Recipe: Mole Poblano

During our trip to Oaxaca last year, I fell in love with Oaxacan black mole. We purchased the unique dried chiles from that region that give it such a distinctive flavor. They are called chihuacles, and it wasn´t until we got back that I discovered how truly particular they are to the region and hard to find elsewhere. Had I known, I would have stocked up. They have an incredible aroma. Anyway, I took advantage of having procured them and dug into the Rick Bayless recipe for mole negro . The final product was a smashing success. I didn´t quite get the dark black color, but the flavor was indisputable. Then, I decided that I had to do some justice to Puebla and make mole poblano the next time I was up to it. Plus, mole poblano usually has peanuts in it, so I can´t eat it without getting a little sick due to allergies. My version eliminates the culprit!

So recently, in honor of celebrating and thanking the team I worked with as director of the high school in Colegio Ypsilanti, I set out to make mole poblano. I have a great cookbook from Willams Sonoma called Savoring Mexico with very reliable, authentic recipes. The only mole recipe in there, however, is from Querétaro, a state north of Mexico City. It is very similar to mole poblano, but there are some slight differences, so I conferenced with Maru´s grandma and confirmed the ingredients and some of the steps. At the end of the whole process, my mole still needs to be perfected, but we couldn´t argue with the yummy results.

Here I have posted the recipe as I did it. Mole is a little daunting to make (and eat for some people!), but if you have some experience in the kitchen and are comfortable with a recipe that involves lots of steps, you can definitely do it. As far as ingredients go, the one thing you´ll really have to hunt for in the states are the dried chiles. Here, the markets have them in huge mountains. I think we spent like 30 pesos for all of the chiles in the recipe. They only come in little bags in the US and are more expensive, but it´s worth it. The recipe yields a huge pot of sauce, so you´ll have leftovers that you can easily give away or freeze for up to several months. Definitely make the mole a day or two in advance so that you get the hard work out of the way, and you also give the flavors time to develop.

If you are going to do this recipe, make sure you have a few hours to work with, and a friend or two to help in key parts isn´t a bad idea either! Cleaning the chiles is time consuming, and processing everything in the blender or with a stick blender can be quite the juggling act. Read the recipe a few times and make sure you have everything you need on hand. And let me know if you follow this recipe. I would really like to know how it turned out!

Mole “Poblano”

The Ingredients:

• 1 whole chicken cut into eight parts for serving (2 legs, 2 thighs, and the breast in four pieces, all still on the bone). The back, neck, head, wings, and feet should also be used for the stock, see next ingredient.
• 6-8 cups homemade chicken stock. If you are going to make mole, do not do yourself the disservice of using canned stock or bouillon. Make it!
• Place all of the extra chicken parts in a large pot with 1 onion quartered, 5 whole cloves of garlic, 2 medium carrots cut in half, two bay leaves, and about 1t salt. Cover with cold water, bring to a simmer, and cook, partially covered for at least 1 hour and up to 2. Skim off the foam and fat as it rises to the surface. Do not stir and do not boil. After the cook time, pour the stock through a mesh strainer and discard the bones and veggies. Skim excess fat off the top of the stock and set aside.
• 12 ancho chiles
• 12 pasilla chiles
• 12 mulatto chiles (there should be an equal amount of each chile. If you have a scale, you can weigh them as sometimes the size can vary quite a bit.)
• ½ cup plus 2 Tablespoons sesame seeds
• ½ cup fresh, flavorful lard (if you can get fresh lard from a butcher, this is the recipe to do it for. Lard has a bad reputation that it doesn´t entirely deserve and the flavor really adds to the richness of the mole. If you can´t get lard or just don´t want to use it, vegetable oil is fine.)
• ½ lb tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and quartered
• 1 medium white onion, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ½ teaspoons aniseeds
• ¼ teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 day-old corn tortilla
• 1 chunk or slice of day old white bread (baguette or Italian loaf is good)
• 40 raw almonds
• 4 T raisins
• ½ inch piece of true cinnamon (not cassia, which is the Asian stuff)
• 3 whole cloves
• 1 disk Mexican chocolate, about 1.5 oz (You can find brand name stuff - Abuelita, Ibarra - in most US grocery stores. They are ok, but full of artificial flavors. I would also recommend just using some good, bittersweet chocolate. If you do that, just add a little more sugar. Mexican chocolate is mixed with sugar and a little cinnamon.)
• 2 Tablespoons sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt or to taste

The Process:

