When I was working in Mexico City and Saltillo, I had a particular dish
that I loved, and have been unable to locate a recipe for since
returning to the states. I was hoping someone would be able to point
me in the right direction...

It was served in a deep plate, or small, deep dish. There was a
cheesy/creamy sauce and rice mixture completely covering a large green
chilie or pepper. The chilie/pepper was stuffed with meat, possibly
chicken or beef. The combination was wonderful, and I wanted to try
and locate a recipe so that I could make it at home. Can anyone help?
Gracias!

I guess that what you are looking for is "Chiles en nogada" , it is a
regular chile relleno (stuffed chile) and the sauce you are looking for
is the nogada or nut sauce, here is a recipe I found

http://www.elise.com/recipes/archive...lnut_sauce.php


The recipe is said to have been concocted by the grateful people of
Puebla, who were giving a banquet in honor of Don Agustin de Iturbide's
saint's day, August 28 in 1821. He and his followers had led the final
revolt against Spanish domination; as self-proclaimed emperor he had
just signed the Treaty of Cordoba. All the dishes at the banquest were
concocted of ingredients of the color of the Mexican flag; in this dish
were the green chilies, the white sauce, and the red pomegranate seeds.


You must start this dish one day ahead by soaking the walnuts for the
nogada sauce overnight. This dish is a bit involved, but the effort is
worth it. It really is an extraordinary blend of flavors.

The Picadillo:
2 lbs of boneless pork
1/2 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 Tbsp salt, or to taste

Cut the meat into large cubes. Put them into the pan with the onion,
garlic, and salt and cover with cold water. Bring the meat to a boil,
lower the flame and let it simmer until just tender - about 40-45
minutes. Do not over cook. Leave the meat to cool off in the broth.

Strain the meat, reserving the broth, then shred or chop it finely and
set it aside. Let the broth get completely cold and skim off the fat.
Reserve the fat.

6 Tbsp of lard or the fat from the broth
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, peeled and finely chopped
The cooked meat (about 3 cups - note if you use more than 3 cups, you
will need to increase the amounts of the other ingredients)
A molcajete (mortar and pestle)
8 peppercorns
5 whole cloves
1/2 inch stick cinnamon
3 heaping Tbsp of raisins
2 Tbsp blanched and slivered almonds
2 heaping Tbsp acitron or candied fruit, chopped
2 tsp salt, or to taste
1 1/2 pounds of tomatoes, peeled and seeded
1 pear, cored, peeled and chopped
1 peach, pitted, peeled and chopped

Melt the lard and cook the onion and garlic, without browning, until
they are soft.

Add the meat and let it cook until it begins to brown.

Crush the spices roughly in the molcajete and add them, with the rest
of the ingredients to the meat mixture. (If you don't have a molcajete,
you can use the blunt end of a pestle to crush the spices in a bowl.)
Cook the mixture a few moments longer.

Add chopped peach and pear to the mixture.

The Chilies:
Put 6 chiles poblanos (and you MUST use this type of chili) straight
into a fairly high flame or under a broiler and let the skin blister
and burn. Turn the chilies from time to time so they do not get
overcooked or burn right through.

Wrap the chiles in a damp cloth or plastic bag and leave them for about
20 minutes. The burned skin will then flake off very easily and the
flesh will become a little more cooked in the steam. Make a slit in the
side of each chili and carefully remove the seeds and veins. Be careful
to leave the top of the chili, the part around the base of the stem,
intact. (If the chilies are too hot - picante, let them soak in a mild
vinegar and water solution for about 30 minutes.) Rinse the chilies and
pat them dry.

Stuff the chilies with the picadillo until they are well filled out.
Set them aside on paper towels.

The Nogada (walnut sauce)
The day befo
20 to 25 fresh walnuts, shelled
cold milk

Remove the thin papery skin from the nuts. (Note, these are Diana
Kennedy's instructions. I have found it virtually impossible to remove
the skins from the fresh walnuts that come from our walnut tree. The
above photo shows the sauce which includes the skins. I think it would
be creamier without the skins, but what can you do? We found that
blanching the walnuts did not help get the skin off.)

Completely cover the walnuts with cold milk and leave them to soak
overnight.

On serving day:
The soaked and drained nuts
1 small piece white bread without crust
1/4 lb queso fresco
1 1/2 cups thick sour creme (or creme fraiche)
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
Large pinch of cinnamon

Blend all of the ingredients in a blender until they are smooth.

To Serve
To assemble the dish, cover the chilies in the nogada sauce and
sprinkle with fresh parsley leaves and pomegranate seeds.

Wow! Thank you for such a detailed reply!

I am fairly certain that you have pinned down the chile and the
stuffing. However, in both of the restaurants (which I cannot remember
the names now), the sauce had much more texture...almost like rice (or
risotto) in a thick cream or cheese sauce...

This at least gives me a place to start.... Thanks!