Chiles en Nogada

Servings: 6 to 8 peppers

The name comes from the Spanish word for the Walnut tree - Nogal

This dish traditionally is served at room temperature with cold cream walnut sauce, a “sweet spicy” pepper filled with meat, fruit, nuts, simply a delicious dish that is hard to find in restaurants due to the time it takes to prepare and the wide selection of ingredients, but if you like to venture into making this dish at home, you will fall in love and you will agree with me that it is worth all the time and effort invested to make these amazing Mexican stuffed peppers.

Ingredients:

Fruit Stuffing

1 pound ground pork shoulder

1 pound of ground beef

4 large garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped

1 small white onion, diced

1 ½ cup of tomato sauce

3 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 generous tablespoons raisins

2 generous tablespoons dried mango

1 cup of candied Biznaga cactus or Citron, cut into 1/4inch dice

1 small pear, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4inch dice

1 small Jonathan or McIntosh apple, peeled, cored and cut into 1/4 inch dice

2 medium fresh peaches (or extra pears or apples), peeled, pitted and cut into 1/4inch dice 1 ripe, medium small tomato, seeded and roughly chopped

1 teaspoon dried marjoram

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, preferable freshly ground Mexican canela

Salt, about 1 generous teaspoon

1/3 cup (about 1 3/4 ounces) slivered blanched almonds

1 ripe, medium size plantain, peeled and cut into 1/4inch dice

Walnut Sauce

1½ cup of walnuts

1 to 1 1/2 cups milk

1 slice firm white bread, crusts re