Products & Gifts / Culinary Creations / Aaron Sánchez / Recipes
Chiles En Nogada
(Stuffed Poblanos with Walnut Sauce)
Ingredients:

SAUCE
1 ½ cups toasted and coarsely chopped walnuts
¼ cup coarsely chopped cilantro
1 8-ounce package cream cheese, at room temperature
1 cup half-and-half
1 tablespoon sugar
Salt and freshly ground pepper


FILLING
3 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for frying
½ pound ground beef
½ pound ground pork
1 medium white onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 15-ounce can chopped tomatoes
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, preferably Mexican canela
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground cloves
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Granny Smith apple, unpeeled and cut into ½ inch dice cubes
¼ cup raisins soaked in 1 cup tequila
¼ cup toasted slivered almonds
½ cups sliced pimiento-stuffed green olives
6 large poblano chiles
1 cup pomegranate seeds, for garnish
To make the sauce, put the walnuts, cilantro, cream cheese, half-and-half, and sugar in a food processor. Pulse to combine the ingredients, then puree until the mixture is the consistency of mayonnaise. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and reserve, but do not refrigerate.

To make the filling, heat 3 tablespoons of the oil over a medium flame in a large, deep skillet or Dutch oven. When the oil begins to smoke, add the ground beef and pork, stirring and pressing with the back of a wooden spoon to break up any clumps. Cook until the meat is thoroughly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, cinnamon, cumin, and cloves, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Fold in the apple, raisins, almonds and olives. Give everything a good stir and cover. Lower the heat to keep it warm.

Heat ½ inch of oil in a large, heavy skillet and place over a medium-high flame. When the oil begins to smoke, fry the poblanos, 3 at a time, turning once or twice so they are blistered on all sides. As they are done, remove them from the pan and drain briefly on paper towels. Put the chiles in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let them sweat for about 5 minutes to loosen the skins. Gently rub off as much of the charred skin as possible, but do not rinse with water. Cut a slit lengthwise along the side of each chile, keeping the stem and tip intact. Carefully pull out the seeds and inner membranes through the opening, being sure not to tear the chile.

Carefully spoon the filling into the poblanos until it feels full, not bursting. Pool the walnut sauce on the base of a platter, arrange the stuffed chiles on top, and garnish with pomegranate seeds. The dish may be served warm or at room temperature.