Chiles en nogada... Jaime

Chiles en nogada, this is a traditional dish eaten mainly in the center of the country, it is a difficult dish to prepare.

It has to be prepared by parts, first the filling (picadillo) , then the chilies, then the nogada (walnut sauce). And finally put all them together, and ready to enjoy it.

It is really complicated to elaborate, but the final product is really good.

INGREDIENTS

The Picadillo:

• 2 lbs of boneless pork
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled
• 1 Tbsp salt, or to taste
• 6 Tbsp of lard or the fat from the broth
• 1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
• The cooked meat (about 3 cups - note if you use more than 3 cups, you will need to increase the amounts of the other ingredients)
• A molcajete (mortar and pestle)
• 8 peppercorns
• 5 whole cloves
• 1/2 inch stick cinnamon
• 3 heaping Tbsp of raisins
• 2 Tbsp blanched and slivered almonds
• 2 heaping Tbsp acitron or candied fruit, chopped
• 2 tsp salt, or to taste
• 1 1/2 pounds of tomatoes, peeled and seeded
• 1 pear, cored, peeled and chopped
• 1 peach, pitted, peeled and chopped

METHOD

1 Cut the meat into large cubes. Put them into the pan with the onion, garlic, and salt and cover with cold water. Bring the meat to a boil, lower the flame and let it simmer until just tender - about 40-45 minutes. Do not over cook. Leave the meat to cool off in the broth.

2 Strain the meat, reserving the broth, then shred or chop it finely and set it aside. Let the broth get completely cold and skim off the fat. Reserve the fat.

3 Melt the lard and cook the onion and garlic, without browning, until they are soft.

4 Add the meat and let it cook until it begins to brown.

5 Crush the spices roughly in the molcajete and add them, with the rest of the ingredients to the meat mixture. (If you don't have a molcajete, you can use the blunt end of a pestle to crush the spices in a bowl.) Cook the mixture a few moments longer.

6 Add chopped peach and pear to the mixture.

The Chilies:

• 6 poblano chiles

7 Put the poblano chiles straight into a fairly high flame or under a broiler and let the skin blister and burn. Turn the chiles from time to time so they do not get overcooked or burn right through.

8 Wrap the chiles in a damp cloth or plastic bag and leave them for about 20 minutes. The burned skin will then flake off very easily and the flesh will become a little more cooked in the steam. Make a slit in the side of each chili and carefully remove the seeds and veins. Be careful to leave the top of the chili, the part around the base of the stem, intact. (If the chilies are too hot - picante, let them soak in a mild vinegar and water solution for about 30 minutes.) Rinse the chilies and pat them dry.

9 Stuff the chilies with the picadillo until they are well filled out. Set them aside on paper towels.

The Nogada (walnut sauce)
The day before:

• 20 to 25 fresh walnuts, shelled
• cold milk

10 Remove the thin papery skin from the nuts. Completely cover the walnuts with cold milk and leave them to soak overnight.

On serving day:

• The soaked and drained nuts
• 1 small piece white bread without crust
• 1/4 lb queso fresco
• 1 1/2 cups thick sour creme (or creme fraiche)
• 1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
• Large pinch of cinnamon

11 Blend all of the ingredients in a blender until they are smooth.

To Serve
To assemble the dish, cover the chilies in the nogada sauce and sprinkle with fresh parsley leaves and pomegranate seeds.

ENJOY IT...