Mole Poblano
 
Ingredients
  • 2 ounces ancho chiles
  • ½ ounce pasilla chiles
  • 1 ounce mulato chiles
  • 1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes, drained (or 1 large tomato, broiled and skinned)
  • 1 cup water
  • 6 whole cloves or ¼ teaspoon powdered cloves
  • ½ teaspoon allspice
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon dried thyme
  • 2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • ½ cup oil
  • ¼ cup sesame seeds (toasted or un-toasted)
  • ¼ cup pecans
  • ¼ cup almonds
  • ¼ cup raisins
  • 1 onion, diced
  • ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate, chips or chopped
  • (or one disc of Mexican drinking chocolate – omit cinnamon if using)
  • salt, to taste
  • chicken stock to thin mixture
  • chicken or turkey (see explanation at bottom of recipe)
Instructions
  1. Remove stems, veins and seeds from dried chiles,
  2. Discard stems and veins. Reserve 1 tablespoon seeds.
  3. Rip chiles into large pieces.
  4. Toast chiles for about 2 minutes on each side in a dry, very hot, heavy skillet.
  5. Rinse in cold water then place in a bowl.
  6. Cover with boiling water. Weigh chiles down with a place and soak for 30 minutes.
  7. Toast reserved seed in a very hot, dry skillet until blackened.
  8. Place in a small bowl and cover with cold water. Soak for 5 minutes.
  9. Strain seeds and put into blender. Add tomato, 1 cup of water, cloves, allspice, cinnamon, thyme and oregano.
  10. Heat a few tablespoons oil in frying pan and fry sesame seeds (if using un-toasted) until deep golden color (10-15 seconds). Strain and put in blender.
  11. Do the same with each of the nuts and the raisins.
  12. Sauté onion in a little oil over medium heat until lightly colored. Add to the blender canister.
  13. Puree everything until smooth.
  14. If mixture is too thick, add water.
  15. Heat ¼ cup oil in skillet then add the smooth blender mixture.
  16. Cook about 15 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
  17. Put chiles and 2 cups of soaking water in a blender and puree until smooth.
  18. Add to the pan together with chocolate. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes.
  19. Note: Mole can be stored in the refrigerator or frozen at this stage. When ready to use, add stock to thin to desired consistency.
  20. To serve: Cut a small turkey or a large chicken into eighths. Alernately, use one half turkey breast, all chicken breasts or chicken thighs with skin. Add oil to a pan and sear all sides. If using skinless breasts, do not sear. Thin the mole recipe below with two cups (or more) of chicken broth or water. Ladle a thin layer of the sauce over the bottom of a roasting pan. Place the meat over the sauce. Cover with the remaining mole. Bake at 350° F (172° C) for one to two hours, until the meat is cooked through. Remove the meat from the sauce. Skim any fat from the sauce. Remove the skin and bones. Slice into thick pieces and return the meat to the sauce. Heat through and serve.
  21. If using previously-cook do not thin the mole (unless necessary). Add pieces of the pre-cooked meat to the mole and simmer until heated through.
  22. Can also be served with beef or pork.
  23. Yields about 5 cups of mole (before adding stock)
Recipe by Crawfish and Caramel | Amy Eber at http://crawfishandcaramel.com/mole/