Grand Recipes

Mexico’s Independence celebrations are drawing close on September 15 and 16 and it’s the time of year for chiles en nogada, the famous dish sporting the colors of the national flag: red, green and white. This dish is served at Flor de Canela during September and if you are staying with us, we hope you´ll plan a Mexican evening and try it. If you would like to make it yourself back home, Chef Guido de la Mora has provided the recipe!

Ingredients

  • Eight poblano chilies, wash them, remove the skin and seeds.
  • For the meat stuffing
  • ¼ cup of corn oil
  • 2 cloves of finely chopped garlic
  • ¼ cup of chopped onion
  • 300g ground pork
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • ¼ cup of water
  • 1 tbsp corn oil
  • 300g of blended and strained tomato
  • ¼ cup of almonds, remove the skin and halve them
  • ¼ cup of chopped raisins
  • 8 green olives, rinse and quarter them
  • 10g of fresh parsley, diced
  • 2 cloves
  • 1 stick of cinnamon
  • 10g of black peppercorns
  • 1 cup of diced apple
  • 1 cup of diced pear
  • 1 cup of diced peach
  • ½ tbsp sugar
  • 1 cup of diced plantain
  • 30g of pink pine kernels, peeled
  • ½ tbsp white vinegar

Fry the garlic until golden and remove. Add part of the onion and then the pork, salt, and water. Cover and cook until the meat is tender, about five minutes. In another pan heat oil and fry another garlic clove with the rest of the onion, add the tomato and season. Then add the almonds, raisins, olives and parsley. Leave to cook for two minutes. Grind the cloves, cinnamon and the peppercorns, add to the tomato and remove from the heat. Add the tomato sauce to the meat and leave to cook for five minutes, then remove from the heat. Fry the apple, pear and peach, cover and leave to cook and then cool. Add sugar if needed. Then fry the plantain until golden, reserve the remaining oil to cook the chilies. Add the fruit, plantains, pie kernels and vinegar to the meat sauce.

Fill the chilies with the mixture

For the Nogada sauce

  • 1/3 cup of peeled almonds soaked in water
  • 1 cup of cold water
  • 100g goat cheese or queso fresco
  • 3 cups of walnuts

Soak the almonds in cold water one or two nights before you want to make chiles en nogada and store them in the refrigerator.

Place all the ingredients in a bowl except the water, blend half the mixture and then the remainder so that the blender jug doesn’t overflow. Add water if needed. The sauce should not be runny.

To serve

Place the chilies on a large platter and partially cover them with the nogada sauce. Sprinkle them with two cups of pomegranate seeds.

Chef’s tip, how to skin the chilies

Sear the poblano chilies to soften them, turning them constantly to ensure they do not burn. Then place them in a plastic bag to sweat for about 15 minutes. This makes it much easier to remove the skin. Carefully make a slit in the chilies and remove the seeds. Set aside while you prepare the filling.

Enjoy this Mexican masterpiece!