Mole...Do you love mole? I do....

Mole is a culinary miracle - the blending and layering of various types of chiles, nuts, seeds, dried fruits and chocolate creating a beautifully rich sauce that can be used with any kind of meat, enchiladas, tostadas and more. I decided to embark on the adventure of making mole. Traditional mole can take all day to prepare, but the mole recipe below has been adapted for the modern kitchen cook. While it was a lot of preparation and work, it didn’t take all day and it turned out delicious, as good as the moles I’ve had in Oaxaca, Mexico. I wanted to share it with those of you who love mole and who might want to be a little adventurous in your cooking. To create this recipe I reviewed the mole recipe from three different cookbooks: The Elote Cafe Cookbook (from a restaurant in Sedona); Latinísmo, and One Plate At A Time. I largely worked off the Elote cookbook, making a few minor changes. The ingredient list is long, but it’s not difficult, and each one contributes to the complexity of the sauce.

Seeds and Nuts: 1/4 cup sesame seeds, 1/2 cup unsalted peanuts, 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds

Chiles: 4 mulato chiles, 4 pasilla negro chiles, 3 guajillo chiles, 2 ancho chiles, all cleaned and stemmed and seeds removed (I couldn’t locate the variety of chiles in my local stores so I ordered them on Amazon)

Spices and Seasonings: 1 bay leaf, 3/4 t. cinnamon, 3/4 t. allspice, 3/4 t. cumin, 2 t. oregano, 1 1/2 t. sea salt

Fruit and Chocolate: 1/4 cup raisins, 3 dried apricot halves, 1 tablet Abuela Mexican chocolate

Other ingredients: 1 corn tortilla, 2 tomatillos, husks removed, 1 tomato, lard as needed (I used duck fat), 2 cups chopped onion, 6 garlic cloves, 8 cups of chicken stock

In a large frying pan, toast the nuts and seeds over medium high heat until as dark as possible without burning them. Remove from the pan. Next do the same with the chiles. WARNING: The roasting of the chiles can cause the smokey release of powerful fumes. I almost asphyxiated myself in this process! Turn on the fan over your stove, open a window or door, and if you have an air purifier turn it on. The next time I make mole, I will wear a mask when the chiles are roasting! Remove the chiles when they have darkened, but do not let them burn or they will become bitter.

Next, toast the tortilla and char the tomato and tomatillos in the pan. Add 1/4 cup of lard or any kind of oil. I used duck fat from my local health food store. Add the onion and garlic and cook until deep brown in color. Now dump everything, toasted nuts and seeds, chiles, tortilla, tomato, tomatillos, onion, garlic, spices fruits , chocolate and stock into a heavy pot and simmer slowly for 30 minutes.

Let the mole cool a bit and then puree it in a blender, in batches if needed, until there is no graininess whatsoever. The mole must be smooth. If you don’t have a powerful blender, you can put the mole through a food mill.

After blending, return to the pot and simmer for another 30 minutes to deepen the flavors. I served my mole over cheese enchiladas, and you can serve this over just about anything: enchiladas, tacos, tostadas, seared chicken or turkey breast. Muy sabroso!