Chiles en Nogada

Chiles en nogada is Mexico's most patriotic dish, created in Puebla in 1821 to honour Agustín de Iturbide and the newly independent nation. The colours of the Mexican flag appear in the green roasted chile, the white walnut cream sauce, and the ruby pomegranate seeds scattered over the top. It is a feast of contrasts — warm spiced meat filling, cool creamy sauce, sweet fruit, and fresh herbs.

Serves: 6

Ingredients

Filling

• 6 large poblano chiles
• 500g (1 lb) ground pork (or a mix of pork and beef)
• 1 medium white onion, finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
• 75g (½ cup) raisins
• 75g (½ cup) blanched almonds, roughly chopped
• 1 peach, peeled and diced
• 1 pear, peeled and diced
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• ½ tsp ground cloves
• Salt and pepper
• 2 tbsp (30ml) vegetable oil

Nogada (Walnut Cream)

• 200g (7 oz) fresh walnuts, peeled (blanched to remove bitterness)
• 150g (5 oz) fresh goat cheese or cream cheese
• 180ml (¾ cup) crema or sour cream
• 2 tbsp (30ml) dry sherry
• Pinch of sugar and cinnamon
• Salt to taste

Garnish

• Seeds of 1 pomegranate
• Large handful flat-leaf parsley leaves

Instructions

1. Roast chiles: Char poblanos directly over a gas flame or under a broiler, turning, until blackened all over (8–10 minutes). Place in a plastic bag 10 minutes to steam, then peel, make a slit down one side, and remove seeds without tearing the chile.
2. Make filling: Heat oil in a large skillet. Sauté onion until soft (5 minutes), add garlic, cook 1 minute. Add pork; cook, breaking apart, until browned. Add tomatoes and spices; cook 5 minutes. Stir in raisins, almonds, peach, and pear; cook 3–4 more minutes. Season and cool.
3. Nogada: Blend walnuts, cheese, crema, sherry, sugar, cinnamon, and salt until very smooth and pourable. Add water a tablespoon at a time if too thick.
4. Stuff and serve: Fill each chile with the meat mixture. Arrange on a platter, spoon the cold nogada generously over the top, and scatter with pomegranate seeds and parsley leaves.
5. Serve at room temperature — the contrast of warm chile and cool sauce is intentional.

Cook's Notes: Fresh walnuts are essential — dried walnuts turn the sauce bitter. This dish is traditionally served at room temperature and should not be reheated once sauced.