INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

This is one of the famous dishes of Mexico: large, dark green chiles
poblanos stuffed with a pork meat picadillo and covered with a walnut
sauce. It is decorated with red pomegranate seeds and the large-leafed
Italian parsley.  The recipe is said to have been concocted by the
grateful people of  Puebla, who were giving a banquet in honor of Don
Agustin de  Iturbide's Saint's day, August 28 in 1821. He and his
followers had  led he final revolt against Spanish domination; as
self-proclaimed  emperor he had just signed the Treaty of Cordoba. All
the dishes at  the banquet were concocted of ingredients of the colors
of the  Mexican flag; in this dish were the green chiles, the white
sauce,  and the red pomegranate seeds.  It is almost worth a special
journey to Mexico City or, better still,  to Puebla toward the end of
August. By then it is well on in the  rainy season, and the fresh crop
of walnuts will have been gathered.  The peasants come in from the
country with them, and you can see them  sitting on the sidewalks at
every street corner selling little piles  of a dozen walnuts. Sometimes
they are crammed into small paper bags,  but the top one will always be
cracked open so that you can see its  quality. The flesh is tender,
almost milky, with a very delicate  flavor, and the papery skin around
it can be peeled off easily.  Practically every restaurant will have
chiles en nogado on the menu,  and no family fiesta will be complete
without them during their short  season.  You really have to use chiles
poblanos for this dish. Bell peppers or  the canned, peeled green
chiles are no substitutes. The walnuts  should be very fresh, but in a
pinch you could use the commercially  packed walnuts, which soften and
swell when soaked in water overnight.  One of the points most
vehemently discussed among Mexican cooks is  whether the chiles for
this dish should be capeados (covered with  beaten egg and fried) or
not. I agree with those who say no; I think  the rich sauce and batter
together is too much. They are served warm  with the cold sauce poured
over them at the last moment. But if you  personally prefer them
capeados, then do it that way.  Many people like a slightly sweet
sauce, while others prefer it a  little salty--it is entirely a matter
of taste. If you prefer sweet,  substitute 1 1/2 tablespoons of sugar
for the 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Prepare the picadillo:  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 to 45  minutes. Do not
overcook. Leave the meat to cool off in the broth.  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.  Melt the lard and cook the onion and garlic, without browning,
until  they are soft.  Add the meat and let it ook until it begins to
brown. continued in  part 2

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Nutrition (calculated from recipe ingredients)
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Calories: 1411
Calories From Fat: 1032
Total Fat: 114.9g
Cholesterol: 188.7mg
Sodium: 4460.9mg
Potassium: 1662.1mg
Carbohydrates: 60.8g
Fiber: 12.6g
Sugar: 38.6g
Protein: 39.6g