Guest Author - Terri Perkins Fulton

This is a very traditional and festive dish that celebrates the colors of the Mexican flag: Green chiles, white sauce and red pomagranate seeds. Many variations exist, but you can always count on a suprising sweet and savory pork filling encased in a juicy poblano chile and topped with a creamy nut sauce.

Chiles En Nogada
Serves 4

3/4 pound ground pork
1 8-ounce can whole kernel corn
1 8-ounce can Mexican-recipe stewed tomatoes
1 large pear, cored and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup raisins
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

4 large poblano chiles

1/2 cup toasted walnuts
1-cup sour cream (reduced fat is fine)
2 tablespoons milk
1-teaspoon lime juice
1/8-teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

For filling, cook meat in large skillet until browned. Drain fat. Stir in corn, tomatoes, pear, raisins, salt, 1/4-teaspoon cinnamon and pepper.

Roast the poblano chiles under a broiler until blackened in spots all over, about 5 minutes. Place in paper bag, seal and let stand 15 minutes. Remove from bag. Rub off loose skin. Make a slit vertically down one side of the pepper from stem to end to form pocket. Remove the seeds, leaving the stem end intact. Spoon about 1/2-cup meat filling into each pepper. Place in baking dish and transfer to oven to cook for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, finely grind the walnuts in a food processor. Whisk the nuts together in a bowl with the sour cream, milk, lime juice and 1/8-teaspoon cinnamon.

Place one pepper on each plate and top with the nut sauce. Sprinkle with pomagranate seeds and serve.