Chilies En Nogada Colorful Mexican Dish

Cinco de Mayo literally, May 5 is an important Mexican national holiday, celebrating the Mexican-Indian victory over the French in the Battle of Puebla in 1862.

The following dish of stuffed green peppers, served with a white walnut sauce and topped with red pimentos, is often called Mexico’s national dish. The green, white and red match the colors of the Mexican flag.

Nogada is a white sauce delicately flavored with walnuts and served cold over the warm stuffed peppers. It makes a very pleasant combination.

The peppers are traditionally stuffed with picadillo, which is made with ground pork, beef or veal plus tomatoes, garlic, onions, raisins and sometimes capers. I used red beans instead of meat (ground turkey is another lower-fat alternative).

I also substituted easily available green bell peppers for the traditional poblano peppers, a mild, dark-green chili pepper that can be found in some larger supermarkets. The peppers are slightly charred under the broiler for a few minutes. There’s no need to peel them; the skin isn’t noticeable and adds flavor.

Serve Chilies en Nogada with your favorite Mexican rice recipe, or the plainer, pimento-studded version below.

Chilies en Nogada (Stuffed Chilies in Walnut Sauce)

1 large green pepper or 2 small poblano chilies

For sauce:

2 tablespoons chopped walnuts (about 1/4 ounce)

1/4 cup low-fat sour cream

2 tablespoons skim milk

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons sugar

For stuffing:

1/4 cup chopped red onion

2 medium-sized jalapeno chilies, washed and seeded

1 medium clove garlic, peeled

1 cup red kidney beans, rinsed and drained

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 cup canned crushed tomatoes

2 tablespoons raisins

For garnish: Diced pimentos

Heat broiler. Place peppers on foil-lined baking tray. Broil 2 inches from heat for 5 minutes. Turn and broil 5 more minutes.

Chop walnuts in food processor. In a small bowl, mix sour cream and milk together until smooth. Add walnuts, cinnamon and sugar and blend together. Set aside.

Chop onion in food processor. With blades running, add jalapenos and garlic. Stop processor and add beans and cumin and process until coarsely chopped.

Heat olive oil in nonstick skillet on medium high, add bean mixture and saute one minute. Add tomatoes and raisins and saute for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.

Remove peppers from broiler, cut in half and remove seeds. Return to tray and fill each half with bean mixture. (If you’re not serving right away, put them in the warm oven - broiler off - until needed.) Place peppers on individual plates, spoon sauce over top and garnish with diced pimentos.

Yield: 2 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 364 calories, 16 grams protein, 47 grams carbohydrate, 15 grams fat (37 percent fat calories), 9.6 grams fiber, 22 milligrams cholesterol, 740 milligrams sodium.

Pimento White Rice

1/2 cup long-grain white rice

1/4 cup diced pimento

2 teaspoons olive oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Place rice in a strainer and run cold water through to wash it. Bring a large pot with 2 to 3 quarts of water to a boil. Add rice and boil, uncovered, about 10 minutes. Test a grain. Rice should be cooked through, but not soft. (Cook longer if needed.)

Drain. Place in serving bowl and add pimento and olive oil. Toss well. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Yield: 2 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 215 calories, 9 grams protein, 38 grams carbohydrate, 5 grams fat (21 percent fat calories), no cholesterol, 6 milligrams sodium.