Chiles en Nogada — Print Recipe

A patriotic Mexican dish of poblano chiles stuffed with picadillo of ground beef, fruits, and spices, topped with a creamy walnut sauce and pomegranate seeds.

Ingredients

6 large poblano chiles
1 lb ground beef
1 cup walnuts, soaked and peeled
1 cup pomegranate seeds
1 apple, diced
1 pear, diced
1 peach, diced
1/2 cup raisins
1 cup cream cheese
1/2 cup milk
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp cinnamon
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh parsley for garnish

Instructions

1 Roast the poblano chiles directly over a gas flame or under a broiler until the skin is charred and blistered on all sides, then place them in a plastic bag to steam for 10 minutes.
2 Peel the charred skin from the chiles, make a small lengthwise slit in each one, and carefully remove the seeds and membranes while keeping the chile intact.
3 Cook the ground beef with onion and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat, then add the diced apple, pear, peach, raisins, cinnamon, salt, and pepper, simmering for 15 minutes.
4 Stuff each peeled poblano chile generously with the beef and fruit picadillo mixture, pressing gently to fill without tearing the chile.
5 Blend the soaked walnuts with cream cheese and milk until you have a smooth, creamy white sauce (nogada), adding salt to taste.
6 Arrange the stuffed chiles on a serving platter, drizzle the walnut cream sauce generously over each one, and scatter pomegranate seeds and parsley on top to represent the Mexican flag colors.

Did You Know?

Chiles en Nogada were created by Augustinian nuns in Puebla in 1821 to celebrate Mexican independence, with the green chile, white walnut sauce, and red pomegranate representing the Mexican flag.