Mexican Mole Turkey With Chocolate Chili Baste Food

EASY MOLE RECIPE

Steps:

• In a large skillet, roast the tomatoes.
• Add the dried ancho chile.
• Toast for 1 minute on each side.
• Remove immediately.
• If the chile burns, the sauce will be bitter.
• Continue roasting the tomatoes while you boil 4 cups of water.
• Remove the stems and open up the anchos to remove the seeds.
• Discard the stems and the seeds.
• Place the anchos inside the boiling water.
• Turn the heat off and let them sit in the hot water for 5 minutes, or until pliable.
• Roast the tomatoes on all sides.
• Add the onion, garlic, and bread to the skillet.
• Char all the sides of the onions as well.
• Remove the garlic and bread once toasted.
• Remove the onions and tomatoes once they are ready.
• Discard the water from the dried chiles.
• Place the rehydrated dried chiles, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and bread into a blender.
• Add 1 cup of water.
• Blend until smooth.
• Heat the olive oil in a stock pot.
• Place a strainer over the top of the stock pot.
• Carefully and slowly strain the mole sauce into the stock pot.
• Remove strainer.
• Add the chicken broth and Mexican chocolate tablet.
• Stir until the chocolate has melted.
• Taste it. If you want it sweeter, add 1 tbsp sugar.
• Add the sauce, 2 cups chicken broth, and cooked chicken to a stock pot.
• Once the chicken is fully heated, it's ready!
• Serve with rice and tortillas. Enjoy!

TURKEY MOLE

Steps:

• Make the turkey: Put the turkey, onion, celery, cilantro sprigs, cloves, allspice, star anise, peppercorns and 1 teaspoon salt in a large pot; add cold water to cover. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until very tender, about 1 hour, 30 minutes. Remove the turkey with tongs and transfer to a plate to cool slightly. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring cup or bowl. You should have about 8 cups broth; if you have more, simmer until reduced to 8 cups. Skim the fat off the surface. Remove the turkey skin; refrigerate the meat until ready to use. (The turkey and broth can be made 1 day ahead; cover and refrigerate.)
• Make the mole: Preheat the broiler. Put the tomatillos, tomatoes, garlic and onion on a rimmed baking sheet. Broil, turning, until charred, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool. Remove the skins from the tomatoes and garlic.
• Heat 1/4 cup vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the ancho and pasilla chiles in batches, turning, until softened, 30 to 45 seconds; transfer to a bowl. Fry the tortilla in the hot oil, turning, until browned, 4 minutes; add to the bowl with the chiles. Cover with water and soak 30 minutes, then drain. Add the chiles and tortilla to the bowl with the tomatillo mixture and set aside.
• Meanwhile, discard the oil in the skillet and wipe clean. Heat another 1/4 cup vegetable oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the almonds and fry, stirring, until golden, 3 minutes. Add the raisins and stir until plump, 30 seconds; transfer to a bowl using a slotted spoon. Add the pepitas and fry, stirring, until they begin to pop, 2 minutes; transfer to the bowl with the almonds.
• Discard the oil in the skillet and wipe clean. Heat the skillet over medium heat. Add the sesame seeds and toast, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes; transfer to a clean bowl to cool. Add 1 heaping tablespoon of the ancho chile seeds, the allspice, peppercorns, cloves, star anise and cinnamon stick to the skillet and toast, stirring, 2 minutes; transfer to the bowl with the sesame seeds and let cool. Grind the sesame-spice mixture in a spice grinder to make a fine powder.
• Put the fried almonds, raisins, pepitas, sesame-spice powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 2 cups of the reserved turkey broth in a blender and blend until smooth; transfer to a bowl. Working in batches, blend the broiled vegetables, fried chiles and tortilla, 1 teaspoon salt and 2 cups turkey broth until smooth.
• Heat the remaining 1/4 cup vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the pureed chile mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes (be careful-the mixture will spatter). Stir in the ground almond mixture and 2 cups turkey broth; bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Stir in the chocolate until melted. Add the turkey thighs and simmer until heated through, about 30 minutes. The mole should be the consistency of gravy; thin with more broth, if necessary. Season with salt. Serve with rice and tortillas.

