Mole Recipes

[Kitchen Witch]

Basic Mole Paste #1

This great Mole paste is the basis of a terrific Mole sauce. To save time from the labors of making Mole from scratch, make a couple quarts of this paste and make into Mole sauce whenever you need it. To prepare the Mole sauce, just follow the easy instructions in Mole Sauce (from Basic Mole Paste #1). The paste will last in the freezer for several months. Enjoy!

* Ingredients 10 dried ancho chiles
* 6 dried pasilla negro (or negro) chiles
* 4 dried guajillo or mulato chiles
* 6 T black raisins
* 1/2 cup almonds
* 6 T raw sesame seeds
* 1/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
* 1 slice French bread
* 1 corn tortilla
* One 3-inch piece of Mexican Canela (soft-bark cinnamon)
OR 1 1/2 t ground cinnamon
* 6 whole cloves
* 1 t black peppercorns
* 1 1/2 t dried oregano
* 1 round of Ibarra Mexican Chocolate (3.1 oz.)

Instructions:

Wash the dried chiles under cold running water (hot water will increase the chile fumes). Shake out the chile seeds and break off the stems.

Heat a comal or griddle or even a nonstick skillet and toast the chiles in batches. The chiles should soften and slightly brown. Do not blacken them, or they will become bitter..

When they are all toasted, place them in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave them to steep for 30 minutes. Add the raisins to the hot water so they will plump up.

While the chiles are soaking, place the almonds, the sesame seeds and the pumpkin seeds all in separate pie tins. Toast them in a 350 degree oven for approximately 10 minutes. Watch carefully. Remove them as they begin to turn golden brown.

At the same time, place the French bread and the corn tortilla to toast in the oven.

The toasting of all the nuts and seeds is traditionally done by frying them in lard; the oven method is easier and lower in fat.

Break up the cinnamon, cloves and peppercorns in a mortar or pound with a heavy skillet (a spice grinder will work too).

Grind the chiles almonds, sesame seeds and pumpkin seeds in a blender in at least three separate batches (too much fluid at once will BURN UP YOUR BLENDER!). Add some soaking water for the desired consistency of thick gravy (if soaking water tastes bitter, use plain water instead), so that the mole paste will puree smoothly.

When grinding the last batch, add the raisins, crushed spices, tortilla, bread, oregano and chocolate, broken into small pieces. Makes about 1 quart of mole paste or enough for 2 recipes of Mole Sauce (from Basic Mole Paste #1)


Mole Sauce
(based on: Mole Paste #1)

This easy sauce is based on the Mole Paste #1 . Traditionally in Mexico, family cooks make batches of paste in advance and then make up whatever amount of sauce (or Mole "stew") they need on a particular day. There are many uses for this sauce. My favorite use is to pour the prepared sauce in a cassarole dish with freshly grilled or barbequed sliced turkey breast and bake it for 10-20 minutes.

* Ingredients 3 large tomatoes
* 1/2 onion
* 4 cloves garlic
* 2 t olive oil
* 2 cups (1/2 recipe) Mole Paste #1
* 1 to 2 cups chicken broth for thinning

Instructions:

Place tomatoes in a small pan and roast in a preheated 375 degree oven for 20 minutes. Wrap the onion and garlic up in aluminum foil, drizzle with olive oil and roast for 45 minutes in the 375 degree oven.

Place tomatoes, their juices, onion and garlic in a blender and puree.

Add the puree to the Mole paste along with 1 cup of chicken broth. Bring to a simmer in a 3-quart pot. If the Mole seems too thick, add more broth in small amounts until it is the consistency of heavy cream.

Makes about 6 cups.


