Mole Coloradito Food

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.

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.

ENCHILADAS DE POLLO EN MOLE COLORADITO

Steps:

• Combine the ancho, pasilla and guajillo chiles and raisins in a medium bowl. Add enough hot water to cover, cover the bowl and soak until the chiles are softened and the raisins plump, 15 to 20 minutes. Strain. Remove and discard the stems from the chiles. Set the raisins and chiles aside.
• Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the tomatoes, tomatillos, onion and garlic on a rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with enough oil to coat and sprinkle with salt. Roast until the vegetables are soft and slightly charred, about 25 minutes.
• Place the sourdough on a small rimmed baking sheet, drizzle lightly with oil and season with salt. Spread out in an even layer and toast until golden brown, 6 to 9 minutes.
• Place the cloves, cumin and cinnamon stick in a small heavy skillet. Place over medium heat and cook, stirring constantly, until toasted and fragrant, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a small plate. Add 3 tablespoons of the sesame seeds to the same skillet over medium heat and toast, stirring often, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer to the plate with the toasted spices.
• Drain the chiles and raisins. Working in 2 batches, combine the chiles and raisins, roasted vegetables, toasted sesame seeds, cinnamon stick, cloves, cumin, sourdough and broth in a blender. Puree until smooth, return to the bowl and set aside.
• To refry the sauce, pour enough oil into a 6-quart saucepan to cover the bottom. Place over high heat. Once the oil just begins to smoke, partially cover the pot to protect from the sauce splattering and carefully pour in the blended ingredients (see Cook's Note). Immediately cover the pot, lower the heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, for 30 minutes; this will allow the flavors to marry and intensify.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• To assemble the enchiladas, add about 1 tablespoon oil to a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Fry the tortillas one at a time, turning them once, just until soft and pliable; this will make them easier to roll and prevent them from cracking. Set them aside in a stack on a plate, covered, to keep warm.
• When ready to assemble, flip the stack of tortillas to use the ones on the bottom first, fill each tortilla with chicken, roll to enclose and place side-by-side in a row in a large baking dish. Once the dish is full, cover the enchiladas completely with the mole and bake until the chicken is warmed through, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, place the remaining 1 tablespoon sesame seeds in a small heavy skillet set over medium heat. Toast, stirring constantly, until just lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Sprinkle the enchiladas with the sesame seeds and serve.

MOLE COLORADITO

Steps:

• In a large pot, boil 12 cups salted water. Add chicken, onion and 3 garlic cloves. Reduce to simmer. Cook 25 minutes or until chicken is just cooked through. Remove chicken to a plate, and keep warm. Pour broth through a sieve into a bowl; reserve.
• Stem and seed chilies. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, roast chilies 3 to 5 minutes until they smoke and blister. Transfer to a medium bowl, and cover with boiling water. Soak for 20 minutes.
• In same skillet, roast remaining garlic cloves and tomatoes over medium-high heat 12 to 15 minutes. Turn to blister all surfaces. Garlic should be soft and tomatoes evenly covered with brown/black spots. When garlic cools, remove skin.
• In same skillet, heat 3 tablespoons oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add bread, and fry until pale gold, about 2 minutes, turning once. Remove bread from skillet. Add sesame seeds, almonds, peppercorns, oregano and cloves. Cook, stirring frequently, about 4 minutes, until fragrant and seeds are lightly colored. Reserve.
• Drain chilies, discarding soaking liquid. Transfer to a blender with 1/2 cup reserved chicken broth. Puree, pushing down and scraping sides, as needed. In same skillet, heat remaining oil over medium-high heat. Add paste made from chilies and cook, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes, until paste darkens and oil is absorbed. Transfer to pot chicken was cooked in.
• In blender, puree fried bread, roasted garlic, tomatoes, seeds, almonds and spices with 2 cups broth. Scrape down sides as needed. Transfer to pot with chili paste.
• Place cinnamon in blender with 1/4 cup broth. Puree. Press through sieve over chili paste mixture. Add 1 quart broth to pot, stirring to combine. Increase to high heat. Bring to a boil. Add sugar, salt and pepper. Reduce heat and cook 40 to 50 minutes, until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
• Add reserved chicken. Simmer over medium-low heat for 10 minutes. Serve with rice and corn tortillas.

MOLE COLORADITO ENCHILADAS, FROM RICK BAYLESS

Steps:

• Set a large (10-inch) skillet over medium heat. When hot, lay a few chile pieces on the hot surface in single layer. Press down with a metal spatula until they change color and become aromatic - about 15 seconds. Flip the chiles and press down, toasting other side. Remove to a bowl. When all are toasted, cover chiles with hot tap water and weight with a plate. Let soak until soft, about 30 minutes.
• Roast the tomatoes on a baking sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler until blackened on all sides, about 10 minutes. Remove & cool.
• Return chile-toasting skillet to medium heat. Add the onion slices and all of the garlic. Roast the onion on both sides until soft and blackened in spots, about 8 minutes. Roast the garlic on all sides until soft and blackened in places, about 15 minutes. Remove from skillet and cool.
• Return the onion-roasting skillet to medium heat. Pour in 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil, then pour in the sesame seeds. Stir continually until the sesame seeds brown, about 2 minutes. Scrape into a large bowl.
• Use tongs to transfer chiles to the bowl with sesame seeds, saving the soaking water. Add the oregano, cloves, pepper, cinnamon, raisins and almonds to the chiles and sesame seeds. Mix well, then scoop half of the mixture into a blender. Pour in just enough chile-soaking water to cover. Cover and blend at high speed until very smooth. Set a medium-mesh strainer over another bowl. Pour in the chile puree and press through with a rubber spatula. Discard the chile skins and sesame seed hulls left in the strainer. Blend the remaining mixture with the soaking water. Strain into the same bowl.
• When the roasted tomatoes are cool, peel off and discard skins. Put the tomatoes in the blender. Peel and roughly chop the roasted garlic. Add to the blender along with the roughly chopped onion. Cover and blend at high speed until smooth. Wash and dry the skillet. Set over medium-high heat and add 1 tablespoon of the vegetable oil. When hot, add the tomato puree. Cook - stir almost continually - until the tomato mixture thickens, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Set a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil. When hot, add the chile puree and stir continuously until the mixture becomes very thick - about 20 minutes.
• Scrape in the cooked tomato mixture, bread crumbs and chocolate. Add the chicken broth and stir until the chocolate melts. Turn down the heat to medium-low and cook 30 minutes.
• Finally, remove from heat and stir in sugar & salt.
• To make enchiladas with the sauce, just warm up some tortillas on a skillet or in the microwave. Fill each tortillas with about 2 tablespoons of chicken and 1 tablespoon of mole sauce. Roll each tortilla, and lay three each on 4 dinner plates. Douse each plate with 1/4 cup sauce (I use way more) and top with a sprinkling of parsley. Serve immediately.

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.