Fire Roasted Poblano Chiles en Nogada

Traditionally made in Puebla or Mexico City to celebrate Mexican Independence Day on September 16, these chiles are made with pork filling enhanced with chopped fruit, a creamy pine nut sauce topped with seasonal granadas (pomegranates). Normally, walnuts are used instead of pine nuts for the sauce, but I enjoy the flavor of pine nuts and wanted to try something different. You can use walnut, almonds or pine nuts.

Stuffing:
- Pork (1 lbs.)
- Raisins (1 cup)
- Cinnamon (splash or so)
- Pear (2)
- Apple (1)
- Tomato (4)
- Jalapeño (2 I like it hot)
- Corn (1 cup)
- Onions (1)
- Peblano chiles (3 to 6)

Sauce:
- Lime (1)
- Cinnamon (dash)
- Pine nuts (1/2 cup or more)
- Yogurt (1/2 cup)

Garnish:
- Pomegranates (1)
- Pine nuts (couple)



Fire roast the Poblano chiles until the skin is burned, blistering and black.



Place the chiles into a plastic bag. Close the bag tightly to steam the chiles for about 5 minutes.



After the chiles have cold, peel all the blacken skin off the chiles and place aside in a bowl.



Cut the pork into bite size pieces or have your butcher chop the pork. Typically, the pork is minced or ground.



Cook the onions in a 12 inch fry pan for 3 minutes on medium-high



Add the chopped jalapenos and pork to the pan.  Cook on medium for about 8 minutes or until the pork is browned and cooked.



Tomatoes, apples and pear - dice them up while you are waiting for the pork to cook.



Measure out the raisins, apple, pear, and corn.



Stirring the whole time, add all four ingredients to the 12 inch fry pan and cook on medium heat for about 12 minutes. After about 5 minutes, add cinnamon.



With a paring knife, cut a line from the stem to the bottom of the chile and take out the seeds.



Stuff the chiles with the pork filling by spooning the mix into the chili.



To make the Mexican cream, place the Greek yogurt, pine nuts, cinnamon, and lime juice into a Vitmix blender and 'pulse' until it's completely mixed together.



Garnish with beautiful colors



Plate the chile, spoon on cream and sprinkle with garnish. Happy Mexican Independence Day!


I didn't measure anything, but played it by ear with 4 tomatoes, 2 pears, 1 apple, 2 cups of pine nuts, 1 lime, 1 cup raisin, 1 cup corn and 1 pound of pork. I froze the leftover stuffing for later use.

Crab Avocado Mango Salad with Pomegranates

Take one:
Dungeness Crab with avocado, mango salsa, citrus dressing, and garnished with pomegranates


Take two:
Add arugula to the dungeness crab salad


Take three:
Stuffed avocado with dungeness crab. Add arugula as a base to help the avocado sit and not roll around on the plate



Ingredients:

- 1 Fresh dungeness crab meat (I harvest my own dungeness crab out of the Pacific Ocean, cook and clean it myself)
- 1/2 mango
- 1/4 of a whole orange, just the juice
- 1/3 cup red sweet onions chopped
- 2 tablespoons of cilantro
- 1 teaspoon of cumin
- 1 whole lime - juice
- 1/2 teaspoon of lime rind
- 1 small jalapeno chopped fine
- 2 avocados cut in half
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 fresh pomegranate









Make the salsa first

In a bowl mix the olive oil, lime juice, lime rind, orange juice, cumin, jalapeno, cilantro, red onions, and chopped mango. Put that in the fridge to marinate while you work on the crab and avocado.



Cut the avocado any way you want. Cut it 1/2 and stuff it. Slice it in small strips and plate it. Toss it in a salad.



Tossed avocado and crab salad



Say hello to my friends from the Pacific Ocean.