chiles en nogada at El Trapiche

[mindz]

My absolute favorite Mexican dish is chiles en nogades, or chiles stuffed with picadillo in walnut sauce. I was privileged to participate in the making of this famous dish from Puebla, in Puebla, so I know how much work goes into it.

In Playa, we splurged on dinner at a new restaurant at the corner of 5th and 20th, "El Trapiche." They feature wonderful dishes from all over Mexico, and though you pay 5th avenue prices, the food is worth it. And you guessed it, they make decent chiles en nogada.

To critique the chiles en nogada hardly seems fair - I was so happy just to eat them, it's okay that they used ground pork instead of shredded, and the sauce was a bit too sweet - it also looked like the walnuts were unpeeled. It was delicious! Another highlight of the menu is the Molcajete, or mortar. A beastly hot molcajete is brought to the table, and it contains a pool of excellent fresh-made tomato salsa surrounded by strips of grilled meat, veggies, cheese to be served with the salsa. For dessert, we tried the chocolate tamales - they're like brownies cooked in a corn husk.

For most of my meals, I wander beyond 5th for simple food--but this restaurant is worthy of a special occasion. Buen provecho!

[caramba]

Originally Posted by mindz

My absolute favorite Mexican dish is chiles en nogades, or chiles stuffed with picadillo in walnut sauce. I was privileged to participate in the making of this famous dish from Puebla, in Puebla, so I know how much work goes into it.

In Playa, we splurged on dinner at a new restaurant at the corner of 5th and 20th, "El Trapiche." They feature wonderful dishes from all over Mexico, and though you pay 5th avenue prices, the food is worth it. And you guessed it, they make decent chiles en nogada.

To critique the chiles en nogada hardly seems fair - I was so happy just to eat them, it's okay that they used ground pork instead of shredded, and the sauce was a bit too sweet - it also looked like the walnuts were unpeeled. It was delicious! Another highlight of the menu is the Molcajete, or mortar. A beastly hot molcajete is brought to the table, and it contains a pool of excellent fresh-made tomato salsa surrounded by strips of grilled meat, veggies, cheese to be served with the salsa. For dessert, we tried the chocolate tamales - they're like brownies cooked in a corn husk.

For most of my meals, I wander beyond 5th for simple food--but this restaurant is worthy of a special occasion. Buen provecho!

Sounds great!

[Dpreefer]

El Trapiche is indeed a terrific restaurant and you are right that it is a bit pricey. We found that you can do well by having a few appetizers, which are big, and then split a main dish. That is more than 2 can really eat.

I also love the chiles nogada, which are made with walnuts. Because they tasted a bit sweet, I asked the waiter what kind of nut they used and he did not know, so he brought me one from the kitchen. It was not a walnut, but pecans. Still great.

For food lovers, here is the story. This dish was invented in Puebla to celebrate the victory that created Mexican independence. For this reason, the GREEN chile is stuffed and then mostly covered with a WHITE nogada sauce and then it always must be sprinkled with RED pomegranite seeds. There you have it.............The colors of the Mexican Flag. Wave them high and dig in. It sure beats a Blueberry and strawberry shortcake for the US of A July 4th celebration.

[loangalsal]

I love that dish. We tried to make it at home, it was pretty good, but an IMMENSE amount of work. I now save it for the rare times I can find it in Mexico. Glad to see I can get it in Playa now!

[Sol]

Originally Posted by Dpreefer

El Trapiche is indeed a terrific restaurant and you are right that it is a bit pricey. We found that you can do well by having a few appetizers, which are big, and then split a main dish. That is more than 2 can really eat.

I also love the chiles nogada, which are made with walnuts. Because they tasted a bit sweet, I asked the waiter what kind of nut they used and he did not know, so he brought me one from the kitchen. It was not a walnut, but pecans. Still great.

