Pollo Con Mole Food

MOLE POBLANO

Steps:

• For the Lomo Saltado:
• Melt a little lard in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the halved onions and the 8 garlic cloves and cook until lightly browned. Remove from the pan and discard the onion. Reserve the garlic. In the infused lard, fry the roasted onions, roasted garlic, roasted tomatoes and tomatillos. Reserve.
• In another large skillet, add the sesame seeds, almonds, peanuts, raisins, prunes, plantains, coriander seeds, star anise and cinnamon, and toast until aromatic. Set aside.
• In a blender add the reserved garlic, the onion mixture, the nut mixture, croissants, tortilla pieces and the 1 1/2 quarts of chicken stock. Puree until a smooth mole forms. Transfer mole mixture to a large stock pot.
• Seed and devein the mulattos, anchos, pasillas and chipotles. Coat a large fry pan with lard. Add the chiles and saute until soft. Add the chiles to a blender and puree, then strain into the pot with the mole. Put the pot over low heat and add the chocolate and the sugar, stirring constantly. Stir in the remaining chicken stock, a little at a time, until the desired thickness of the mole is reached.

TEOTITLAN-STYLE BLACK MOLE

Steps:

• The day before beginning the sauce, remove the stems and tops from the chiles; carefully shake out and reserve the seeds. Rinse the chiles under cold running water. Spread them out in a single layer where they can dry completely. Let stand until the following day, turning occasionally and checking to be sure not a drop of moisture remains.
• Crush the bread to fine crumbs or grind in a food processor. You should have about 1 cup. Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350° F.
• Spread the chiles (they must be bone-dry) in one layer on a baking sheet. Toast them in the oven, turning frequently, until crisp and deeply blackened, about 20 minutes. Let the chiles stand at room temperature until completely cooled.
• Spread the pecans and almonds on a baking sheet. Toast them in the oven until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
• Place the crisp toasted chiles in a food processor and process until finely ground. Set aside.
• On a griddle or in a small cast-iron skillet, heat the reserved chile seeds over high heat, shaking the pan occasionally, until thoroughly charred and black on all sides, about 5 minutes. (Because of the fumes, this is best done outdoors if you have the means.) You can speed the process by sprinkling a few drops of vegetable oil over the seeds and igniting with a match, standing well back from the flame and taking care to shield your face, clothing, and hair. Place the charred seeds in a bowl, cover with at least 2 cups cold water, and soak for 1 1/2 hours, changing the water twice. Drain and set aside.
• Heat a griddle or medium-size cast-iron skillet over low heat. If using 1 large onion, cut it in half crosswise (leaving the skin on). Place the onion, individual unpeeled garlic cloves, tomato (stem side down), and tomatillos (in the husks) on the griddle. Cook, turning frequently. The onion and garlic are done when they are somewhat softened, about 8 minutes for the garlic and 20 to 25 minutes for the onion. The tomato is done when the skin is blackened and blistered all over, about 15 to 20 minutes. The tomatillos are done when they are lightly softened all over, about 10 to 15 minutes. (Handle them delicately so as not to squeeze them and pierce the skin, and turn frequently to avoid scorching.) Remove each kind of vegetable as it is done and set it aside in a separate small bowl.
• When the vegetables are cool enough to handle, remove the husks from the tomatillos and peel the rest, making sure to save the juices. If using a large onion cut in half, scrape the black bits off the cut side.
• Place the sesame seeds in a medium-size heavy skillet over medium heat and toast just until golden (about 3 minutes), stirring constantly and shaking the pan. Immediately scrape out the seeds into a small bowl to stop the cooking. Set aside.
• In a small, heavy skillet, heat 1 tablespoon lard over medium-high heat until rippling. Add the canela, thyme, oregano, cloves, allspice, nutmeg and ginger. Fry the spices, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Set aside.
• In a small skillet, heat another 2 tablespoons lard over medium heat until rippling. Add the raisins and bread crumbs; cook, stirring, until the raisins are puffed and the bread is lightly colored, about 2 minutes. Set aside.
• Now you are ready to purée all the ingredients, using either a blender/food processor combination or a blender alone.
• If using both machines, place the pecans, almonds, sesame seeds, bread-raisin mixture, ground chiles, and drained chile seeds in the food processor (working in batches as necessary). Process to a smooth purée. Next, place the fried spices, peeled garlic, onion, tomatoes, and tomatillos in the blender and process to a smooth purée. Combine the two mixtures in a large bowl.
• If using only a blender, line up all the prepared ingredients next to the machine on the counter, place some of each in the blender container, add a few tablespoons chicken stock, and process until smooth, adding more stock as necessary to facilitate blending. (This method requires great patience; small batches will be well puréed in 1 to 2 minutes while large ones may retain coarse bits of the spices. If thoroughly processed, the mixture will not require sieving, so try not to rush things.) Pour each batch into a bowl as it is done and proceed with the next batch.
• In a large, heavy saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the remaining 4 tablespoons lard over high heat until rippling. Add the purée, all at once, watching for splatters, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and cook, stirring frequently, until the harshness of the chiles is mellowed, 35 to 40 minutes.
• The mole should now be a heavy paste like a thick frosting mixture. It can be stored in the refrigerator for at least 4 to 6 days, or in the freezer for up to 6 months. In either case, it should be thinned before further cooking. Place the paste in the blender when ready to thin it; add 1 cup chicken stock (or as necessary) and process to combine thoroughly.