1. Clean the chiles: Remove the stems, open, and devein the chiles. Remove all of the seeds and set them aside. Try to keep the chiles in large pieces so they are more manageable. If you don´t handle chiles often, you should wear gloves.
2. Put 1 ½ Tablespoons of the seeds of each chile type into a heavy-bottomed skillet over medium high heat. Toast until golden brown then pour into a dish.
3. Toast the sesame seeds in the same pan until golden brown. Set aside 3 Tablespoons of the sesame seeds for garnish later and add the rest to the chile seeds.
4. In a large frying pan, heat up about 2 Tablespoons of the lard over medium high heat. Add the tomatillos and onion and cook until nicely browned, about 10-15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for a few more minutes then stir in the bay leaf, cumin, and aniseed. Transfer to a blender and process into a smooth puree (I used a stick blender for everything, which in some ways was easier. There´s lots of blending in this recipe).
5. Wipe out the pan and add another 2-3 Tablespoons of the lard and heat until hot and shimmering. Line a baking sheet with absorbent paper. Fry the following ingredients placing them to drain on the paper: Tortilla: just a few seconds on each side. Bread: until golden all around. Almonds: just a few seconds. Raisins: just until they puff up. Cinnamon bark and cloves: just a few seconds.
6. Add these fried ingredients along with 1 cup of your stock to the tomatillo puree and process into a thick paste.
7. Add the remaining lard to the same pan and again, heat to shimmering. Fry the chiles, a few at a time, tossing constantly, until they blister. If your fat is hot enough, this should only take about 10-20 seconds. As you finish, transfer them to the paper to drain. If you accidentally burned any of them, discard them as they will make the mole too bitter.
8. Place the chiles in a large bowl, add hot water to cover and soak for 30 minutes. Stir them every 10 minutes or so to ensure even soaking.
9. Place the sesame seeds and chile seeds you toasted and set aside earlier and process them in a spice grinder. Add them to the tomatillo paste. If you don´t have a spice grinder, they can just go right in with the nuts and raisins. The spice grinder helps make things more uniform.
10. Drain the chiles. Add them to the blender with about 1 cup of your stock and process into a smooth puree.
11. Pour about 1 Tablespoon of the fat into a large, heavy-bottomed pot or Mexican cazuela. Heat over medium-high. Add the complete tomatillo puree and fry, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes. Add the chile puree and continue cooking and stirring for another 3 minutes.
12. Break the chocolate into chunks and add it to the mixture along with the sugar and salt. Stir until melted and dissolved.
13. Add more of your stock about 1 cup at a time, until you reach the desired consistency. It should be a thick sauce, like thin gravy.
14. Taste and adjust the seasoning. It´s possible you may need to add more sugar if it´s a little too bitter or more chocolate.
15. Simmer for 30-40 minutes for the flavors to come together.
16. In batches in a blender or with your stick blender, process the entire mixture one more time.
17. Pour the sauce through a medium-mesh strainer to remove any little bits of skin or pieces of seeds or nuts that didn´t blend enough. The sauce should now be smooth as silk.

This is everything you should do the day ahead. Let your mole cool, then refrigerate until the next day.

Finishing the Dish:

1. Reheat the mole to simmering.
2. Taste and adjust the seasonings one last time.
3. Add the four pieces of dark meat and set a timer for 15 minutes.
4. Add the breast quarters and cook all of the chicken in the simmering mole for another 20-25 minutes until the meat is done and tender.
5. To serve, place one piece of chicken in the center of the plate, pour about a cup of sauce over the top of it, and sprinkle with reserved toasted sesame seeds. Typical sides are red Mexican rice and fresh corn tortillas. Enjoy!

You´ll have leftovers, which is great considering the amount of work that went into this sauce. The mole will keep in the fridge for about a week and in the freezer for several months. You can make enmoladas with it (basically enchiladas with mole), thin it out into a salad dressing, serve it over fish or shrimp, or one of my personal favorites, mole pie. Mole pie is basically a casserole. Shred cooked chicken, pour mole over it, and put it into a baking dish and top with a pie pastry. Bake until the pastry is golden brown and you´re done! Makes a hearty meal.

I hope that you give this sauce a try sometime. The taste isn´t for every palate, but for those of us who do appreciate it, it is some of the best stuff on the planet. I will definitely be making more in the future as I feel the need to perfect the balance of flavors and textures.

Stay tuned as next week I´ll be posting the recap of our week in Mérida!