Mole Coloradito With Roasted Fall Squash Food

MOLE COLORADITO RECIPE

Steps:

• Wipe off any dusty crevasses on the dried chiles. De-stem and de-seed the chiles, but don't worry about getting rid of every last seed.
• Roast the chile pieces for 1-2 minutes in a 400F oven. Alternatively, you can flash roast them in a skillet on the stovetop for 15-30 seconds per side. Once roasted, add them to a bowl and cover with hot tap water. Let the chiles reconstitute for 20-30 minutes. If they float to the surface you can use a small bowl or plate to keep them submerged.
• Rinse and de-stem 7-8 Roma tomatoes. Roast the tomatoes in a 400F oven for 20-30 minutes.
• Roughly chop an onion and peel 8 garlic cloves. Add a glug of oil to a skillet over medium heat and saute the onions and whole garlic cloves until lightly browned. Once cooked, add the onion-garlic mixture to the blender.
• Preheat a dry skillet over medium heat. Add 2/3 cup sesame seeds, 8 whole cloves, and 12 black peppercorns to the skillet. Toast until the sesame seeds are turning golden brown, stirring occasionally. Towards the end, add the powdered spices to the skillet (2 tablespoons cinnamon, 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano) and cook briefly. Add the mixture to a food processor or spice grinder and grind into a fine powder, setting it aside until you need it.
• By now the chiles are reconstituted. Take a taste of the chiles' soaking liquid. If you like it then you can use it to liquefy the sauce. If it tastes bitter to you then use stock to liquefy the sauce -- I used stock for this batch.
• Drain the dried chiles and add them to the blender along with a cup of stock (or soaking liquid). The onion-garlic mixture should already be in the blender. Combine well. It's worth it to take a taste at every step along the way, starting now!
• Add the roasted tomatoes to the blender and combine well. This should all fit in a single blender jar, but you may have to blend the tomatoes in batches.
• Add the finely ground spice mixture to the blender and combine well. I also added another cup of stock at this point. You'll need 3-4 cups total for the recipe -- I usually just keep track of what I add when blending and then add the rest for the simmer.
• Add 2 tablespoons raisins, 1/2 cup almonds and 1 teaspoon salt. Combine well.
• Add 2 tablespoons lard (or oil) to a large saucepan. Once heated, add the Coloradito sauce from the blender to the saucepan and simmer until heated through. Use a splatter screen if you have one, otherwise a layer of parchment paper or foil will do the job.
• Once heated through add 2 oz. chocolate (optional). I used 1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, but you can use Mexican chocolate if you want.
• Once the chocolate is incorporated into the sauce take a final taste for seasoning. I added another generous pinch of salt to this batch. (So that is about 1.5 teaspoons salt total but keep in mind this will depend on which stock you use.)
• You can optionally strain the Coloradito sauce at this point. Place a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and use a spatula to force the sauce through the strainer. Be sure to wipe the bottom of the strainer as the sauce tends to cling to it.
• Optional serving style: warm 10-12 corn tortillas in the oven (or flash fry them). Use tongs to dredge them in the Coloradito sauce. Add Queso Fresco and finely chopped raw onion to the tortillas, then fold in half and drench them with more of the Coloradito sauce. Serve immediately with optional garnishes: toasted sesame seeds, Mexican Crema, more Queso Fresco, and freshly chopped cilantro.
• Store leftover Coloradito sauce in an airtight container in the fridge.

MOLE COLORADITO

Steps:

