A Holiday Delicacy

My favorite Mexican dish is "chiles en nogada".  I have written about it frequently on this blog because I usually order it at least once each time I travel to Mexico.  But if you have not read my description of this culinary masterpiece, I will describe it again.  A mild "poblano" pepper is stuffed with a filling of meat and fruit, covered with a walnut cream sauce, and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds.  Because the dish has the colors of the Mexican flag (the green "poblano" pepper, the white walnut sauce and the red pomegranate seeds), it is the traditional dish for Mexico's Independence Day.  

The legend, which is disputed by some historians, is that the nuns of a convent in Puebla invented the dish to honor General Agustín Iturbide who led the final phase of Mexico's long war for independence from Spain.  He passed through Puebla after signing the Treaty of Córdoba, the treaty in which Spain recognized Mexico's freedom.  Iturbide's banner, "The Flag of the Three Guarantees", with green representing union, white representing religion, and red for independence, was to become the basis for the Mexican flag.  

Because late summer is the season when pomegranates appear in the markets and walnuts are harvested, "chiles en nogada" are generally served in August and September.  Restaurants throughout the country advertise that it is the season for this delicacy.  Fortunately for me, there are a few restaurants, such as my favorite, "Angelopolitano", which serve the dish all year long.  I am able to enjoy it whenever I come to Mexico.

The reason that I am writing about this scrumptious dish again is that Alejandro and his family marked Independence Day with "chiles en nogada" for dinner yesterday.  The recipe is very complicated and time consuming, but one of Alejandro's former students prepares and sells the dish during this season.  He ordered eight "chiles", and drove to his student's house to pick them up.

He said that they were good, but not the best that he has had.

Just looking at the photo that Alejandro sent me, I can tell that it is not as good as what is served at "Angelopolitano".  Nevertheless, I was jealous that I was not there to partake with the family.  Someday, I will be able to return to Mexico and indulge my craving for "chiles en nogada"!