MEXICAN MOLE TURKEY WITH CHOCOLATE CHILI BASTE

Steps:

• Put all the spices in a heavy-bottomed, non-stick frying pan. Put on the heat, and cook until the spices become fragrant, stirring frequently, about one minute. Transfer to a bowl, and set aside. Return the pan to the heat again, add the peanut oil, garlic, ground almonds and sugar and cook over a gentle heat, lightly toasting the almonds. Add the chocolate, spices and enough hot water to make a thick paste. Cook for two minutes, then leave to cool. Place in a bowl, cover and refrigerate overnight. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. To cook the turkey, rub the chocolate paste all over the turkey crown, massaging it well into the flesh. Put it in a roasting pan, drizzle the vegetable oil over and place in the oven, allowing about 20 minutes per pound. Brush with more paste during the cooking. Towards the final 10 minutes of cooking, brush with one final baste and sprinkle the sesame seeds over the bird, then finish cooking. Serve with grilled red peppers and grilled squash. NOTE: Turkey cooked in a classic chocolate-chili mole sauce is a staple of Mexican cooking and has been enjoyed since the time of the Aztecs. A turkey crown is essentially a whole turkey with the legs removed, but some butchers will also remove all the undercarriage of the bird as well.

TURKEY MOLE POBLANO

Steps:

• Heat about 3 cups water in a microwave-safe bowl for 3 minutes.
• Heat a griddle or comal over medium heat. Toast pasilla chiles, guajillo chiles, ancho chiles, cascabel chile, and morita chile for about 1 minute. Turn chiles over and toast until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove stems and seeds. Place chiles in the bowl of water; cover and let soak, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Place tomatoes on the hot griddle. Cook until blackened on all sides, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a blender.
• Heat 1/4 cup oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Transfer onion and garlic to the blender using tongs, tilting the skillet to reserve the oil.
• Toast cloves, sesame seeds, and coriander seeds in the hot skillet until fragrant and lightly browned, 30 to 60 seconds. Place in the blender. Cook cranberries in the skillet until toasted, about 1 minute; place in the blender.
• Pour an additional 1/4 cup oil in the skillet; reheat over medium heat. Stir in peanuts and almonds; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add to the blender, reserving oil in the skillet.
• Place tortillas in the hot skillet; increase heat to medium-high. Fry until slightly crisped, about 1 minute; place on a plate. Add the remaining oil and chocolate tablet to the skillet; cook and stir until melted, about 2 minutes. Pour into the blender.
• Place softened chiles and 1/3 of the soaking liquid into the blender. Add salt, white pepper, cumin, and oregano. Blend until smooth. Tear tortillas and add to blender; blend mole until smooth.
• Pour mixture into a large pot over low heat. Stir in broth slowly and add cinnamon stick. Simmer until slightly thickened and flavors meld, about 1 hour. Remove cinnamon stick. Pour mole over reheated turkey.

TURKEY MOLE SAUCE

Steps:

• In large bowl, combine tomatoes, bread, chocolate, sesame seeds, cinnamon, coriander seeds, black pepper, and cloves. Set aside.
• In large, heavy skillet over moderately high heat, heat 2 tablespoons oil until hot but not smoking. Working in about 5 batches and adding 1 tablespoon oil between each batch, fry mulato, pasilla, and ancho chiles until beginning to blister and change color, about 15 seconds per side (do not burn). Using tongs and shaking off excess oil, transfer chiles to large bowl. Add boiling water to cover and let soak until softened, about 45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in same skillet over moderately high heat, heat remaining 2 tablespoons oil until hot but not smoking. Add almonds and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer to paper towel-lined plate, reserving oil. Add raisins to oil in skillet and sauté until plump, about 2 minutes. Transfer to paper towel-lined plate, again reserving oil. Add onion and garlic to skillet and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes. Remove skillet from heat.
• Transfer onion, garlic, almonds, and raisins to bowl with tomato mixture. Add 1/2 cup stock. Transfer mixture to food processor and purée until smooth. Return to skillet and set aside.
• When chiles have softened, drain, pat dry, and transfer to food processor. Add chipotle and 1/2 cup stock and purée until smooth.
• Transfer chile mixture to skillet with tomato mixture. Stir in remaining 1 cup stock, brown sugar, and salt. Set over moderately high heat and bring to simmer, then reduce heat to moderately low and simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes. Let cool, then use to coat turkey or store in refrigerator up to 3 days.