Chiles en nogada

I used to be scared of chiles en nogada. Not to eat them—heck, I’d devour this dish anytime it was on offer. But making chiles en nogada seemed like a very frightening proposition. I’d read stories about people spending days soaking the fruit for the piccadillo filling. I’d hear tales about how difficult it was to peel the walnuts for the sauce. And I’d see people argue about how one’s interpretation of chiles en nogada wasn’t nearly as authentic as another’s version of the dish. It was enough to put me off from ever making it.

If you’re not familiar with chiles en nogada, it’s a Mexican dish traditionally served in late August and early September that’s said to have been created by Pueblan nuns back in the 1820s. The dish is comprised of a poblano chile that's stuffed with a sweet and savory pork picadillo that’s studded with nuts, in-season fruits and dried fruits as well. And then the filled chile pepper is draped in an elegant walnut-cream sauce and garnished with pomegranate seeds that sparkle like rubies.

Because of the dish’s seasonality, gorgeous presentation and its Mexican-flag color scheme of red, green and white, it’s the traditional dish served on Mexico’s Independence Day, September 16 or as its known in Spanish, Diez y Seis de Septiembre. And this year’s celebration marks Mexico’s bicentennial, which means it’s a very big day.



Even though Texas successfully fought for its own independence from Mexico, we were once a part of this splendid country and so I definitely plan on celebrating this momentous holiday. And, well, because a bicentennial is quite an anniversary, I decided it was time to take a stab at Mexico’s national dish.
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