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
• Toast the ancho, guajillo, cascabel, avocado leaves, bay leaf, canela, clove, oregano, cumin, coriander and peppercorns on a rimmed baking sheet until browned in spots (but not charred!) and very fragrant, nutty and spicy, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a large heatproof bowl.
• Toast the raisins, prunes, almonds, peanuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds on the same baking sheet until the nuts are lightly browned and the fruit are puffed and lightly toasted but not burnt, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the toasted chiles.
• Meanwhile, heat the schmaltz in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the plantains and cook until deep golden brown and caramelized on both sides, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl. Add the garlic, onions and 4 teaspoons salt to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender and lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the reserved chile mixture, the plantains, and the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the chiles are very tender and fragrant, about 30 minutes. Discard the avocado leaves, bay leaf and canela (if you can find them). Remove the pot from the heat and let cool slightly.
• Working in batches, transfer the stewed chiles to a blender and puree until very smooth and thick. Transfer to a large bowl and repeat with the remaining stewed chiles.
• Wipe the pot clean, transfer the mole to the pot and bring to simmer over medium-high heat, stirring constantly to prevent from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Simmer until the mole is the consistency of a smooth, thick tomato sauce, 5 to 10 minutes, adding water or additional stock if the sauce is too thick. Add the chocolate and stir until melted. Season with salt. Remove from the heat. Serve over roasted turkey or roasted chicken. Top with toasted sesame seeds.

MOLE COLORADITO

Steps:

• Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 450°F. Roast tomatoes, tomatillos, onion, and garlic on a rimmed baking sheet on upper rack until softened and browned in spots (vegetables should still hold their shape), 25-35 minutes. Let cool slightly. Cut the top off the garlic, exposing the cloves inside. Squeeze out roasted garlic cloves into a blender. Transfer remaining vegetables to blender and purée until smooth. Scrape into a medium bowl.
• While the vegetables are roasting, toast ancho and guajillo chiles on a clean rimmed baking sheet on lower rack until guajillo chiles are slightly darker in spots, about 4 minutes. Let cool slightly, then transfer to a large bowl. Add raisins and 4 cups boiling water, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit 30 minutes.
• Transfer chile mixture to blender (you don't need to clean it); blend until thick and smooth.
• As soon as chiles are out of the oven, toast sesame seeds on another rimmed baking sheet on lower rack until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Let cool. Grind in spice mill, shaking occasionally, to a powder. Be careful not to overgrind or you will make sesame paste. Transfer to a small bowl.
• Very finely grind cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and cumin seeds in spice mill. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high and cook spice mixture, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add vegetable purée and cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture thickens slightly, 5-7 minutes. Add chile purée and broth, season with salt, and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until mole is thickened to the consistency of heavy cream, 60-75 minutes.
• Add sesame powder, chocolate, breadcrumbs, and piloncillo to mole and whisk until chocolate is melted and sesame seeds are incorporated. Continue cooking, whisking often to prevent mole from sticking to the bottom of the pot, until very thick and the consistency of marinara sauce, 30-35 minutes. Taste mole and season with salt as needed.

OAXACAN RED MOLE SAUCE (MOLE COLORADITO)

Steps:

• Chicken:.
• Cook the chicken in 4 cups of water, with garlic, onion and salt on medium heat for 45 minutes. Check to make sure that the chicken is cooked through.
• Mole sauce:.
• Wash the chiles with a damp cloth, remove the stems of the chiles, slit open with a knife and remove the seeds and veins. Toast the chiles on both sides in large frying pan over high heat, making sure that they do not burn.
• Soak the chiles in boiling water to soften them for about 10 minute Meanwhile, fry the almonds in 3 tbls. of the shortening on medium heat for 5 min., or until they are a golden color.
• Take them out and set aside.
• Next fry the raisins until they puff up and the skin browns a bit, then remove and strain in a sieve. Turn the heat down a bit, and fry the sesame seeds in the same oil, adding a little salt to prevent them from jumping from pan.
• Once golden, remove and store on an absorbent paper towel. Still in the same oil, fry the slices of bread, until they are golden. Remove and put on an absorbent paper towel. On a dry pan or skittle roast the garlic, onion and tomato until they are nicely toasted with black spots.
• In a blender, grind the chiles with a half cup of water, and add more water as necessary to blend. Once the mixture is smooth, pour into a saucepan and fry with one tbsp of the shortening for 10 minute on medium heat. Stirring occasionally to ensure that it does not stick to the pan.
• Next, blend both the roasted and fried ingredients together, until smooth. Blend the tomatoes and strain through a colander and add into the chile mixture. Now add the cinnamon sick, thyme, marjoram(if using) and the oregano. Cook for 5 more minutes. Add the chicken broth, salt, sugar and chocolate on medium heat, stirring occasionally. Remove cinnamon stick. Cool for 15 minutes. Pour the chicken in a serving dish, serve with rice.

