Chiles en Nogada on the Menu in September
Chiles en Nogada are a traditional Mexican dish.stuffed with a unique picadillo made from candied or dried fruits and chopped or ground meat (typically beef and pork), which are then covered in a walnut-cream sauce (nogada), sprinkled with pomegranate seeds, and garnished with fresh parsley. Savory, sweet, spicy, soft and crunchy, it is muy delicioso.
“Part Spanish and part indigenous, the plate is an allegory of the complexity of the Mexican people,” stated Eater Chicago, a Midwest foodie website. “Its emblematic colors and the myths woven around its birth have made Chiles en Nogada an icon of patriotic pride.”
The picadillo (from the Spanish word for “mince”) usually contains panochera apple (manzana panochera), sweet-milk pear (pera de leche) and criollo peach (durazno criollo). The cream sauce typically has milk, double cream, fresh cheese, sherry and walnuts. The walnuts give the nogada sauce its name, nogal being Spanish for "walnut tree." In some cases, pecans may be substituted for the walnuts.
Originated in Puebla, this time-honored dish is made throughout Mexico in August and the first half of September, when pomegranates are in season. The colors of the dish—green (parsley), white (walnut cream sauce) and red (pomegranate seeds)—are the colors of the Mexican flag, a fact worth remembering on Mexican Independence Day, September 16.
Among the restaurants within Quivira Los Cabos serving their versions of Chiles en Nogada in September are: Cibola at Montecristo Estates Luxury Villas; and Siempre at Pueblo Bonito Pacifica Golf & Spa Resort. In addition, Las Palomas at Pueblo Bonito Los Cabos (Blanco), which offers indoor and outdoor seating with spectacular ocean views, will also serve this classic (and patriotic) dish in September.
For a truly unique version of Chiles en Nogada, make reservations at LaFrida, the acclaimed gourmet Mexican restaurant at Pueblo Bonito Sunset Beach Golf & Spa Resort, which has scaled the heights of culinary excellence under the guidance of executive chef Anaisa Guevara. Recently selected as a member of the VI generation of “Best New Chefs in Mexico 2024” by Food & Wine magazine (Spanish version), Guevara will put her own special spin on a dish that has tantalizing taste buds for 200 years, including Chiles en Nogada with lobster.