Chiles en nogada (stuffed hot peppers with walnut sauce)

To me, this dish represents the best of Mexican cooking:it combines different flavors and textures, it's a very colorful (with the colors of the Mexican flag) and photgenic dish, and the taste is amazing.

Ingredients

8 poblano chiles

For the picadillo

3 tbsp lard

1 lb ground pork

1/2 medium onion, finely chopped

12 pepper corns

8 whole cloves

1/2" stick cinnamon (Mexican, if possible)

3 heaped tablespoonss raisins or dried black currants

2 tablespoons blanched and slivered almonds

2 heaped tablespoons acitrón, or candied fruit

2 heaped tablespoons dried apricots

2 teaspoons salt, or to taste

1 1/4 lb tomatoes, peeled and seeded

1 pear, diced

1 peach, diced

For the nogada

20 - 25 fresh walnuts, shelled

cold milk to cover

1 small piece of white bread, without crust

1/4 lb cotija cheese

1 1/2 cup of crème fraîche

For assembling the dish

pomegranate seeds

flat-leaved parsley

The night before, soak the walnuts in the milk, making sure they are covered. Place the walnuts and milk in the fridge overnight.

Melt the lard and sauté the onion and garlic over medium heat until they are soft. Add the meat and let it cook, stirring often, until the meat is half brown.

Crush the spices and add them to the meat, along with the fruits, dried/candied fruits and almonds and continue cooking and stirring until all the meat is brown. Set heat to medium high and add the diced tomatoes, cooking for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. The meat should be fairly dry. Set the meat aside to cool. Correct the salt.

Prepare the poblano chiles as per this method. Stuff each chile with some of the meat, until the chile regains its original shape.

To make the nogada, drain the walnuts. (Keep the milk in case you need to thin out the sauce.) Blend together the walnuts, bread, cheese and cream into a fairly smooth sauce, though it should still have some texture. Correct the salt.

To assmeble the dish, pour some sauce over each chile and sprinkle pomegranate seeds. Serve on a plate garnished with parsley. The stuffed chiles are served warm, with the sauce at room-temperature.

Notes

Poblano chiles are available in Kensignton market and usually at FreshCo. They appear infrequently in other supermarkets, like Loblaws and Longo's. I prefer to buy mine at FreshCo because they are fresher and more abundant. (I also have a FreshCo near my home.)

You can make the picadillo and nogada in advanced and keep them in the fridge. You can stuff the peppers ahead of time (the same day), but the longer you keep the chiles, the more they will seep their juices. Add the sauce to the chiles just before serving.

The quantities are just guidelines. What you are looking for is a balance between the meat, fruits, nuts and spices.

Acitrón is candied biznaga, a type of cactus. I've only been able to get acitrón in Toronto only once. Any other candied fruit that is not too sweet can be substituted for the acitrón. (I don't find candied pineapple works.)

You can get cotija cheese at La Tortillería. You can also substitute it with milk feta, or even panela or fresh cheese. If you use the latter, then you will have to add some more salt, to taste.