Red Mole Food

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.

LACQUERED CHICKEN IN RED MOLE

Steps:

• On a rimmed baking sheet, roast the tomatillos 4 inches below the broiler until splotchy black and thoroughly soft, about 5 minutes per side. Scrape roasted tomatillos into a large bowl, along with any juices from the sheet.
• In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the sesame seeds, stirring constantly, until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer half of the toasted sesame seeds to a large mixing bowl to combine with the roasted tomatillos; set aside the other half for serving.
• Remove and discard the stems, seeds, and veins from the dried chiles. Heat ¼ cup of the lard or oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Tear the dried chiles into large pieces and toast in the oil until they become aromatic and their interior side has lightened in color, 20-30 seconds for each side. (You will need to work in batches.) As they're done, remove them to a large bowl, draining as much fat as possible back into the skillet; reserve the fat. Cover the toasted chiles with hot tap water and allow them to rehydrate, 30 minutes.
• With the skillet still over medium heat, toast the almonds and garlic cloves, stirring, until they are browned and the garlic is soft, about 5 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the almonds and garlic into the bowl with the tomatillos and sesame seeds, leaving as much fat as possible in the skillet. Add the raisins to the hot skillet and stir for 20 or 30 seconds, until they''ve puffed and browned slightly. Scoop them out, leaving as much fat as possible in the skillet, and add to the tomatillo mixture; reserve the fat. Set the skillet aside, off the heat.
• Grind the black peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, and anise seed to powder in the mortar; transfer the powder to the tomatillo mixture. Tear the toasted bread into large pieces and add to the mixture; roughly chop the chocolate before adding.
• Add 2 cups of water to the tomatillo mixture. Drain the rehydrated chiles, reserving the soaking liquid if it''s not bitter. Otherwise, drain and substitute fresh water. Working in batches, add the drained chiles and some of the soaking liquid (or fresh water) to a blender; starting at low and moving to high speed, purée until very smooth. As you go, add more water as necessary to achieve an even consistency, similar to a thick canned tomato sauce. Use a rubber spatula to press the purée through a medium-mesh strainer into a large bowl; discard the bits of skin and seeds that don''t pass through. Repeat with the remaining chiles.
• Heat ½ cup lard (or vegetable oil) in a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. When it's hot, add the chile purée; it should sizzle sharply. Stir and adjust the heat as necessary to keep the chile purée at a brisk simmer. Stir every couple of minutes until it has darkened and reduced to the consistency of tomato paste, about 30 minutes.
• Blend the tomatillo-nut mixture as smoothly as possible (you may need an extra cup or so of water to keep everything moving through the blades). Pass the purée through the medium-mesh strainer into a large bowl; then add to the pot. Stir to combine and simmer over medium-low to low heat, stirring every few minutes, until the mixture is considerably darker and thicker, about 30-45 minutes.
• Check the thickness by dragging a spoon or rubber spatula across the bottom of the pot. If the spoon leaves a deep trail, the mixture is thickened sufficiently.Add the broth to the mole and stir well. Partially cover the pot and briskly simmer the mixture over medium to medium-low heat, stirring every 20 minutes or so, until the flavors come together and mellow, about 2 hours. If the mole has thickened beyond the consistency of a cream soup, stir in a little water.
• Season with salt (1 heaping tablespoon), and taste. Then add the sugar, stir, and taste. If necessary, add more sugar a tablespoon at a time, tasting as you go, until the mole tastes mellow and balanced: you should be able to detect hints of flavor from all the ingredients. (Note: Mole can be stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 6 months.) For the Lacquered Chicken in Red Mole (not in video): Heat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a small saucepan, mix together 1 cup of the mole with the agave nectar or corn syrup. Simmer over medium heat until glossy and reduced to 1 cup, about 30 minutes; set aside. Lay the chicken pieces in a single layer on rimmed baking sheets; season generously with salt. Bake until the chicken pieces are tender to the bone and the juices at the thickest part of the leg and thigh portions run clear, about 45 minutes.Raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees F. Pour off the juices that have collected around the chicken, then brush the pieces liberally with the mole mixture. Sprinkle with the reserved sesame seeds. Bake until a glaze forms on the chicken, about 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand at room temperature for 10 minutes. Then serve each portion of chicken with an additional ½ cup of the mole, garnished with watercress or flat-leaf parsley.

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.

