Chiles en Nogada

I have not fine-tuned this recipe yet, but if you're adventurous in the kitchen, go for it. This version of stuffed chiles is native to the Puebla/Mexico City area and is really delicious. It's supposed to represent the Mexican flag with the 3 colors: Green, Red and White. It's so unlike the Tex-Mex chiles rellenos that come bathed in green chile and drenched in melted cheese.

Serves 4

4 large poblano chilies, roasted*

3/4 of an onion, chopped (save the stem end of the onion)

1 lb ground beef (use a fattier style, not ground round, you need the fat to cook the onion)

About 1/2 tsp cinnamon

Salt

Pepper

About 1/2 cup mixed dried fruit , chopped. Actually, try a little less. (apricots, prunes, apples, etc.)

1/4 cup pine nuts

2 tb butter

2 Tb flour

1 cup milk

2 cloves

1 bay leaf

About 1/2 cup ground blanched almonds (grind in food processor or mortar and pestle, once I used just the fine stuff and the next time I also used the larger pieces.) - This dish is traditionally made with walnuts, but I used almonds because they are already skinned (less bitter) and I like them.

1 pomegranate - scoop seeds out and toss the skin

Saute beef and onion together until almost done. Add cinnamon and season with salt and pepper to taste. Put in mixing bowl.

Chop mixed fruit and add to meat. Add pine nuts. Taste and be sure you have enough salt since it really brings out the flavors.

Make white sauce: Melt butter. Add 2 Tb flour and cook for about 3 minutes on lower heat. Slowly add milk (it will lump). Stir till smooth. Stick the 2 cloves into the onion (close to the cut end) and put cut end down into pan with sauce. Add bay leaf. Cook until thickened. When done, take out onion (find cloves if they fell out). Add ground almonds and stir in.

Oil a baking pan. Slice down the length of the chiles, trying not to open them up so much that they lose their cavity. Pull out some seads with your fingers, but don't try so hard as to break the chile open too much. Set the chiles in the baking pan.

Fill chilies with meat, letting the meat mound - you won't be able to close them, but that's OK. Top them with the sauce. Bake at about 425° for about 15-20 minutes. Broil for a moment to brown the top if necessary, but be careful, they burn quickly. Plate and garnish with pomegranate seeds.

*Broil poblanos until blackened and blistered all over, turning over and over. Leave them to steam in a small paper bag for about 1 hour and will be super easy to peel (peel beside running water, rinsing skin off your hands as you go, but don't put chile under water).

NOTE: Wow - This version was good! And, a bit easier:

In a heavy oven-proof skillet, brown the ground beef (the cheap fattier kind - I bought from Avanza). Remove the cooked meat to a mixing bowl (leaving the fat and juices in the skillet). Add a generous amount of good cinnamon, plenty of salt and some pepper to the meat.

In same skillet, saute about 1/4 red onion, diced small, along with about 2-3 TB dried blueberries and 3-4 chopped dried apricots. (Initially I only did this because the fruits were old and dried out, but it worked wonderfully to saute them.) Add this to the meat in the bowl. I sauteed until the onions were cooked and the fruits softened a bit.

Put the chilis into the same skillet (no need to clean skillet). Stuff them with the meat mixture.

Cover with the sauce, and bake, in the skillet, at 350° until heated through. Broil to brown the sauce, but watch them carefully since they burn quickly.

I didn't have pomogranate seeds, and it was just as delicious without.