L.A.'s Frida Restaurants Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month With Chile en Nogada

By Michael Lopez

It's hard to believe that Hispanic Heritage Month is winding down. Throughout the past several weeks, we've showcased some truly inspiring artists, musicians, and fashionistas. And before it's all over, we thought it would be fun to share one more cultural tidbit – the delicious plate, Chile en Nogada!

A perfect addition to any Latino dinner table, this traditional Mexican dish mixes elements of sweet Nogada cream, tender ground beef and just the right amount of pepper spice. L.A.'s Frida restaurants specialize in the seasonal delicacy and founder Vicente del Rio gave us some tips on how to prepare it.

"Chile en Nogada is a very special entrée," del Rio explained. "Because it has so many seasonal ingredients, we only include it on our menu in the fall. It actually made its Frida debut on Mexican independence day this year."

Truth be told, Frida's Chile en Nogada isn't just a yummy main course, it's a work of art! Blending colors that ironically match the Mexican flag (red, white, and green in case you didn't know), it contains a wide variety of ingredients, including pomegranates, pears, cream cheese, and walnuts.

As Vicente explained, the base of the dish consists of a giant green chile, cut open and stuffed with meat.

"At our restaurants, we use ground tenderloin," he said. "After carefully seasoning it, we put it in the sliced bell pepper and add in pear slices, green apples, raisins, and pine nuts."

That alone would make a pretty tasty meal, but the yumminess doesn't stop there. One of the key flavors of Chile en Nogada is the slightly sweet Nogada sauce, which is made of cream cheese, milk, and a special Mexican ingredient called nuez de castilla.

And for the final touch, del Rio makes sure each Chile en Nogada plate is decorated with bright red pomegranates.

"The pomegranates are a seasonal item and they really help make the dish," he said. "We sprinkle them over the Nogada sauce and, for the final touch, we add peach slices on the side of plate. Many of our customers love to blend it all together."

But don't think that's all that Frida is famous for. Known for taking their name from the legendary Mexican painter, they currently have four restaurants in southern California. Vicente proudly describes his menu as "authentic Mexican cuisine" and features items like Molcajete, Camarones al Tequila, and Mole.

You can follow his Twitter and Facebook pages for all kinds of recipes and more Mexican cooking tips.

What's your favorite traditional Mexican dish? Sound off in the comments or @MTV3.

Tags Blogger: Michael Lopez, Chile en Nogada, Cultura, Food, Frida, Frida Restaurants, Hispanic Heritage Month, Vicente del Rio