This
is a world class dish and I think it rates a place right
up there with any of the classic dishes from anywhere
in the world. Here's how I describe it on the menu at
Felix'.......
" I think that this dish ranks with any of the
great dishes of the world. It is both beautiful to look
at and to taste. A true classic, this is an absolutely
wonderful dish from the city of Puebla where it is traditionally
served on St. Augustine's day (August 28). It is also
a popular dish throughout the country on September 15,
Independence day -- since the colors of the dish are those
of the Mexican flag, red, white and green. Poblano chiles
stuffed with minced pork, raisins, dried fruit, tomato,
onion, herbs and spices. It is served with a delicious
white walnut sauce and usually garnished with fresh pomegranate
seeds. This is a complicated dish to make with many layers
of flavor and is rarely found in restaurants."
When
you read the recipe it will sound a bit daunting.....
don't be afraid. It's really quite simple to make....
uh, well after the first time anyway. I avoided making
this dish for a long time because all the recipes were
evidently written by some jerk celebrity chef or another
and they made it sound so damn complicated I just didn't
want to get involved. They called for processors and ricers
and dicers and 3 beam balance gram scales and organically
grown cinnamon flown in from Sumatra and mortars and pestles.....
and - as usual - it was all bullshit! Hell I haven't even
owned a triple beam balance gram scale since the 60's
and I wasn't even a cook then. The measurements I give
are not exact and that's intentional. It doesn't matter.
We're not talkin' rocket science or neuro-surgery here,
we're talkin' cooking. It calls for Poblano chiles but
it is definitely not a spicy hot dish since Poblanos are
mild to begin with and we will be removing the seeds and
veins. This recipe should serve 4 people - 2 chiles apiece.
8 Poblano Chiles
Roasted and peeled with the stems left on. If you don't
know how to roast chile.... It's easy. Hold the chile
by the stem over an open flame, until it is black. The
skin will sizzle and pop, and when you are done burning
it, it will look like a mess. Wrap the burnt chile in
a dry cloth to cool. Once it is cool, the skin will come
off on your fingers. You might want to wash them under
cool water to remove bits of black stuff. You want to
slit the chiles from the top to the tip and remove the
seeds and veins.
a little Butter
or lard or rendered fat from the pork
2
lbs Cooked Pork
I generally use shoulder but you can use most anything
from left over pork chops to loin - as a matter of fact
the cheapest cuts are probably the most flavorful. I simmer
the pork for at least an hour - it should be falling apart.
1
small onion
chopped pretty fine
6 cloves of garlic
or 3 or 9... Hey, you know how much garlic you like -
chopped fine
10 (or so) whole cloves
Don't use ground cloves - it's just not the same. Smash
the cloves with the side of a knife or the bowl of a spoon
or something. You might want to toss the pointy ends of
the cloves because they will never soften up and will
be like little pieces of toothpicks in your chiles.
8(or
so) whole pepper corns
coarsely crushed
1/2
tsp cinnamon
raisins
You don't want to get a raisin in every bite - so go easy
- maybe about 40 should do it.
slivered
almonds
a couple of tablespoons should do
assorted
dried fruit
Don't use candied fruit - too sweet. Chop the fruit into
raisin sized pieces. I use whatever is available when
I'm in the market place. Apricots, peaches, apples, pineapple,
banana whatever you can find - mix it up. You'll want
about 4 heaping tablespoons.
tomatoes
The quality of tomatoes in the market these days is so
lousy that for the first time in my life I'm recommending
canned tomatoes. Put about six through the blender and
save the liquid from the can - we're gonna need it later.
pomegranate
seeds
If you can't find fresh pomegranates - don't even bother
making this dish. They are really important. Oh, the dish
will taste all right but it just won't be the same.
OKAY,
LET'S GO!
The secret to this one is preparation - like most everything
else in the world. If you have all your ingredients ready
at hand it gets real simple.
the
filling
Chop
the cooked pork really, really fine. Start it in a frying
pan with the butter (or lard) over medium heat. Add the
chopped onions and brown the whole mixture stirring occasionally.
Add the blended tomatoes and every thing else except the
pomegranate seeds. (The reason I like using crushed black
pepper and crushed cloves instead of the finely ground
powder is twofold. One - when you crush them yourself
the flavor is much stronger. The powdered loses its taste
rapidly on the shelf - in your home or in the store. The
second reason is that if you use the powdered every bite
tastes of clove and with the crushed you get a bite of
clove every once in a while. And you get a bite of raisin
- once in a while and a bite of almond and a bite of black
pepper and a bite of dried peach or apple or pineapple.
Every bite of this dish you should get a new taste. My
son describes it as "Tasting like Christmas"
every bite is like opening a new present. Anyway add some
of the liquid from the tomatoes and simmer it for a half
hour or so to let the raisins and dried fruit plump up
and for the cloves and peppercorns to soften. Let it cool.
As a matter of fact everything so far can be done way
in advance - even the day before.
the
sauce
The
sauce is a thick rich white sauce with a walnut base.
In Spanish walnuts are 'nogales' - hence the name 'Chiles
en Nogada'. The sauce is served at a warm room temperature.
Don't try to heat the sauce - it will thin way out and
(since there's a lot of sour cream in it) may even separate.
20 - 25 walnuts
broken up in pretty small pieces - your gonna soak them
in milk so if they're in big chunks it will take too much
milk to cover them. milk or cream - if you want it even
richer than itŐs gonna be - enough to cover the walnuts
white
bread 1 or 2 slices
crusts removed
1/4 lb cream cheese
1-1/2
cups sour cream
salt
to taste
cinnamon to taste
depending on how stale the cinnamon is somewhere around
a 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon.
okay,
let's make the sauce
All
the recipes I found told me to soak the walnuts in the
milk for at least 24 hours. I did - for a while - but
I don't any more. I can't taste any difference at all.
I just throw the walnuts and milk into the blender and
start it up. Add the white bread and the sour cream and
keep blending... it should be pretty runny. Start throwing
in little pieces of cream cheese with the blender going
on a low speed, until the sauce has thickened up to the
consistency of barely pourable mayonnaise. Toss in about
1/2 the cinnamon and taste it. It should taste of cinnamon,
but just barely, if it needs more - throw it in... If
you want to add salt now is the time to do it. The sauce
is done and you're almost a gourmet Mexican chef.
putting
it all together
The
dish is all done - we just have to assemble it and heat
it up. At the restaurant we put it together hot. Hot chiles
and hot filling and we burn our fingers and swear a lot.
You don't have to do this. You can use the filling and
chiles direct from the fridge. Just take a spoon and put
the mixture into the chiles - fill them pretty good and
pat them and caress them until they look real pretty.
Heat them up in a lidded pan with a little water or hell,
you could even do them in a microwave. Arrange two chiles
on a plate and put some sauce over them. I like to put
the sauce over the middle of the chiles leaving a little
bit of the stem end and the pointy end showing. If you
completely cover the chiles it will still taste great
but it will look like a pile of mashed potatoes in that
yucky country gravy your mom use to make out of canned
cream of mushroom soup - so let the beautiful green chiles
show. Sprinkle some pomegranate seeds over the top.....
brother, or sister - as the case may be - you have just
made an incredible dish.
