I love Mexican food. So much so that I think I was Mexicana in a previous life. Actually, I say that when I eat just about any food, really. I've been Japanese, French, Italian...you get the picture. My newest love is mole. You're probably saying, "Well, what took you so long?" Honestly, I had a bit of a bad experience years ago (I'll spare you the gory details) and have been a bit averse to trying this rich dish again. But with a less whimpy belly, a fierce gusto for food and a recent trip back to Mexico, I tried it once more. "Holy mole this is good!" I cried with gastronomical glee. I.Am.Hooked. I know visually it may not knock your socks off, but believe me taste-wise it will.
Mole (pronounced mo-lay) is like curry. In fact, mole is a generic term for "sauce" and, like curry, comes in a variety of flavors. Such as, guacamole, or "avocado sauce." Probably the most well-know mole is Mole Poblano which is made from dried chili peppers, a whole gang of spices such as cinnamon and cloves, ground seeds and nuts, Mexican chocolate (stay with me now, it's great), aromatics...oh the list goes on! It's no easy thing to whip up a mole. Well, a good traditional Mole Poblano, that is. It can take days to prepare a truly authentic one. But the good news is there are a variety of premade moles readily available at your local Mexican market or markets that carry ethnic foods. We bought a Mole Verde (green mole) and prepared it with chicken like so: We julienned some red and yellow peppers along with a large sweet yellow onion. Then we sauteed them in a large pan with a bit of olive oil until browned, removed them from the pan and set aside. In the same pan we heated up some more olive oil and browned a whole chicken (cut into parts). Once browned we added the pepper and onion mixture to the chicken. In a separate saucepan we heated the entire jar of mole and a bottle of white wine (minus a sip or two - wink, wink) until thoroughly mixed. We then added the sauce to the chicken and simmered the whole shebang for hours. You want to simmer at least a good two hours to allow the flavors to truly marry. Muuuuuy delicioso!
Click below for a Green Mole recipe:
Comments
May 4, 2008
I love Foodista! Holy Moly your Mole looks good. I have tried it before and have to agree it is delicious.
D.
May 4, 2008
Buen provecho, Sheri. I agree that it's nearly impossible to capture the subtle joy of mole in a photo.
If you'd like to learn how to prepare the special sauce in situ, check out Estela Silva's Mexican Home Cooking school in Tlaxcala (www.mexicanhomecooking.com), Mexico's tiniest state, adjacent to the vibrant culinary heart of Puebla.
May 5, 2008
I agree with the above comments....also I can almost taste that wonderful holy Mole....YUM YUM!!
February 11, 2009
Hey, if you like mole. There is a great recipe and really easy to do. We in Mexico eat it for dinner or lunch (you see in Mexico breakfast and lunch are really important). Basically you have to have your mole sauce (the one you like), tortillas, cheese (please do NOT use cheddar cheese, thats TEX MEX) use some nice cheese that is fresh and a bit sour, in Mexico we have "Queso Fresco" so if you find it in US its great, and finally chicken in thin stripes. You just fry the tortillas with little oil in a saucepan, while you heat your mole in another... you fill the tortilla with the chicken and put the sauce all over the tortilla (inside, outside) as much as you like and then you put some cheese on top and if you like sour cream. Its delicious, nutricious, mexican and really easy to do. Saludos de Mexico