It's that time of year when restaurants throughout the city are serving my favorite Mexican dish, "chile en nogada", a poblano pepper stuffed with meat, fruit and nuts, covered with a cream walnut sauce, and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds. The dish is traditional for Mexican Independence Day (September 16th) because its colors are the colors of the Mexican flag. Most restaurants only serve it in August and September (with some extending the season into October). Our favorite restaurant, Angelopolitano, serves it all year round, although now they are now having a "chile en nogada" festival featuring variations on the traditional recipe.
I couldn't let this time of year go by without having my favorite dish at least once. So, on Sunday, after we saw the "Cows on Parade" along Reforma, I suggested that we walk to Angelopolitano.
We obviously were not the only ones eager to savor their wonderful "chiles en nogada". This was the first time that we had to wait for a table. It was about twenty minutes before we were seated. While we were waiting, the chef and owner of the restaurant, Gerardo Quezadas, passed us and greeted us. We have been going there since the restaurant opened in 2013, and Chef Gerardo always stops and chats with us when he sees us.
We usually order soup as a starter, but their "mole poblano" is so good, we decided to begin with the rice with "mole" for a change.
And then came the main event... the beautiful and delicious "chile en nogada". We order the traditional version of the recipe. I have brought numerous friends and relatives here, and all of them have been impressed with this dish which is so unlike the image most "gringos" have of Mexican food.
There is a reason why Mexican cuisine (real Mexican cuisine, not Tex-Mex) was declared an intangible cultural heritage of the world by UNESCO!
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