SIMPLE RED MOLE ENCHILADAS WITH SHREDDED CHICKEN

Steps:

• From Ancho seasoning to mole: In a medium-size (4-quart) pot (preferably a Dutch oven or Mexican cazuela), heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the oil or lard over medium. Add the almonds and cook, stirring regularly, until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove the almonds to a blender or food processor. Add half of the onion to the pan and cook, stirring frequently, until richly browned, about 10 minutes. Use the slotted spoon to scoop the onions in with the almonds, leaving behind as much oil as possible. (If needed, add a little more oil or lard to the pan, let heat, then continue.) Add the raisins, stir for a minute as they puff, then use the slotted spoon to scoop them in with the almonds.
• Roast the tomatoes on a baking sheet 4 inches below a very hot broiler until blackened on one side, about 6 minutes, then flip them over and roast the other side. Cool, peel and add to the almond mixture in the blender, along with the cinnamon, chocolate and bread. Add 1 cup of the broth and blend to a smooth puree, scraping and stirring every few seconds.Return the pot to medium-high heat and, if necessary, add a little more oil or lard to coat the bottom lightly. When very hot, add the Ancho mixture and cook, stirring almost constantly, until darker and very thick, about 5 minutes. Add the pureed almond mixture and cook, stirring constantly for another few minutes, until very thick once again. Stir in the remaining 4 1/3 cups of the broth, partially cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, over medium-low for 45 minutes. Taste and season with salt and sugar. (If you have never made mole before, season it until it's slightly sweet--the sugar balances the strong flavors.)
• Warming the tortillas: Set up a steamer (with this many tortillas, you'll need 2 vegetable steamers set up in saucepans or a big Chinese steamer--either choice with 1/2-inch of water under the steamer basket); heat to a boil. Wrap the tortillas in 2 stacks in heavy kitchen towels, lay in the steamer, and cover tightly. Boil 1 minute, turn off the heat and let stand without opening the steamer for 15 minutes.
• Finishing the enchiladas: Turn on the oven to the lowest setting and warm 6 to 9 plates in it. Toast the sesame seeds in a small skillet, stirring frequently, over medium heat until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. In a medium-size saucepan, combine the chicken with 1 1/2 cups of the mole and warm over medium heat. Bring the remaining mole to a simmer.
• When you're ready to serve, quickly make the enchiladas by scooping 2 generous tablespoons of chicken onto a tortilla, rolling it up and placing it on a warm dinner plate. Continue making enchiladas, arranging 2 or 3 per plate, then douse them liberally with the hot mole. Strew with the remaining sliced onion and sesame seeds.

RED MOLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
• Slice the tomatoes crosswise in half. Using a small spoon or your fingers, scrape out the seeds. Place the tomatoes cut side down on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper (this keeps the acidic tomatoes from reacting with the pan) and roast for about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly, then remove and discard the skins and cores. Reserve.
• Meanwhile, also roast the peanuts on a baking sheet for 10 to 12 minutes. Let cool, then coarsely grind in a food processor. Set aside.
• Toast the anchos in a small skillet over medium heat. Soak in hot water to soften, about 20 minutes. Drain, and remove the seeds and stems. Reserve.
• Heat the canola oil in a medium skillet over high heat. Add the plantain slices and sauté until well browned and caramelized. Remove from the skillet and drain on paper towels.
• In a dry skillet, toast the annatto, allspice, cloves, and peppercorns until fragrant. Let cool, then combine with the canela in a spice grinder and grind to a fine powder.
• In a blender, puree the anchos and chipotles until smooth. Add the plantains, ground spices, and tomatoes and puree. Reserve.
• Pour the garlic oil into a medium pot and heat over medium-high heat. When the oil is very hot, add the puree and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the peanuts and simmer for another 2 minutes. Add the chocolate and let it melt. Stir in the vinegar and chicken stock and cook for another 5 minutes. Season with salt. Refrigerated, this keeps for 1 month.

MEXICAN CHICKEN RED MOLE (MOLE COLORADO DE POLLO)

Steps:

• Place chilies in large saucepan; add water to cover.
• Bring to a boil, remove from heat and let stand 1 hour.
• Cover chilies with a plate to submerge them.
• Season chicken on both sides with salt and pepper.
• Heat a large saucepan or dutch oven over medium heat; add olive oil to coat bottom of pan.
• Add chicken, and lightly brown on all sides; then add 4 cups water and 1/4 onion.
• Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour.
• Grind sesame seeds, cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, oregano, and thyme until pulverized.
• Set aside.
• Drain soaked ancho chilies and remove stems and seeds.
• Puree chilies in blender, adding a little water if needed.
• Pass through a sieve to strain out the peels.
• Without washing blender, puree onion and tomato.
• Remove chicken and strain broth into a bowl or pot.
• Add pureed chilies and tomato-onion mixture to pan; cook over medium heat for about 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add ground spice mixture, 1 1/2 cups of reserved broth, chocolate.
• sugar, and salt to taste.
• Add the meat; cover and simmer for 30 minutes.
• Add more broth as desired for consistency.
• Serve with soft tortillas and steamed rice, if you desire.