ngredients
——————————————————————————–
2 oz. chihuacle negro chiles (order from CMC Foods–Google it), or mulattos (easier to find, but you don’t get that anise-y flavor that distinguishes the black molé from the others)
shopping list
5 1/2 oz. mullato chiles
2 oz. pasilla chiles
1 pasilla de oaxaca chile, or chipotle meco (tan, dried, not canned in adobo)
2 tortillas, torn up
1/2 small onion, peeled and cut into thick slices
4 unpeeled garlic cloves
oil or lard
1/2 c. sesame seeds
1/4 c. each: sunflower seeds, peanuts, almonds
3 quarts rich chicken stock
8 plum tomatoes, chopped
4 oz. tomatillos, husked, rinsed, and chopped
2 slices bread, toasted
2 cloves
1 stick canela (true cinnamon)
1 t. oregano (preferably Mexican)
1/2 t. dried thyme
1 ripe banana
3 oz. mexican chocolate
salt, sugar
How to make it
——————————————————————————–
First, stem the chiles, then tear them open and separate the seeds and reserve them. Heat a pan over high heat, and add the seeds and tortilla (turn on your exhuast fan and open a window). When they’re quite black, dump them in a strainer and rinse under running water for a minute, until the water runs clear. Transfer to your blender and clean, rinse, and dry the pan. Add the toasted bread to the blender.
Put the pan on high heat, and add the onion slices and garlic cloves. Roast until soft, and remove to a bowl. Squish the garlic out of the peels and discard the peels.
Roast the nuts in a 350 degree oven until fragrant and remove. Heat the pan over high heat and add a half-inch of oil or lard. Be. Very. Careful. Here. Fry the chiles a couple at a time. They will get fragrant, and when they begin to lighten, remove them — it only takes a few seconds on each side. Be careful not to burn the chiles — and you still have the exhaust fan on and the window open, right? Remove them as they are done to a paper towel and drain. Put them in a large bowl, cover with boiling water, and let them soak for thirty minutes. Drain.
Reserve about 1/4 cup of the toasted sesame seeds for garnish, and put the remaining seeds and nuts into the blender. Add about 2 c. of the stock, and puree until smooth. Remove to a bowl. (There is no need to rinse the blender until you’re completely done with it.)
Puree the tomatoes, tomatillos, onion, garlic, and about 1/2 c. of the stock until smooth. Remove to a bowl.
Grind the cloves and cinnamon. Add the spices to the blender with the onion and garlic, oregano, thyme, banana, and about 1/2 c. of the stock. Puree until smooth and remove to a bowl.
Puree the chiles in two batches, each with 2 c. of the stock, and remove to a bowl. Now, you can wash the blender.
In a large, heavy, preferably non-stick pot, heat 3 T. of oil or lard over high heat until very hot. Add the tomato-tomatillo puree, and cook, stirring constantly, until very dark and thick. Add the seed/nut mixture, and repeat, stirring until again, very thick. Add the banana mixture and repeat, again until very thick. Add the chile mixture, turn the heat down to low, and let it cook until very thick and dark, stirring every few minutes. Add the stock and chocolate, mix well, pour into a slow cooker and simmer slowly on the low setting for five to six hours (you can do this on top of the stove, but be careful because the nuts fall to the bottom and tend to burn, and if that happens, you have to throw it all out).
Add salt and sugar to taste (dried chiles contain a large amount of tannin, and you may need to add some sugar to offset the bitter tannin taste, though most of it should have cooked away, and you do NOT want sweet mole). The Mexicans strain everything at every opportunity. It would be considered mandatory there to strain the mole when done. Don’t feel obligated. Really. It’s amazingly good whether you strain it or not.
Mole is a sauce. You can tuck a few chicken breasts in some of the mole (freeze the rest) and simmer them until done, then sprinkle them with sesame seeds. You can poach chicken breasts separately, shred the chicken, and moisten with mole as a taco or tamale filling. You can do anything you like.