Nogada Para Chiles Rellenos
"Sauce For Stuffed Chiles"
From the treasured pages of La Cocina en el Bolsillo No. 8
Written by Antonio Vanegas Arroyo
Nogada Para Chiles Rellenos
"Se muelen las nueces frescas y bien limpias del pellejo, agregándoles un poco de pimienta y un pedazo de pan remojado en vinagre; después de bien molido todo, se sazona con vinagre bueno, sal fina y aceite de comer, dejando el caldillo bien espeso, con el cual se bañan los chiles calentados puestos, en un platón, adornándole con granos de granadita cordelina."
English Translation
"Fresh walnuts, well cleaned of their skins, are ground together, adding a little pepper and a piece of bread soaked in vinegar; once everything is well ground, it is seasoned with good vinegar, fine salt, and cooking oil, leaving the sauce nice and thick. The heated chiles are then bathed with this sauce and placed on a platter, and decorated with cordelina pomegranate seeds."
Note on the Original Text
Historically, recipes were brief and assumed the cook possessed day-to-day culinary knowledge; exact quantities were often omitted or left vague. Instructions flowed almost as a narrative, blending ingredients and steps in one continuous sentence, trusting the reader to infer nuances based on experience. Old Spanish spelling and phrasing, such as 'nueces frescas' (fresh walnuts), and terms like 'caldillo' (here meaning thick sauce or dressing), reflect both linguistic and culinary shifts. Adornments like 'granadita cordelina' likely refer to a particular variety of pomegranate, revealing period preferences and produce availability.
Title
La Cocina en el Bolsillo No. 8 (1890)
You can also click the book image above to peruse the original tome
Writer
Antonio Vanegas Arroyo
Era
1890
Publisher
Unknown
Background
A delightful pocket-sized treasure from the 'Cocina en el bolsillo' series, this volume stirs up a medley of flavorful recipes for adventurous cooks eager to savor the tastes of yesteryear.
Kindly made available by
University of Texas at San Antonio
This recipe comes from "La Cocina en el Bolsillo No. 8," published in 1890 by Antonio Vanegas Arroyo, part of a popular leaflet series in late 19th-century Mexico City. At a time when portable recipes were all the rage, these pocket-sized booklets reflected the flavors and ingenuity of Mexican home kitchens, adapting traditional techniques for urban households. The nogada sauce was, and still is, a crowning glory of Chiles en Nogada, a dish symbolizing Mexican independence with its tricolor elements. The use of walnuts, vinegar, and pomegranate speaks to baroque influences melding with New World bounty.
In the late 19th century, home cooks would have used a hand-cranked grinder or a traditional stone metate and mano to crush the walnuts and bread into a paste. A small ceramic or wooden mixing bowl would be used for combining and seasoning the sauce. Bread would be soaked in vinegar in a shallow dish, while oil was likely stored in glass or ceramic jars. For serving, a large flat platter was the dish of choice, and pomegranate seeds would be painstakingly extracted by hand just before presentation.
Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Servings
4
We've done our best to adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, but some details may still need refinement. We warmly welcome feedback from fellow cooks and culinary historians — your insights support the entire community!
Ingredients
- 3.5 ounces fresh walnuts (or pecans if walnuts unavailable), peeled
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1.4 ounces white bread, crust removed, soaked in 2 tablespoons vinegar
- 2-3 tablespoons vinegar (preferably white wine or cider vinegar)
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt (or to taste)
- 2 tablespoons mild olive oil (or other neutral vegetable oil)
- 4-6 poblano peppers, previously stuffed and heated
- 1.75 ounces fresh pomegranate seeds
Instructions
- Begin by blanching and peeling about 3.5 ounces of fresh walnuts, ensuring all bitter skins are removed.
- Grind the nuts into a coarse paste, then add a generous pinch of freshly ground black pepper and about 1.4 ounces of day-old bread, soaked in 2 tablespoons of good-quality vinegar.
- Continue grinding or blending until you have an even mixture.
- Season with another 1 tablespoon of vinegar, a pinch of fine sea salt, and about 2 tablespoons of a mild olive oil.
- The sauce should be thick and creamy.
- To serve, pour this rich nogada sauce over freshly heated stuffed chilies (traditionally poblano peppers).
- Arrange the chiles on a platter and garnish them liberally with the jewels of pomegranate seeds, which add vibrant color and a burst of tangy sweetness.
Estimated Calories
250 per serving
Cooking Estimates
Preparing this recipe takes about 30 minutes since you need to blanch and peel the walnuts, soak and blend the bread, and prepare the sauce. Cooking time just involves reheating the stuffed peppers, which takes about 10 minutes. Each serving has around 250 calories, and this recipe makes about 4 servings.
As noted above, we have made our best effort to translate and adapt this historical recipe for modern kitchens, taking into account ingredients nowadays, cooking techniques, measurements, and so on. However, historical recipes often contain assumptions that require interpretation.
We'd love for anyone to help improve these adaptations. Community contributions are highly welcome. If you have suggestions, corrections, or cooking tips based on your experience with this recipe, please share them below.
Join the Discussion
Rate This Recipe
Dietary Preference
Main Ingredients
Culinary Technique
Den Bockfisch In Einer Fleisch Suppen Zu Kochen
This recipe hails from a German manuscript cookbook compiled in 1696, a time whe...
Die Grieß Nudlen Zumachen
This recipe comes from a rather mysterious manuscript cookbook, penned anonymous...
Ein Boudain
This recipe comes from an anonymous German-language manuscript cookbook from 169...
Ein Gesaltzen Citroni
This recipe, dating from 1696, comes from an extensive anonymous German cookbook...
Browse our complete collection of time-honored recipes