History of Chiles en Nogada
Here’s what Diana Kennedy in her seminal The Cuisines of Mexico has to say about the dish: The recipe is said to have been concocted by the grateful people of Puebla, who were giving a banquet in honor of Don Agustin de Iturbide’s saint’s day, August 28 in 1821. He and his followers had led the final revolt against Spanish domination; as self-proclaimed emperor he had just signed the Treaty of Cordoba. All the dishes at the banquest were concocted of ingredients of the color of the Mexican flag; in this dish were the green chiles, the white sauce, and the red pomegranate seeds.
Variations on Picadillo
The classic Mexican dish uses a pork picadillo with dried fruits and spices. Guaymas, a restaurant in Tiburon, California, where I used to order it, used ground chicken. My adaptation of this recipe uses ground turkey. This dish is a bit involved, but the effort is worth it. It really is an extraordinary blend of flavors. You won’t be disappointed. Recipe updated Nov 14, 2013
Variations on Chiles en Nogada
Apples and golden raisins accompany the ground meat in this recipe, but pear, peach, or plantains will work, too. While not authentic, almonds or pecans can sub for the walnuts. For a crisp version, dip the stuffed chiles in batter and fry them.
More Classic Mexican Recipes To Try
Grilled Mexican Street Corn (Elote) Albondigas Soup (Mexican Meatball Soup) Mexican Chicken Lime Soup (Sopa de Lima) Pozole Rojo (Mexican Pork and Hominy Stew) Roasted Poblanos in Cream Sauce (Rajas Con Crema)
We are using ground turkey in this recipe, you could also easily use ground chicken or pork.
1 heaping cup shelled walnut halves Milk (about 2 cups) 1/4 pound queso fresco (or farmer’s cheese) 1 1/2 cups thick sour cream (or creme fraiche) 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
The Chiles:
6 large poblano chiles (use only poblanos, not another type of chile, for this dish)
The Picadillo:
1 1/4 pounds ground turkey thigh meat Kosher salt 4 tablespoons olive oil or canola oil 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped 3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped 1 tablespoon butter 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves 1 cup crushed, fire roasted tomatoes 1/2 cup golden raisins 2 tablespoons blanched and slivered almonds, roughly chopped 1 apple, peeled, cored, chopped
Garnish:
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
If you blanch the walnuts, let them cool to the touch and carefully peel off as much of the bitter skins as you can. This is painstaking work, but unless your walnuts are shed of their bitter skins, the sauce may be a bit bitter.
The Day Of
Make the walnut sauce:
Make the picadillo stuffing:
Add the crushed tomatoes, golden raisins, and chopped slivered almonds. If the mixture seems a little dry, add a tablespoon or two of water. Add chopped apple to the picadillo mixture. Adjust spices, add more cinnamon, salt, ground cloves to taste (go easy on the cloves, they can overpower).
