Recipes!

I haven't posted a recipe in forever.  And I was thinking of doing so and then a fb friend asked me for a recipe so since I had just typed it up, I thought I would go ahead and share it here.  Actually, it is two different recipes.  Two, two!  Two mints in one!

What commercial was that from?  I can remember that part of it.  But somehow the name of the mint escapes me.  Never mind.

Below are 2 different Mole recipes.  The first is the Mole Poblano that is the beautiful rich mahogany colored one typically served over chicken or turkey that people most often associate with the word Mole.  You can buy the little glass jars of a very concentrated base and add a bunch of stock to it and cook it for a while.  This makes a fairly pass-able mole.  It's okay in a pinch.  It's not 1/100th as good as this recipe is. I learned to make this while living in Mexico City.  I attended a week-long cooking school in Tlaxcala (which I will do a post about this week) and this is the way Estela taught me to make excellent mole from scratch.

The second recipe is Mole Verde.  It is a light, delicate, and most delicious sauce.  Try it, I promise you will love it.

Mole Poblano

This is traditional mole that most people think of when you say mole.  It has a ton of ingredients but it is well worth the effort.

4 lbs. cut up chicken or pork or combination

Cover with water and salt to taste and cook an a pressure cooker for 5 minutes. 

Set aside while you make the sauce.

5 dried ancho chiles

8 dried mulatto chiles

1/4 cup pecans

1/4 cup almonds

1/3 cup blanched peanuts

1/3 cup lightly toasted sesame seeds

1 Tbsp. anise seeds

1/2 cup dark raisins

1 tsp. broken cinnamon bark

2 Tbsp. cumin seeds

15 whole cloves

2 cloves garlic, peeled

2 ripe plaintains, peeled, sliced lengthwise, halved and fried in oil until caramelized

1 bolillo, toasted (hard Mexican roll about 6-8 inches long)

2 bars Mexican cooking chocolate (Note: I prefer Ybarra's, but there are other brands available. These are the size of the really large Hershey's bars. Mexican chocolate has cinnamon and almonds in it.  Don't try to use US stuff, it won't work)

1/2 cup olive oil

salt to taste

sugar to taste

Fry raisins, cinnamon and garlic together.  Set aside.

Fry cumin and anise seed together. Set aside.

Fry nuts together.

Take tops off chiles and take out the seeds. I cut them open to lay flat and fry on the griddle, taking care to not burn them. Remove from heat when blistered all over.  (This is really quick)

Blend all ingredients except chocolate into paste with a little stock, using blender or food processor working in batches.

In a large stock pot heat the olive oil and add the sauce.

Add one cup of stock.  After 5 minutes of simmering and stirring add more stock if necessary, for a creamy consistency. Then start adding the chocolate, a bit of sugar and stock to blend. Keep tasting and adding stock as needed.

Then add the chicken or cooked vegetable alternative to sauce and simmer for another 10 minutes, stirring to avoid sticking.

Garnish with lightly toasted sesame seeds.

*for vegetarians, use vegetable stock rather than the chicken stock.  Also, use large chunks of potato, carrots, squash, cauliflower or any vegetable desired in place of the meat.

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Mole Verde

6 Romaine lettuce leaves

1 handful of green pumpkin seeds roasted (about 1/4 cup)

1 handful of sesame seeds, toasted

2 small serrano chiles

4 or 5 tomatillos

1/4 cup radish leaves

5 sprigs each cilantro and flat leaf parsley

2 green onions

1/4 small white onion

3 large cloves garlic

2 tsp. cumin seed

2 sprigs epazote (you will find this in Latin markets)

1 - 2 Tbsp. olive oil

3 cups stock

Blend all ingredients through the epazote in a food processor with a little water.  Then heat the oil and add sauce and salt to taste.  Then add the stock and stir.

Place meat or vegetable in mole verde and simmer for at least 30 minutes or until done.

**Note:  In the Mole Verde recipe, I was taught to take really thin beef, like a flank or skirt steak. and cut it into rectangles. Then put thin carrot and potato sticks at one short end.  Add in a few fresh green beans and some small chopped up pieces of bacon and ham.  Season with salt and pepper and then roll up jelly-roll style and fasten with toothpicks. Add them to the mole and cook for the 30 minutes or until cooked through.  

Serve both of these dishes with rice and freshly-made corn tortillas.

!Delicioso!