MOLE COLORADO

Steps:

• Make chicken broth: In a deep stockpot, place the chicken, onion, cloves, peppercorns, parsley, and garlic and cover with water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer and cook until the chicken is completely cooked through and tender. Remove chicken from the broth and reserve; cover and refrigerate as you will not be using it for a while. Let the broth cool. Skim any fat from the surface and then divide broth into 2 equal-size batches.
• In a hot, dry, large skillet roast the chiles and then add them to 1 half of the broth. In the same skillet, toast the black peppercorns and cinnamon stick separately over medium heat until fragrant, about 1 minute, and then add them to the chicken broth with the chiles.
• In the same skillet, heat 1/4 cup oil over medium-high heat. Add the sliced onion and saute until transparent; remove onion and reserve. To the hot oil, add the chopped garlic and saute until fragrant, being careful not to burn it; remove garlic and reserve. To the hot oil, add the plantain slices and fry until golden; remove plantain and reserve. To the hot oil, add the peanuts and fry until golden; remove peanuts and reserve. To the hot oil, add the tortilla and fry until crisp; remove tortilla and reserve. Finally, fry the bread in the hot oil until crisp; remove bread and reserve.
• Add everything that has just been fried to the chicken broth with the chiles. Add the chocolate, raisins, and the roasted tomato to this same mixture and stir to combine. In batches, add mixture to a blender and blend until smooth*. Pour the blended mixture into a large bowl.
• In a dry medium saucepan over medium heat, roast the sesame seeds until they are fragrant; do not brown. Transfer the sesame seeds to the blender with half of the remaining plain chicken broth and blend until smooth*. Add sesame seed mixture to the large bowl with the other pureed ingredients. In the same saucepan, roast the squash seeds over medium heat until they become puffy. Transfer the squash seeds to the blender with the remaining chicken broth and blend until smooth*. Add squash seed mixture to the large bowl with everything else.
• In a "cazuela" or a large, heavy-bottomed wide pot, heat the remaining 1 cup of oil over high heat. When the oil is really hot, add the mole, bring to a boil, and then reduce the heat and simmer for at least 1 hour, stirring occasionally so that it does not stick to the pot. Then add the chicken and simmer for another 15 minutes. Serve with tortillas.

MOLE COLORADITO WITH ROASTED FALL SQUASH

Steps:

• Place a rack in middle of oven; preheat to 350°. Toast ancho, guajillo, prunes and raisins on a rimmed baking sheet until browned in spots (but not charred!) and very fragrant, nutty and spicy, about 5 minutes. Let cool slightly and transfer to a food processor. Toast almonds, peanuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, peppercorn, oregano, cinnamon, clove, bay leaves and avocado leaves until nuts are lightly browned and spices are very fragrant, 8-10 minutes. Let cool slightly and transfer to food processor with chile mixture. Purée until finely ground but not paste-like. Bring chile purée, stock and lard to a boil in a large heavy pot, reduce to low, cover and simmer for 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, increase oven to 450°. Roast tomatoes, garlic, plantain and onion on a rimmed sheet tray until softened and browned in spots (vegetables should still hold their shape), 25-35 minutes. Let cool slightly and transfer to a medium bowl. Cut the top off the garlic, exposing the cloves inside. Squeeze out roasted garlic cloves into tomato mixture. Scrape into simmering chile mixture, cover and simmer over low heat for another hour, mixture will be very fragrant and slightly reduced. Remove from heat, stir in chocolate and let cool 15 minutes.
• Transfer to a blender, working in batches if necessary, and purée until very smooth and thick; season with salt.
• Position racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven; preheat to 450°. Divide squash among two large rimmed baking sheets. Drizzle with oil; season with salt. Roast, tossing occasionally, until squashes are golden brown and tender, 30-35 minutes for kabocha and butternut and 20-25 minutes for delicata and honey nut. Let cool slightly.
• Ladle mole onto a large serving platter, top with roasted squash, crushed chile de arbol, sliced radish, parsley leaves, toasted pumpkin seeds and sliced white onion.
• Do ahead: mole can be made 3 days ahead, cover and chill.

