Pollo en Nogada 1969 (Chicken in Walnut Sauce)

Velázquez de León, Josefina, and Irene Goldstein. Mexican Cook Book for American Homes: Authentic Recipes from Every Region of the Mexican Republic; Adapted for Use in the United States, Central and South America. Mexico City, Mexico: s.n., 1969. [TX725.M49 D45 1969]

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This week brings another recipe from Josefina Velázquez de León’s bilingual cookbook, Mexican Cook Book for American Homes. Pollo en Nogada combines ancho chiles and walnuts for a spicy, nutty sauce to pour on top of cooked chicken.

It’s worth noting that the English version of this recipe includes an additional step not included in the Spanish instructions: “Clean and section the chicken and put on to boil. Toast, clean, and soak the chilis.”

Cookbook authors frequently leave out steps or techniques that they expect their readers to be so familiar with that their necessity will be taken for granted. The Spanish version of this recipe describes the chiles as “asados, desvenados” (toasted, de-veined) and refers to “el caldo en que se coció el pollo” (the water in which the chicken cooked). However, Velázquez de León and Goldstein apparently realized that their American readers might benefit from making the steps of boiling the chicken and preparing the chiles more explicit and placing them at the beginning of the recipe.

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Pollo en Nogada / Chicken in Walnut Sauce (116-117)

• 1 pollo / 1 chicken
• 2 cucharadas de Manteca / 2 tablespoons lard
• 6 chiles anchos / 6 “ancho” chiles
• 60 gramos de cacahuate pelado / 2 oz. walnutmeats
• 60 gramos de nuez sin cascara / 2 oz. shelled peanuts
• 15 gramos de pan blanco / 1/2 oz. bread
• 2 cebollas / 2 onions
• 2 dientes de ajo / 2 cloves garlic
• ¾ litro de caldo / 3 cups chicken broth
• 1 raja de canela / 1 stick cinnamon
• 3 pimientas negras / 3 black peppercorns
• 2 clavas / 2 cloves
• Sal y pimiento / salt and pepper

En la mitad de la manteca se fríe el pan, los cacahuates y la nuez; se muelen con las especias, el ajo, las cebollas y los chiles asados, desvenados y remojados. Todo esto se deshace en el caldo en que se coció el pollo y se fríe en la manteca restante. Cuando suelta el hervor, se agrega el pollo cocido y partido en raciones, se sazona de sal y pimiento y se deja hervir hasta que espesa bien la salsa.

Clean and section the chicken and put on to boil. Toast, clean, and soak the chilis.

In half the lard fry the bread, peanuts, and nutmeats. Grind together with the spices, garlic, onions, and chilis. Thin this mixture with the chicken broth and cook in the rest of the lard to boiling point. Add the pieces of well-cooked chicken. Season with salt and pepper, and let simmer until sauce is thickened.

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