Mole Poblano


* 4 CHILES MULATOS
* 4 CHILES ANCHOS
* 4 CHILES GUAJILLOS
* 4 CHILES PASILLAS
* 1 CAN WHOLE TOMATOES
* 1 LARGE ONION
* 4 GARLIC CLOVES
* 1/2 C. ALMONDS
* 1 RIPE PLANTAIN (or "PLATANO" OR "COOKING BANANA")
* 1/2 C. PEANUTS
* 1 PIECE TOASTED BREAD
* 2 CORN TORTILLAS
* 1 TABLET "ABUELITA" CHOCOLATE
* 1/8 C. SESAME SEEDS
* OIL OR LARD FOR FRYING CHOCOLATE, CHICKEN-TURKEY

Devein chiles and remove seeds. Peel onion and cut in quarters. Peel, then cut plantain in 1/4 in. pieces and set aside with chiles, etc.

Heat 1/4 inch of oil in a widepan (a wok is great) and fry all ingredients, in batches, starting with the chiles and ending with the nuts, tomatoes and chocolate. As you fry all the ingredients, set them aside in a large bowl, mixing them together as you go.

Once all ingredients have been sauteed, puree them in a blender, thinning them with chicken or turkey broth (or consomme cubes or powder dissolved in hot water). Consistency should be fairly thick, but just thin enough to blend to a smooth sauce.

Cook over low flame (or in crock pot) for approximately two hours, or until Mole turns a dark reddish brown color. The perfect test for Mole is when you stir it, you will see the bottom of the pot!

Serve over chicken, turkey, pork or sirloin tips, always accompanied by Mexican rice and corn tortillas or Mexican rolls (French baguettes will do too!)


Mole Poblano #2
:

* 8 lb turkey, cut into pieces
* 1 tsp salt
* 4 each, dried mulato chiles, dried pasilla, dried ancho, (where dried chiles are not available, or only one type, You can use one type, and add canned red chile puree.)
* 2 cups hot chicken stock
* 1 cup blanched almonds (some substitute 1/2 cup peanut butter)
* 3 large tomatoes, peeled seeded and chopped (or you may use a combination of tomatoes and tomatillos)
* 1 onion chopped
* 1/2 cup raisins
* 1 dried tortilla, broken up
* 2 cloves garlic, minced
* Spices: (you may grind your own for best flavor, or used already ground, for convenience)
* 4 cloves (or 1/8 tsp ground cloves)
* 10 peppercorns (or 1/4 tsp ground pepper)
* 1/2 inch stick cinnamon (or 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon)
* 1/2 tsp coriander seeds (or 1/4 tsp ground coriander)
* 1/2 tsp anise seed (or 1/4 tsp ground anise)
* 3 Tbs bacon fat
* 1 1/2 oz unsweetended chocolate (1 1/2 squares)
* 2 Tbs sesame seeds

Place the turkey pieces in a large pot, cover with water, add salt, bring quickly to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until nearly done, about an hour. Remove from the heat and pat dry with towels.

While the turkey simmers, while wearing rubber gloves, wash the chiles under running water, removing the stems, breaking them open and removing the seeds. If you insist on preparing the chile bare-handed, do NOT touch your eyes, nose, or any other senstive part of your body (or those of any loved one). Place the chiles in a large bowl, and cover with the chicken stock. Let soak half an hour, reserving the stock afterwards.

Place the almonds in a blender and reduce to a relatively fine chop. Place in the blender the chiles, spices, raisins, dried tortilla, tomatoes, garlic, and onion in a blender, along with a little of the stock in which the chiles were soaked, and reduce to a smooth paste.

In a large frying pan, melt the bacon fat and brown the pieces of turkey, having first patted them dry with towels. Place the browned turkey pieces in an oven-proof baking dish. Add a little more bacon fat, if necessary, and spoon in the chile paste. Fry it over medium heat, for about 5 minutes, slowly adding about 2 cups of the stock in which the chiles were soaked. Finally add the chocolate, and stir well until it has melted. The sauce should be the consistency of thick cream or a medium cream sauce. Pour the sauce over the turkey, cover, and place the baking dish in a 350~ oven for about 45 minutes. Remove, sprinkle the sesame seeds over the top.