COLORADITO (RED OAXACAN MOLE)

Steps:

• Put the chicken into a pan with the onion, garlic, and herbs; cover with water and add salt to taste. Bring to a simmer and continue simmering until the chicken is just tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.
• Remove the stems, if any, from the chiles, slit them open, and remove veins and seeds.
• Toast the chiles on a hot comale for a few seconds on each side, pressing them down until the inside flesh turns an opaque, tobacco color. Rinse the chiles in cold water, cover with hot water, and set aside to soak for about 15 minutes.
• Put the tomatoes into a blender jar and blend briefly. Heat 1 tablespoon of the lard and fry the sesame seeds for a few seconds until a deep golden brown. Transfer with a slotted spoon, draining them as much as possible, to the blender jar; add the oregano, cloves and allspice and blend until smooth, adding a little more of the water in which the chiles were soaking if necessary.
• Add more lard to the pan and heat; add the onion and garlic and fry until translucent.
• Add the cinnamon pieces and fry until the onions and garlic are lightly browned.
• Transfer with a slotted spoon to the blender jar. Add the plantain and bread to the pan and fry over low heat until a deep golden color; transfer to the blender jar. Adding more chile water if necessary, blend until you have a smooth puree. Gradually add the soaked chiles with more water as necessary and blend until smooth. When all the chiles have been blended, dip a spoon into the bottom of the blender jar and take out a sample of the sauce to see if the rather tough chile skins have been blended sufficiently. If not, add a little more water, stir well, and then blend for a few seconds more.
• Heat the remaining lard in a heavy pan or saute pan, add the blended sauce and chocolate, and cook over medium heat, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking, for about 15 minutes. Add 2 cups of the chicken broth and the chicken pieces, taste for salt, and cook for 15 minutes more. The sauce should be fairly thick and lightly cover the back of a wooden spoon.
• Serve with white rice and tortillas.

ROASTED ORANGE HOKKAIDO SQUASH

Steps:

• Wash the squash outside well, dry it, then cut it in quarters. With a large spoon scoop out the seeds.
• Cut the quarters into thick slices.
• Arrange the slices in one layer on a baking try, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt and cayenne pepper. Toss (with hands) to coat each slice with oil, salt and cayenne pepper. Add torn rosemary sprigs.
• Roast the slices in the oven at 200°C for 20 to 30 minutes, flipping them midway during baking, until they're cooked through and golden.
• Serve as a side dish to meat roasts.

MOLE AMARILLO -- MEXICAN YELLOW SAUCE -- YELLOW MOLE SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring 2 cups of water to a boil.
• In a dry cast-iron skillet or comal, toast the guajillo and ancho chiles over medium-low heat for 2 minutes, until fragrant; turn them and shake the pan so they don't scorch.
• Put the toasted chiles in a bowl, cover with the boiling water, and let soak until softened and reconstituted, about 20 minutes.
• Return the skillet to medium-high heat to get quite hot.
• Rub the onion, garlic, tomatillos, and tomato with the oil.
• Lay the vegetables in the hot pan and roast, turning occasionally, until soft and well charred on all sides, about 10 minutes.
• Put the vegetables in a bowl to let them cool a bit.
• Meanwhile, grind the peppercorns and cloves in a coffee grinder or spice mill.
• Put everything together in a blender or food processor and puree in batches until completely smooth.
• Melt the lard in a skillet over medium heat and pour in the puree.
• Cook and stir for 5 minutes, until the mole deepens in color.
• In a small bowl, mix the masa harina with 1/4 cup of warm water until smooth and lump-free.
• Whisk into the sauce and continue to simmer for 5 more minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened and able to coat the back of a spoon.