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Fernando Ruiz

Chiles en nogada
S19E9 American · 2019
Where to find them
● @chef_fernandoruiz77

Chiles en nogada is the Mexican national dish — poblano peppers stuffed with picadillo (ground meat braised with fruit and warm spices), draped in a walnut cream sauce, and showered with pomegranate seeds. The three colors of the Mexican flag on one plate. It is not a casual choice.

Fernando Ruiz, who runs Escondido in Santa Fe, brought it to Bobby's kitchen in 2019. The picadillo is the recipe: ground pork and beef braised with golden raisins, candied citron, pear, plantain, almonds, and a whisper of cinnamon and clove. The nogada is the technique: walnuts peeled — every brown skin removed by hand so the sauce stays white — then blended with crema, queso fresco, sherry, and a pinch of sugar.

Bobby skipped the peeling. The sauce came out gray. The dish failed on color before it failed on flavor.

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Chiles en nogada

30 min Prep
40 min Cook
4 Serves
Ingredients
  • 4 poblano peppers, whole and unpeeled
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1/2 lb ground pork
  • 1 medium white onion, finely diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted
  • 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1/2 cup Mexican crema or sour cream
  • 1/2 cup queso fresco, crumbled
  • 2 oz raw walnuts, ground fine
  • 2 garlic cloves for walnut sauce
  • Salt and white pepper to taste
  • 2 tbsp pomegranate seeds for garnish
  • Fresh mint leaves for garnish
Instructions
  1. Char poblano peppers directly over a gas flame or under a broiler at 500°F until blackened on all sides, about 8-10 minutes total. Place in a plastic bag for 5 minutes to steam. Peel away skin gently under cool running water, keeping pepper intact. Make a careful slit and remove seeds and veins.
  2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown ground beef and pork together, breaking into small pieces, 6-8 minutes. Add diced onion and minced garlic, cook 3 minutes until fragrant. Season with cumin, cinnamon, salt, and white pepper.
  3. Fold raisins, toasted almonds, and fresh cilantro into the meat mixture. Cook 2 minutes more. Transfer filling to a bowl and let cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes.
  4. Stuff each poblano pepper with 2-3 tablespoons of filling, gently inserting through the slit. Arrange stuffed peppers on a serving platter.
  5. Prepare walnut sauce: Blend ground walnuts, 2 minced garlic cloves, heavy cream, Mexican crema, and 1/4 cup water in a blender until smooth and pourable, 90 seconds. Season with salt and white pepper to taste. Sauce should be creamy gray-white.
  6. Pour walnut sauce generously over each stuffed pepper, covering completely. Sprinkle queso fresco evenly over the sauce.
  7. Garnish with pomegranate seeds in a decorative line down the center and small mint leaves. Serve at room temperature or slightly warm within 30 minutes of assembly for optimal texture and flavor.
Inspired by Fernando Ruiz’s winning chiles en nogada. This is a plausible recreation, not the chef’s original recipe.
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