Serve with Mexican rice, beans, "rajas en crema", sliced avocados, and lots of fresh, warm, soft corn tortillas or blue corn tortillas.

[Kitchen Witch]

Mole Poblano #3

( a microwave version...)

Mole Poblano is the kind of Mexican cooking one doesn't often find in restaurants outside of Mexico. It consists of chicken in a dark, spicy sauce full of nuts and sesame seeds. All of the traditional mole recipes I've seen require several hours of preparation and cooking time, but this one takes about an hour to put together.

INGREDIENTS (serves four):

* 1 medium onion, chopped (or 1/2 large onion)
* 1 clove minced
* 2 Tbsp butter
* 1 bay leaf
* 6 peppercorns
* 3 whole cloves, crushed
* 8 oz tomato sauce
* 1 cup chicken broth
* 1 slice bread, shredded
* 1/4 tsp crushed anise seeds
* 1/2 tsp cinnamon
* 1 Tbsp sugar
* 3-4 Tbsp ground chile (approximately; see note below)
* 2 Tbsp sesame seeds
* 1/2 cup slivered blanched almonds
* 1 1/2 oz Mexican chocolate, grated (see note). This is a half circle in the usual packaging.
* 1 chicken, cut up (about 3 pounds)

PROCEDURE:

1. Put the onion, garlic, and margarine in a large (3-quart) microwavable, covered casserole. Cover and microwave on half power for 2-3 minutes, or until butter is melted and the onion is starting to soften.
2. Mix in the rest of the ingredients except the cho- colate and the chicken. Cover and microwave on high for 10 minutes, stirring after half the time. When the sauce is done, stir in the chocolate until it's melted.
3. Add the chicken, coating each piece with sauce. Microwave covered, on high power for about 30 minutes. Rearrange the pieces twice during cook- ing so it cooks evenly. The chicken is done when it starts to fall away from the bone.

If your microwave is rated at less than 600 watts, it's probably too small to fit the chicken in anyway.

Use pure ground chile, not "chile powder" (which usually contains other ingredients). The stuff I use comes in lit- tle plastic bags, and they keep it in the Mexican food section of the store instead of the spice section. The hotness of the chile can vary considerably, so the most reliable procedure is to mix in a little at a time, tasting the sauce as you go along. Mole is supposed to be spicy, not scorchingly hot; a blend of mild chiles gives the best flavor. I usually use about 2 Tbsp mild Pasilla chile and another 2 Tbsp medium hot California chile.

Mexican chocolate comes in round tablets about 3 inches in diameter. If you can't find any in the grocery store, use a piece of a dark chocolate candy bar (or semi-sweet chocolate chips) instead, and add an additional 1/2 tsp cinnamon.

You can substitute pine nuts, toasted pumpkin seeds, or raisins for all or part of the almonds.

In theory, you can cook this on top of the stove in a Dutch oven in the traditional style, simmering the chicken in water for about an hour first, then make the sauce and cook the chicken in the sauce for another half hour.



Mole Poblano

* Ingredients: 3 whole chicken beasts, split and boned
* 2 TB olive oil
* 1 15oz can of tomato sauce (S&W thick sauce or mexican tomatoes or whatever).
* 1/2 cup of your favorite homemade or commercial tomato salsa
* 4 teaspoons unsweetened coca
* 1 t cumin
* 1 t oregano
* mashed or finely chopped garlic (as many as you wish 2-3)
* dash of ground cloves
* dash of nutmeg
* dash of allspice
* some nut mixture (see note below)
* salt to taste

Procedure:

Pound chicken to 1/2 inch thickness. Lightly brown in oil (2 minutes on each side) and drain oil. Add garlic while chicken is cooking. Add remaining ingredients after oil is drained. Stir and bring to boil. Then reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove chicken and keep warm. Cook and stir sauce until thickened. Pour sauce over chicken.