For food lovers, here is the story. This dish was invented in Puebla to celebrate the victory that created Mexican independence. For this reason, the GREEN chile is stuffed and then mostly covered with a WHITE nogada sauce and then it always must be sprinkled with RED pomegranite seeds. There you have it.............The colors of the Mexican Flag. Wave them high and dig in. It sure beats a Blueberry and strawberry shortcake for the US of A July 4th celebration.

Great service at El Trapiche. Now, are chiles en nogada supposed to be served cool and not hot? I tried this dish in Cuernavaca and it was not served hot. It is a beautiful dish.

[Dpreefer]

chile en nogada is supposed to be served at room temperature. The chile is cooked and then stuffed after it cools to handling temperature. The sauce is made before and is at room temperature. The sauce is poured over the chile and pomegranite seeds sprinkled on top

(Hint: To sprinkle pomegranite seeds, cut the pomegranite in half. Hold one half over the dish and give it a few nice whaks with a wooden spoon. The seeds just pop out onto the dish. This is so easy that those who tried to manually cut them out roll their eyes when this easy method is revealed to them.

[Babaloo]

Originally Posted by mindz

- it also looked like the walnuts were unpeeled.

Walnuts are peeled?

But it does sound good.

[Dpreefer]

The brown skin on the walnuts is very bitter, and changes the taste of the sauce. Boil the walnuts for 30 seconds or so, drain them and the skin should just rub off between your rubbing hands.

[Flyrod]

Pecans or walnuts? Good question. My grandmom (+) made them with pecans. Pecans taste better, imho.

Walnuts must be peeled because the skin can give the nogada a sour taste.

[mindz]

In Puebla, home of chiles en nogada, you can buy your walnuts already peeled. Good cooks say the dish is best made in August because that is when the new crop of walnuts is in. I saw that the nuts were "pecans" in the English menu at El Trapiche, but thought that it was an error in translation. Guess not! But now that I've tried the pecans, I like them too. The sauce is not as white as when made with peeled walnuts, of course.

Seeing how food sits "out" in Mexican homes makes me a bit nervous...we made the picadillo filling the night before. It was cooked in a cazuela (earthenware pot) on top of the stove, the ingredients added in a certain order, and it was considered important never to stir the dish, but to just push the mixture around a bit as each new ingredient was added. Then it just sat on the stove.
The peppers were roasted, then stuffed, battered and fried that morning. The walnut sauce was made just before serving. Serving chiles en nogada was a big event, one that called for the lace tablecloth and at least one grandmother in attendance!

[Sol]

Originally Posted by Dpreefer

chile en nogada is supposed to be served at room temperature. The chile is cooked and then stuffed after it cools to handling temperature. The sauce is made before and is at room temperature. The sauce is poured over the chile and pomegranite seeds sprinkled on top

(Hint: To sprinkle pomegranite seeds, cut the pomegranite in half. Hold one half over the dish and give it a few nice whaks with a wooden spoon. The seeds just pop out onto the dish. This is so easy that those who tried to manually cut them out roll their eyes when this easy method is revealed to them.

Thanks for clarifying regarding the temprature of the chiles. I have eaten all types of Mexican dishes, but never chiles en nogada. It was different for me since most Mexican food is served piping hot. The temp didn't bother me because they were delicious.

What a great tip for the pomegranate seeds; even for when they are being eaten by themselves. I usually won't buy them because they are such a pain to peel.

[Jim in Toronto]

El Trapiche is actually at 30th & 5th, not 20th. We had a really good meal there, and thought the prices were quite reasonable in comparison with other restaurants on 5th.

Mujer de Jim

[Jesus]

Originally Posted by mindz

In Puebla, home of chiles en nogada, you can buy your walnuts already peeled. Good cooks say the dish is best made in August because that is when the new crop of walnuts is in. I saw that the nuts were "pecans" in the English menu at El Trapiche, but thought that it was an error in translation. Guess not! But now that I've tried the pecans, I like them too. The sauce is not as white as when made with peeled walnuts, of course.

In Spanish we call them Nueces in general but these are Nueces de Castilla -the ones used for this recipe) (http://www.ocexcelsior.com/mi_cocina...s_nogada.shtml) .