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Poblano with walnut sauce recipe
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Mexican Chiles En Nogada (Stuffed Peppers In Walnut Sauce)

This recipe for chiles en nogada is a classic Mexican dish that is made with poblano peppers stuffed with ground beef and pork. The peppers are then deep-fried and covered in a creamy walnut sauce. To top it off, we'll add some pomegranate seeds for a bit of sweetness. Follow this recipe to make chiles en nogada at home!
Course Main Course
Cuisine Mexican
Keyword chiles en nogada receta, chiles en nogada receta tradicional, stuffed poblano peppers in walnut sauce recipe
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Resting Time 30 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 40 minutes
Servings 16 - 18 STUFFED PEPPERS
Calories 637kcal

Ingredients

Ingredients for the Stuffing-Filling

  • 1 Lb. Ground pork
  • 1 lb. Ground beef
  • ½ of a medium white onion finely chopped
  • 1 garlic clove
  • 5 cloves
  • ½ stick of cinnamon about 1.5 inch
  • ¾ cup pine nuts
  • ¾ cup raisins
  • ¾ cup chopped blanched almonds
  • 1 Plantain peeled and chopped.
  • 2 medium size apples peeled and diced (place in water with lemon juice to avoid oxidation, drain before using)
  • 2 peaches chopped About 1 cup
  • 2 medium-size pears peeled and diced (place in water with lemon)
  • 2 large tomatoes peeled, seeded and finely chopped
  • cup oil
  • Salt to taste

THE PEPPERS:

  • 16 to 18 Poblano peppers
  • 12 eggs separated
  • About 1 cup of All Purpose Flour
  • Oil for frying

WALNUT SAUCE INGREDIENTS:

  • 3 ½ cups 14 oz. Walnut halves (You can also use pecans in case you can’t find walnuts. If using pecans you will only need 2 cups, rinse 3 times in warm water to blanch them)
  • 7 oz. goat cheese
  • 1 pinch of ground cinnamon to taste
  • 1 Tbsp. sugar
  • 1 cup milk
  • ¼ cup of sweet sherry
  • Seeds of 2 pomegranates and springs of parsley to garnish

Instructions

  • Place the onion, pork and beef in a large frying pan with the oil and cook thoroughly
  • I a mortar or pestle grind the cinnamons stick, garlic, and cloves. Once this has formed a paste add water. Pass through a sieve and add to the already cooked meat. (Your kitchen will start flooding with wonderful aromas)
  • Add the chopped tomato, raisins, almonds and pine nuts. Keep simmering for about 20 minutes until the juices had reduced stirring occasionally. Add salt to taste.
  • Stir in the apples, pears, peaches and plantain to the frying pan and mix everything very well. And cook just for 2-3 more minutes. Remove promptly from heat since we want the fruit to keep its shape. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let it cool. Do not cover with a pot lid.

This is how the stuffing looks:

  • Now, while the filling cools, prepare the poblano peppers. To remove the skin first we roast them over a high heat flame. Then place them in a damp cloth ( This way they retain more flavor that placing then in a plastic bag).
  • After peeling the peppers, make a slit cut lengthwise in each one, remove seed and veins. Soak them in water with vinegar and salt. (This gives a great flavor to the peppers) After 15 min. dried them with paper towels.
  • Once the peppers are ready, we start to stuff them with the filling using a spoon being careful not to overstuff or the filling could get out of the pepper while frying it.

Final preparation:

  • Heat about ⅔ inch of oil in a large frying pan.
  • Beat the egg white to form stiff peaks and then stir in the yolks, one at a time and keep beating until you have a nice fluffy batter and add salt.
  • Spread the flour on a large plate and coat the peppers lightly, one by one. Making sure they do not open while doing this step.
  • Once the peppers are covered with the flour, dip into the beaten eggs making sure it is well coated.
  • Carefully place the peppers in the hot oil, do not overcrowd the skillet. Fry each side until it gets a deep golden color.
  • It takes practice to master this step, I use a spoon spatula turning in a way that one of the sides faces the frying pan wall. Then turn back again to cook the other side of the pepper. (It looks like a triangular shape)
  • Once fried place on absorbent paper or paper towels. I change the paper several times to absorb as much oil as possible.

WALNUT SAUCE:

  • Remove the walnuts from the refrigerator, place in your blender along with the goat cheese, sugar, milk, pinch of cinnamon and sweet sherry. Puree until you have a smooth creamy sauce.
  • Place the peppers in a serving dish and cover with the walnut sauce, garnish with the pomegranate seeds and sprigs of parsley. This dish can be served cold or at room temperature.
  • I hope you prepare it and come back to tell me how it came out……

Notes

• Some recipes call for Prickle pear cactus (Bisnaga de Acitron), but this is an endangered plant. I do not recommend to use it.
• The fruit used to make this recipe is called “criolla”, is fruit that grows in family home gardens, it is sold around this time of the year at the local markets.
Some recipes do not mention the peppers coated with batter. In the region around the State of Puebla, they do coat the peppers with batter. This step is optional to each individual taste. I like them with the batter.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 637kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 25g | Fat: 48g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 18g | Monounsaturated Fat: 16g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 171mg | Sodium: 157mg | Potassium: 842mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 13g | Vitamin A: 1054IU | Vitamin C: 103mg | Calcium: 129mg | Iron: 4mg