Chiles en nogada

• 200 ml Milk (plus a little extra for soaking the walnuts)
  Swaps (2)
• 50 g Almonds (blanched and chopped)
  Swaps (1)
• 150 g Walnuts (fresh and skinned, or dried ones soaked in milk)
  Swaps (1)
• 2 u Tomato (ripe, grated)
  Swaps (1)
• 1 u Onion (finely chopped)
• 2 cloves Garlic (chopped)
• 1 u Apple (peeled and finely diced)
• Salt (to taste)
• 1 pinch Black pepper
• 2 tablespoons Sugar (1 teaspoon for the filling and the rest for the nogada)
• 3 tablespoons Vegetable Oil (or lard)
• 300 g Ground Pork
  Swaps (1)
• 200 g Ground Beef (beef)
  Swaps (3)
• 1 handful Parsley (leaves only)
• 100 g Queso Fresco (or mild curd cheese)
• 0.5 teaspoons Cinnamon (ground)
• 40 g Raisins
• 1 pinch Cloves (ground)
• 2 tablespoons Dry sherry
  Swaps (1)
• 1 u Plantain (ripe, finely diced)
• 1 u Peaches (peeled and finely diced)
• 1 u Pears (peeled and finely diced)
• 1 u Pomegranate (seeds only)
• 6 u Poblano chilli (large and smooth-skinned)

Instructions

1. 1

   The night before, if you are using dried walnuts, cover them with milk and keep them in the fridge. The next day, drain them and rub each half with your fingers or the tip of a knife to remove as much of the thin skin as you can. Fresh walnuts only need a short soak in milk before skinning.

2. 2

   Char the chillies directly over a gas flame or under the oven grill, turning them with tongs, until the skin is blistered and black all over without the flesh splitting.

   10 min

3. 3

   Put them in a bag or a covered bowl to sweat for a few minutes, then peel them with your fingers; do not rinse them under the tap, as it washes away flavour. Slit each one lengthways and carefully remove the seeds and veins without tearing them.

   15 min

4. 4

   For the picadillo, heat the oil in a large frying pan and soften the onion over medium heat until translucent. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.

   7 min

5. 5

   Turn up the heat, add both meats and cook, breaking them up with the spoon, until no longer pink. Add the grated tomato and let almost all the liquid evaporate.

   12 min

6. 6

   Stir in the apple, pear, peach, plantain, almonds, raisins, cinnamon, cloves, pepper, a teaspoon of sugar and salt. Cook over low heat, stirring, until the fruit is tender but still holds its shape and the filling is juicy without being runny. Leave it to cool slightly.

   15 min

7. 7

   For the nogada, blend the skinned walnuts with the cheese, milk, sherry, the rest of the sugar and a pinch of salt into a smooth sauce that coats the spoon. If it is too thick, loosen it with a little more milk. Keep it in the fridge.

   5 min

8. 8

   Fill the chillies with the warm picadillo without overstuffing them and close them by overlapping the edges of the slit.

   10 min

9. 9

   Place each chilli on a plate, cover it completely with the cold nogada and scatter over the pomegranate seeds and a few parsley leaves. Serve at room temperature.

   5 min