ARROZ CON POLLO

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Put the chicken in an ovensafe baking dish. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Use tongs to turn the chicken and evenly coat. Bake for 15 minutes until browned but not cooked all the way through (it will finish cooking with the rice).
• Meanwhile, add the remaining tablespoon olive oil to a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the rice and stir to coat.
• Toast the rice, stirring occasionally, until it is lightly golden, about 2 minutes. Stir in the onion and garlic and continue cooking until the rice is just lightly browned and the vegetables are starting to soften, about 2 minutes more. Make sure the garlic does not brown.
• Add the tomato sauce, cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, bouillon and 3 cups water. Stir to combine. Bring to a gentle boil, then reduce to a simmer and add the chicken to the rice in an even layer, skin-side up and not overlapping. Cover and cook until the rice is tender and the chicken is cooked through, about 20 minutes.

POLLO CREPES CON MOLE AZUL

Steps:

• Place the tomatoes, onions, garlic and jalapeno pepper In a 8 x 8 inch dish and drizzle with just enough olive oil to lightly coat the vegetables, season with salt and pepper to taste; put in a preheated 375 degree oven for 10 minutes, stir and return to oven for another 10 minutes.
• In a small dry skillet, place the cumin, ground nutmeg, cloves, cinnamon stick and chili powder; warm just until fragrant, taking care not to burn the spices.
• Place the roasted tomato/onion mixture in a blender container along with the spices, the stock, peanut butter, blueberries, coffee, chocolate syrup, orange juice, torn bread and Splenda; blend until smooth.
• Place the chicken in a 3.5 to 4 quart crock-pot and pour the mole sauce over all; turn on low and cook 6 to 8 hours or until chicken is falling off the bone, remove bones and cartilage, and chicken from sauce.
• Shred the chicken with two forks, cover and place in low oven to stay warm while reducing the sauce.
• Pour the mole into a medium size saucepan and bring to a rapid boil; lower heat and boil gently for 15 to 20 minutes or until thick; adjust salt and pepper to taste.
• To assemble, place crepe on serving plate, spoon shredded chicken down the center to within 1 inch of each side, fold in sides and fold top to center bringing bottom up to center, slightly over lapping. Repeat process with remaining crepes allowing 2 per serving.
• Spoon reduced mole sauce over crepes top with a dollop of light sour cream and sprinkle with scallions.

POLLO CON MOLE POBLANO - CHICKEN IN MOLE SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat a shallow layer of oil in a very large skillet, or use two skillets.
• Brown chicken in oil on both sides; add water to cover and simmer 30 minutes.
• While chicken is cooking, make the sauce by placing all remaining ingredients (except bay leaf) in a blender and processing until smooth.
• When chicken is done, drain broth and reserve.
• Add 1 to 1 1/2 cup of broth to sauce.
• Blend, pour over chicken in skillet, add bay leaf, and cook on low heat for 35 more minutes.