Nut Mixture:

Most moles contain nuts. For this recipe, use 1-2 TB of sesame seeds and either grind them OR I pound them into the chicken. Or add 1 TB ground almonds to the sesame seeds. Alternatively, one could use a heaping teaspoon of chinese sesame seed paste OR Rogelio Bueno Red Mole paste (which is primarily pumpkin and sesame seeds).




Mole Poblano No. 5

From the Old Mexico Grill in Santa Fe, NM


* Ingredients: 1/2 lb. Ancho chiles, toasted lightly
* 2-1/4 lbs. Poblano chiles, roasted, peeled, seeded
* 9 oz. fresh Jalapenos, roasted, peeled, seeded
* 2-1/2 cups tomatillos, crushed
* 1/2 mole spice mixture (recipe below)
* 1-1/4 oz. garlic, peeled
* 3 oz. lard
* 8 oz. raisins, fried in oil 5 seconds
* 8 oz. apricots, dried, fried in oil 5 seconds
* 3 oz. sesame seeds, toasted
* 12 oz. almonds, sliced, toasted
* 3 oz. pepitas, toasted
* 8 oz. Ibarra chocolate, chopped
* 1-1/4 gal chicken stock
* 7 oz. corn tortilla chips, fried crisp
* 1 qt. water

* Procedure: Weigh and measure all ingredients
* Soak ancho chiles in hot water for at least 30 minutes
* Deep fry the poblano and jalapeno chiles for 2-3 minutes to blister. Cool and peel. Seed.
* Seed ancho chiles and save seeds. Toast seeds.
* Make the mole spice mixture recipe.
* While spice mixture cools, toast sesame seeds, almonds, and pepitas in separate pans. Do not blacken or burn.
* Fry and cool raisins and apricots.
* Mix almonds, pepitas, raisins, and apricots in a lg. mixing bowl and mix very evenly. Place in food processor a little at a time until you have a granola type consistency.
* Grind sesame seeds and spice mixture in spice grinder until you have a fine powder.
* Place corn chips in food processor and chop until very fine.
* Place the 3 chiles in food processor and blend until you have a thick paste. Add water as needed to achieve thick paste.
* Melt Ibarra chocolate un a double boiler.
* Now you should have: a) a bowl of chile paste, b) a bowl of nuts and fruits, c) a bowl of spices and sesame seed powder, and d) a bowl of finely chopped corn chips
* In a large stainless steel bowl place spice and sesame seed powder, corn chips, and tomatillos; blend until you have a smooth mixture.
* Put lard in a large shallow pot over medium heat. When lard is very hot, add chile paste and cook for 2 minutes while stirring constantly. Add tomatillo and spice mixture. Stir constantly for 3 more minutes. Note: adjust heat as needed.
* Add chicken stock and set heat to low. Add fruit and nut mixture breaking apart while placing in the sauce.
* With large whisk stir sauce until you have a nice, smooth consistency.
* Add chocolate while continuing to stir sauce with a large whisk. Don't let ingredients settle to bottom of pot and burn!!
* When sauce has reached a smooth constisency, set heat on very low and let simmer for 8-10 minutes; add water as needed and stir occasionally.
* Let cool. Place in plastic containers. Refrigerate.

Mole Spice Mixture

* Ingredients: 1 oz. Coriander seeds
* 1-1/2 oz. ancho chile seeds
* 1 oz. black peppercorns
* 1/2 oz. cinnamon sticks
* 1/2 oz. anise seed
* 1/2 oz. cumin seed, whole
* 1-1/2 tsp. allspice
* 1 oz. cloves, whole

* Procedures: Weigh and measure all ingredients
* Place all ingredients in shallow pan or sheet
* Set in 500 degree oven for 5-6 minutes.
* Don't let spices burn!
* Shake spices every couple of minutes
* Set spices aside to cool

[rhodry69]

these look so delicious. thank you again. unfortunately, i can't find most of the peppers here.

rho