Peppers are a holiday favorite

This week I want to share a very traditional holiday recipe that rarely you find on menus in the US that is called chiles en nogada – minced meat filled peppers topped with a walnut cream and pomegranate. There are many variations for this recipe, but this is my favorite way to make them.

CHILES EN NOGADA

For this recipe you will need:

12 poblano peppers roasted and peeled

For the filling:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 cup chopped onion

1 lb. ground pork

1 lb. ground beef sirloin

1 cup chopped apples

1 cup peeled and chopped pears

1/2 cup sliced almonds

1/2 cup sliced pine nuts

Pinch thyme

1/2 teaspoon oregano

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground clove

For the sauce:

4 cups peeled walnuts

1-1/2 cups milk

2 tablespoons sherry wine

1 tablespoon flour

Salt and pepper to taste

For the batter:

8 egg whites

8 egg yolks

1 tablespoon flour

Pinch salt

For garnishing:

Half cup chopped parsley

1 cup pomegranate seeds

Procedure

Start by cooking all of the filling ingredients on a large pan on medium heat. Once the meat is cooked, add salt and pepper to taste and set aside to cool down to room temperature. Once cool, simply get a large spoonful and fill each one of the peppers, making sure they are full but not overflowing.

Meanwhile, whisk the egg whites until they become a thick meringue kind of thickness. Add the egg yolks one at a time while continuing to whisk. Add the flour and a pinch of salt and set aside just for one minute. 

At this point, get about one inch of oil on a large pan on medium heat and let it get to about 325 degrees while the oil heats up. Toss each one of the peppers with flour on all sides so the egg batter sticks to it. Once the peppers are floured, dip one at the time in the batter and immediately in the oil. Fry them until golden on both sides and set aside on a towel so it absorbs the extra oil.

While the peppers rest and drain the extra oil, add the sauce ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth. Add to a pan and bring to a boil, turn the heat to low and let it cook for about three minutes.

At this point, add the peppers to a serving platter, add the sauce on top of them, the chopped parsley and the pomegranate seeds. Serve while still hot and enjoy.

Antonio Villagomez is head chef and owner of Cilantro’s restaurant and catering in Yuba City, Calif. Contact him at 530-844-2111. His website is cilantros.us.