← Nouns Cooking · Mexican

Ingredients

• 6 large poblano chillies
• 2 tbsp Vegetable oil
• 1 white onion, finely chopped
• 2 cloves Garlic, chopped
• 300 g Minced beef
• 300 g Minced pork
• 2 Tomato, finely chopped
• 1 Apple, peeled and diced
• 1 Pear, peeled and diced
• 50 g Raisins
• 50 g Almonds, blanched and chopped
• ½ tsp Cinnamon
• 1 tbsp Brown sugar
• 1 tsp salt, plus more to taste
• 120 g walnut halves
• 120 ml Milk
• 200 ml Mexican crema or crème fraîche
• 60 g queso fresco or mild fresh goat’s cheese
• 1 tbsp Sugar
• 1 pinch Cinnamon
• 1 Pomegranate, seeds only
• 1 handful flat-leaf parsley leaves

Method

1. Soak the walnuts in the milk for at least 30 min. If you have time, rub off as much of the papery skin as you can; it makes the sauce whiter and less bitter.
2. Char the poblanos over a gas flame or under a very hot grill, turning, for 8–10 min until blistered and blackened all over. Seal them in a bowl under a plate for 10 min, then peel off the skins, slit each one lengthways and carefully pull out the seeds, keeping the stem on.
3. For the filling, heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat and cook the onion for 5 min until soft. Add the garlic, then both minces, and fry for 8–10 min, breaking them up, until browned.
4. Stir in the tomato, apple, pear, raisins, almonds, cinnamon, brown sugar and salt. Cook for 10–12 min, until the fruit is tender and the mixture is moist but not wet. Taste: it should be gently sweet and savoury.
5. Blend the walnuts and their milk with the crema, cheese, sugar and cinnamon until very smooth and pourable, about as thick as double cream. Add a splash more milk if needed and a pinch of salt.
6. Stuff each chilli generously with the warm filling so it closes back over the top. Lay on plates, spoon the cool walnut sauce over to cover, and scatter with pomegranate seeds and parsley.

Tips

• Contains walnuts and almonds (tree nuts).
• It is traditionally served at room temperature; for the classic capeado version, dust the stuffed chillies in flour, dip in whisked egg and shallow-fry before saucing.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Mexican Food Journal ¡Hola! Jalapeño Rick Bayless