Gina’s Chiles en Nogada

I came home from Puebla a changed woman. Or at least a woman who now owns significantly more pomegranates than she did before. Chiles en Nogada is one of those dishes that sounds complicated on paper but is really just a series of good decisions stacked on top of each other — roast the chiles, build the picadillo low and slow with fruit and warm spices, blend the nogada smooth and cool, then put it all together and try not to eat it standing over the counter before it makes it to the table. I say “try” because results may vary.

A few notes before we start: the picadillo’s mix of sweet and savory is not a mistake, it is the whole point — lean into the fruit and spices. The nogada sauce should be made with the freshest walnuts you can find; if they’re bitter, blanch and peel them. This dish is traditionally made in late summer when pomegranates and fresh walnuts are both in season, and if you can time it that way, please do. But honestly? I’ve made it in January with what I could find and it was still the best thing on the table. No courtyard required.

Chiles en Nogada — Puebla's Most Gorgeous Dish, In Your Kitchen

Roasted poblano chiles stuffed with a sweet-and-savory picadillo, draped in cool walnut cream sauce, and finished with pomegranate seeds and fresh parsley. Yes, it's as stunning as it sounds.

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Prep Time 40 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Servings: 4 stuffed chiles

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 4 large poblano chiles fresh, firm, and evenly shaped
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil for roasting chiles
• 8 oz ground pork
• 8 oz ground beef
• 1 medium white onion finely diced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 2 medium Roma tomatoes peeled and finely chopped
• 1 medium ripe peach peeled, pitted, and finely diced
• 1 medium ripe pear peeled, cored, and finely diced
• ¼ cup raisins
• ¼ cup blanched almonds roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt plus more to taste
• 1 cup fresh walnut halves blanched and peeled for mild flavor
• 4 oz queso fresco or fresh goat cheese crumbled
• ½ cup Mexican crema or sour cream
• 2 tablespoons dry sherry or white wine
• 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
• ¼ teaspoon salt for the nogada
• ½ cup pomegranate seeds from about 1 pomegranate
• ¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves roughly chopped

Method

 

1. Roast the poblano chiles directly over a gas flame or under a broiler, turning occasionally, until the skins are charred and blistered all over, about 8 to 10 minutes. Place the charred chiles in a bowl, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and let them steam for 10 minutes — this loosens the skins.
2. Carefully peel the charred skin off each chile. Using a small knife, cut a lengthwise slit down one side of each chile, leaving the stem intact. Gently remove the seeds and membranes from inside without tearing the chile. Set aside.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the diced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
4. Add the ground pork and ground beef to the skillet. Break up the meat with a wooden spoon and cook over medium-high heat until browned and cooked through, about 8 minutes. Drain off any excess fat.
5. Reduce heat to medium. Stir in the chopped tomatoes, peach, pear, raisins, almonds, pine nuts, cinnamon, cloves, cumin, black pepper, and salt. Stir well to combine and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the fruit has softened and the mixture is fragrant and slightly thickened but not dry. Taste and adjust salt. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
6. While the picadillo cools, make the nogada. If your walnut halves taste bitter, blanch them in boiling water for 2 minutes, drain, and rub off as much of the papery inner skin as you can — this greatly mellows the flavor. Place the walnuts, queso fresco, crema, dry sherry, sugar, and salt in a blender. Blend until completely smooth and creamy. The sauce should be pourable but thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
7. Gently stuff each poblano chile with the warm picadillo mixture, packing it in carefully and pressing the slit closed. The chile doesn't need to be sealed; a little filling peeking out is perfectly rustic and fine.
8. Place the stuffed chiles on a serving platter. Spoon the cold nogada sauce generously over each chile, letting it drape down the sides.
9. Scatter the pomegranate seeds evenly over the sauced chiles, then finish with a generous handful of fresh flat-leaf parsley. Serve immediately.

Notes

Chiles en Nogada is traditionally served at room temperature — the warm stuffed chile against the cool nogada sauce is intentional and beautiful. Don't heat the finished dish after saucing. If making ahead, stuff the chiles and refrigerate them separately from the nogada, then sauce and garnish just before serving.

Serve it immediately after saucing — the nogada is best cool and fresh — and don’t you dare skimp on those pomegranate seeds. Brad took one look at mine and said it was “almost too pretty to eat.” Almost. He ate two. If you’re building out a whole Puebla-inspired spread, this pairs beautifully with a plate of Gina’s Cacio e Pepe for something lighter on the side.

Read the full story of how Gina found this dish in Mexico on Gina’s Passport to Flavor.