El Nido Culinary Kitchen Creates Delicious Dishes Ahead of the Holidays Using ALDI Ingredients

As the year comes to an end there’s no better way to celebrate than getting around the table with loved ones to enjoy delicious food.

Our partnership with ALDI allowed for the Culinary Kitchen to create two dishes that are perfect for any work potlucks, friendsgivings or holiday celebrations.

Using quality foods from ALDI, the El Nido Culinary Kitchen was able to prepare Vegan Chile en Nogadas and Calabaza en Tacha. ALDI is dedicated in providing support to Los Angeles’ disadvantaged communities, which is why they’ve pledged a $2,000 donation in an effort to combat local hunger in and around the Pacoima area.

Check out the recipes here, and be sure to try them out for yourself!

Vegan Chile En Nogada

Yield: 6

For pairing: This dish goes great with black beans and potatoes, but can also go with rice/dirty rice or plantains.

INGREDIENTS:

Poblano Peppers:

6 poblano peppers, roasted, peeled and seeded
1 lb. mushrooms
1 yellow onion
4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 cups fennel or celery
1 cup carrot
3 leaves sage
Stonemill Iodized Table Salt and Stonemill Ground Black Pepper to taste (for filling)

Nogada Sauce:

2 lbs. Southern Grove Deluxe Whole Cashews Unsalted
4 cups boiling water
1 cup lime or lemon juice
2 tsp. Stonemill Iodized Table Salt
1 tsp. Stonemill Ground Nutmeg
1 clove garlic, raw
1 packet Baker’s Corner Active Dry Yeast

DIRECTIONS:

Poblano Peppers:

1. Chop all ingredients except poblano peppers and sautee them in a pan until tender.
2. Season with salt and pepper to taste, then set aside to cool.
3. Roast the poblano peppers on your stove burners to char them.
4. Once soft, place them in water and then gently peel them.
5. Stuff the poblano peppers with the filling and reheat them to serve, about 20 minutes in a 350-degree oven.

Nogada Sauce:

1. Soak cashews in boiling water for one hour.
2. Once soft, strain the cashews (reserving the water), and combine with remaining ingredients in a blender.
3. Blend all ingredients until smooth.
4. Use enough of the cashew water reserve to achieve a creamy consistency.
5. To finish, heat in a pan before serving over the stuffed poblano peppers.

Calabaza en Tacha

Yield: 8

INGREDIENTS:

Calabaza:

2 squash, acorn or butternut
2 cups piloncillo or Baker’s Corner Brown Sugar
1 tbs. Stonemill Ground Cinnamon
1 tsp. Stonemill Ground Nutmeg
1 tsp. Stonemill Pure Vanilla Extract
1 tsp. Stonemill Iodized Table Salt
4 cloves
1 tsp. chile flakes
2 cups water

Seed Candy Garnish:

Seeds from squash
2 cups Baker’s Corner Granulated sugar
1 tsp. Stonemill Ground Cinnamon
1 tsp. Simply Nature Organic Cayenne Pepper

DIRECTIONS:

Calabaza:

1. Cut squash in half.
2. Remove seeds and save for seed candy garnish.
3. Scrape the inside of the squash and then cut into arcs, about an inch-and-a-half in thickness.
4. Combine squash with all remaining ingredients in a pot with lid and simmer on low until squash is soft, rotating the slices every once and a while, about 45 minutes.
5. When squash is soft, remove from pot, strain the poaching liquid into a sauté pan, and reduce over high heat until liquid has thickened into a syrup.
6. To serve, ladle this syrup over squash pieces

Seed Candy Garnish:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350.
2. Rinse seeds well and dry with a towel.
3. Mix in a bowl with all remaining ingredients and then spread onto a well-greased cookie sheet.
4. Do not spread too thin, there should be some overlap to insure the candy will stay together.
5. Bake until sugar turns a dark brown and bubbles for a minute, about 30 minutes, then let cool.
6. Candy will harden as it cools.