MOLE VERDE CON POLLO

Steps:

• Fry chicken in animal fat, until lightly browned.
• In a food processor blend cloves, peppers, pepper and tomatillos. Add mix to fried chicken and add 2 cups of water. Cook for 40 minutes.
• Just before serving add the epazote, parsley and hierba santa, which have been previously blended in a food processor with a little water, so they stay bright green.
• Cook for 5 minutes more and remove from heat. The sauce should not be thick.
• Serve with white rice on the side.

POLLO CON MOLE DE JEFE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Sprinkle the chicken chunks with 1 teaspoon kosher salt. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Quickly brown the chicken, in batches if necessary, and transfer it to a plate. Deglaze the pan with 1/4 cup of the chicken stock, after fond is deglazed, transfer the liquid to a small bowl and set aside.
• Give the pan a quick rinse and towel dry. Put the pan back over medium-high heat and when the pan is hot, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil (but not smoking) add the onion, and 2 pinches of salt, saute until nearly translucent, about 5 to 7 minutes, Stir in the garlic and cook for another 5 minutes. Add the dry spices to onion/garlic mixture and saute for 2 minutes. Next add the remaining 1 3/4 cups chicken stock (including stock from deglazing), and bring to a near boil but not bubbling. Turn the heat down to simmer, and whisk in the almond butter, tomato paste, sriracha sauce, salt to taste, and honey. Whisk the sauce until completely incorporated. Add chocolate pieces, and continue to whisk until melted. Gently simmer the sauce for 5 minutes on the stove, take the pan off the heat, and immerse the chicken into mole sauce. Cover the pan and put it into the oven for 10 minutes. Reduce the oven heat to 350 degrees F. Remove the cover from the pan and bake for 1 hour.
• As the mole bakes, spoon the mole sauce over the chicken if the chicken is exposed periodically, or give a gentle stir every once and a while if you see a skin forming. If the mole sauce seems to be reducing too much (if it looks overly pasty), then add a splash of chicken stock to thin it out. Take the pan out of the oven, remove chicken from the pan to a covered dish to keep warm. The sauce should be thick; if it's not gravy-thick then reduce it for a few minutes on the stove top. If the sauce is overly thick then thin it out with a splash of chicken stock. Taste and add more kosher salt if you like. Stir in most of the cilantro (reserve a few pinches for garnish), then add the chicken back to the sauce. Spoon the chicken mole into a serving dish and top with the diced tomato and remaining cilantro. Good accompaniments include a Spanish-style rice, roasted potatoes, stewed Mexican-style black beans, roasted pumpkin, or squash.
• Cook's Notes:
• - I prefer bone-in but can use boneless, bone in will make for moister, more flavorful chicken, if medium-size then split and cut breast (with or without bone-in) into 3rds, for large chicken breasts then cut into quarters.
• - Sriracha sauce is a spicy sauce from Vietnam with rooster on label, or you can substitute with fresh minced habanero pepper or good quality hot sauce to taste, (if not using sriracha make sure you use substitute heat with caution, for example 1 teaspoon fresh habanero is far hotter than equal part sriracha) but sriracha works best in this recipe. It's now available in most grocery stores.

POLLO EN MOLE (CHICKEN IN MOLE SAUCE)

Steps:

• Wash chicken and cut into large chunks.
• Place in a pot with enough water to cover the chicken and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer on medium for about 15 minutes.
• Remove all of the broth and add back 1 cup of that broth to the pot.
• Mix together the peanut butter, chocolate syrup, chili powder, tomato sauce, cloves, cinnamon, paprika and salt in a bowl and then add to the pot. Mix well.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and cook for about 30 minutes.
• Serve with warm tortillas.

POLLO MOLE POBLANO

Steps:

• In a medium bowl place the red chile powder, sesame seeds, almonds, crushed tortilla, raisins, garlic, anise seeds, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, tomatoes, salt, peppercorns, and 2 cups of the chicken stock. Mix the ingredients together and pour them into a blender. Puree the mixture until it is a thick paste.
• Place the other 3 cups of chicken stock in a medium large sauce pan and heat it. While stirring constantly, gradually add the blended paste. Bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat and add the chocolate. Simmer the sauce until the chocolate has melted and a thick gravy is formed.
• In a large saucepan, half filled with boiling water, place the chicken. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer the chicken for 15 minutes. Broil the chicken 5-10 minutes on each side or until it is nicely browned. Serve it with the sauce.

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.