{"id":4377,"date":"2009-09-11T14:10:03","date_gmt":"2009-09-11T14:10:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dev.patismexicantable.com\/2009\/09\/chiles_en_nogada_at_last\/"},"modified":"2021-03-19T17:13:12","modified_gmt":"2021-03-19T21:13:12","slug":"chiles_en_nogada_at_last","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/patijinich.com\/pati_2020\/chiles_en_nogada_at_last\/","title":{"rendered":"OK… Chiles en Nogada, at last!"},"content":{"rendered":"

During the years I’ve been teaching at the Mexican Cultural Institute I’ve been hesitant to demonstrate and serve Chiles en Nogada. There are many reasons…<\/p>\n

First, one of my goals has been to open a window into the world of Mexican cooking in an accessible way. I’ve introduced basic ingredients and dishes along with bits of their history, fun facts, cooking methods and new spins, so people can become familiar with this cuisine and feel empowered to play with its basics in their own kitchens.<\/p>\n

No sense in teaching how to make something incredibly complex with tons of new ingredients, which can be quite overwhelming, right?<\/p>\n

Chiles in Nogada are laborious. They use many ingredients, such as\u00a0Poblano chiles,<\/a> plantains<\/a>, piloncillo<\/a> and acitr\u00f3n<\/a>, that\u00a0require a proper introduction by themselves or in a simpler dish.<\/p>\n

\"piloncillo
Piloncillo in a disk, a cone and shredded. Also called panela, can be substituted with dark brown sugar.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Also, Chiles in Nogada look strange. If\u00a0you are not familiar with them, you see a large green\u00a0chile overstuffed with an odd looking filling, covered in a pale looking sauce and pomegranate seeds on top. What’s more, they are served lukewarm, which is unexpected.<\/p>\n

Let\u00a0me add more. Since they are so rich and complex, they are typically served on their own. They\u00a0don’t like the company of much more than white rice or a freshly favored water….<\/p>\n

All this said… I am making them for my next class!! Let me tell you how this came to be.<\/p>\n

To start with, the topic is Celebrating Independence Day with Frida Kahlo and\u00a0Diego Rivera.<\/p>\n

Chiles in Nogada are the quintessential dish eaten throughout the country on this day, and for the whole month of\u00a0September. It is is a symbol, although there are many versions for how they came to be\u00a0 (ladies in\u00a0waiting celebrating a military victory, young nuns welcoming a\u00a0famous presidents, and a people’s way of\u00a0celebrating the seasons’ bounty) they\u00a0all agree it was created with the colors of the Mexican flag in mind:\u00a0green chile, white walnut sauce and red pomegranate.<\/p>\n

Other years, I had gotten away with making other dishes prepared for this holiday that aren’t so labor intensive and just as good. However, the second part of the topic made it harder. Frida and Diego, one of Mexico’s most iconic figures who embody Mexicanidad<\/i> and they ate Chiles\u00a0in Nogada during this holiday. And believe me, I thoroughly researched, trying to find other things they also ate then!!<\/p>\n

\"chiles
Moist filling of meat seasoned with garlic, onion, tomatoes, fruits, nuts, olives and spices…<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The last straw came when Humberto (coordinator at the Institute) sent me the proof for the invite for the classes. The cover? Chiles en Nogada. I wasn’t going to change something that had hours of work involved already. And yes, Chiles en Nogada are such a staple. And…OK! If they are in the cover, I have to make them.<\/p>\n

So with the fear of not wanting to scare away our guests with such complex dish on the back of my mind, I set on a quest to find the most delicious recipe. Remembering how every year I, along with millions of Mexicans and Mexican food aficionados, await for September to be able to eat this deliciously extravagant dish, I had to find the best version to share.<\/p>\n

I began by making\u00a0the version I grew up eating made by my nana, who gave me detailed instructions over the phone. Then I tried my mothers’ sophisticated take. Then I compared the two, and even mixed things of one into the other (oh\u00a0sacrilege! the eternal culinary competition of my memories). Then I made Guadalupe Rivera’s version (Diego Rivera’s daughter), followed by Diana Kennedy’s… and any other I could find. Misery! I could not get the exquisite result I remembered savoring time and again.<\/p>\n

Frustrated, as she saw me, Alejandra de la Paz (Director of the Mexican Cultural Institute) contacted Don Luis Bello Morin, director at the Restaurant of Palacio Nacional de las Bellas Artes in Mexico City. It took no more than a couple hours for him to respond with a recipe which included possible substitutions for hard to find ingredients and a detailed guide to make them. His instructions were so precise, that it was like having a co-pilot throughout the ride: he described the minutes, the smells, the sounds and textures to be found through his tested road to make the best ever Chiles en Nogada I have ever tried.<\/p>\n

Not only was he so generous to share his recipe, but the results went beyond my expectations.\u00a0 Since he loves to share recipes so that dishes such as this will not be lost, here is his adapted recipe (since the one he sent is for an industrial quantity). Thank you Don Luis!<\/p>\n

As for my hesitations: I can’t wait to share this recipe and all the stories I’ve gathered for next class. In hindsight, I have been so pleasantly surprised with the eagerness of participants to eat and cook many more things than I would have expected. Of course, Chiles en Nogada are at the end of labor intensive spectrum, but they are so worth it.<\/p>\n

Now, if you feel like making this recipe, let me know how it turned out. If you don’t and really want to try it, come to my next class!

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Chiles en Nogada<\/h2>\n
Recipe adapted from Don Luis Bello Morin<\/span><\/div><\/div>\n <\/div>\n
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