon stick in a blender; blend until walnut sauce is smooth and creamy.
• Fill each poblano chile with the pork filling and place on a plate. Spoon walnut sauce over chile and sprinkle with pomegranate seeds and parsley.