Canby Asparagus Mole Recipes

Steps:

• Split, stem, and seed the chilies. Toast them in a medium dry skillet over medium-high heat, flipping and flattening with a spatula, until fragrant, about 30 seconds per side. Transfer the chilies to a bowl, cover with very hot water, and set aside until soft and pliable, about 30 minutes and then drain.
• Adjust the oven rack to its highest position and preheat the broiler to high. Put the tomatoes, onion, and garlic on a foil-lined baking sheet. Broil the vegetables until the skins are charred and the garlic is soft, flipping as needed, about 8 minutes for the tomatoes and onions and 3 minutes for the garlic. Cool and then squeeze the garlic out of their skins, and put in a blender along with the drained chiles, tomatoes, onion, 3/4 cup chicken broth, chocolate, almonds, oregano, cinnamon, cloves, bread and chipotle en adobo. Blend until smooth.
• Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Carefully add the mole mixture and cook, stirring, until thick and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the remaining chicken broth. (The mole sauce can be made to this point a day ahead and refrigerated.)
• Add the chicken to the sauce and simmer until the chicken is heated through, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a serving dish, scatter the sesame seeds over top and serve with rice if using.
• Put the onion and chicken in a medium saucepan. Cover with the broth and 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat to a simmer and cover. Cook until the chicken is just firm to the touch, about 25 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, uncover, and cool the chicken in the liquid for about 30 minutes.
• Transfer the chicken to a large dish or bowl to cool completely, then cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Strain the broth and store, covered, in the refrigerator for 3 days or freeze for later use. Remove any fat from the surface of the broth before using.

Steps:

• Toast ancho, guajillo, and cascabel chiles in a heavy skillet until skins blister. Remove from skillet and stem, seed, and devein chiles. Set aside.
• Place tomatoes and green tomatoes in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Drain and blend in blender or food processor and set aside.
• In a large saucepan, heat corn oil over low flame. Cut the telera bread or 4 slices of white bread, into pieces and fry in the corn oil until golden brown. Add cinnamon stick, cloves, peppercorns, thyme, cumin, sesame seeds, peanuts, almonds, raisins, plantains, and walnuts. Stir ingredients together. Add more corn oil, to coat ingredients lightly. Add chopped roasted onion and minced roasted garlic. Continue to fry over low flame for about 20 minutes. Add blended tomato mixture. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Place corn tortilla over open flame and cook until burnt and crispy. Cut up and set aside.
• In a medium frying pan, fry roasted chiles in corn oil along with burnt tortilla pieces for a few minutes. Combine tomato/spice/nut mixture with chile mixture in large saucepan. Add chocolate piece and cook until melted over a low flame. Add about 1/2 cup chicken stock to mixture and stir. Place mixture into blender or food processor and puree until all ingredients have combined completely. More chicken stock may be added to smooth out sauce.
• In a large saucepan, heat vegetable shortening. Cook the puree in the shortening, stirring constantly. Add more of the chicken stock until you achieve the right level of consistency that you'd like. Warm sauce for another 30 minutes over a low flame.

Steps:

• Make the turkey: Put the turkey, onion, celery, cilantro sprigs, cloves, allspice, star anise, peppercorns and 1 teaspoon salt in a large pot; add cold water to cover. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium low and simmer until very tender, about 1 hour, 30 minutes. Remove the turkey with tongs and transfer to a plate to cool slightly. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring cup or bowl. You should have about 8 cups broth; if you have more, simmer until reduced to 8 cups. Skim the fat off the surface. Remove the turkey skin; refrigerate the meat until ready to use. (The turkey and broth can be made 1 day ahead; cover and refrigerate.)
• Make the mole: Preheat the broiler. Put the tomatillos, tomatoes, garlic and onion on a rimmed baking sheet. Broil, turning, until charred, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool. Remove the skins from the tomatoes and garlic.
• Heat 1/4 cup vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Fry the ancho and pasilla chiles in batches, turning, until softened, 30 to 45 seconds; transfer to a bowl. Fry the tortilla in the hot oil, turning, until browned, 4 minutes; add to the bowl with the chiles. Cover with water and soak 30 minutes, then drain. Add the chiles and tortilla to the bowl with the tomatillo mixture and set aside.
• Meanwhile, discard the oil in the skillet and wipe clean. Heat another 1/4 cup vegetable oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the almonds and fry, stirring, until golden, 3 minutes. Add the raisins and stir until plump, 30 seconds; transfer to a bowl using a slotted spoon. Add the pepitas and fry, stirring, until they begin to pop, 2 minutes; transfer to the bowl with the almonds.
• Discard the oil in the skillet and wipe clean. Heat the skillet over medium heat. Add the sesame seeds and toast, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes; transfer to a clean bowl to cool. Add 1 heaping tablespoon of the ancho chile seeds, the allspice, peppercorns, cloves, star anise and cinnamon stick to the skillet and toast, stirring, 2 minutes; transfer to the bowl with the sesame seeds and let cool. Grind the sesame-spice mixture in a spice grinder to make a fine powder.
• Put the fried almonds, raisins, pepitas, sesame-spice powder, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 2 cups of the reserved turkey broth in a blender and blend until smooth; transfer to a bowl. Working in batches, blend the broiled vegetables, fried chiles and tortilla, 1 teaspoon salt and 2 cups turkey broth until smooth.
• Heat the remaining 1/4 cup vegetable oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the pureed chile mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes (be careful-the mixture will spatter). Stir in the ground almond mixture and 2 cups turkey broth; bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Stir in the chocolate until melted. Add the turkey thighs and simmer until heated through, about 30 minutes. The mole should be the consistency of gravy; thin with more broth, if necessary. Season with salt. Serve with rice and tortillas.

Steps:

• Mix all ingredients except asparagus and oil in a bowl with a wire whisk until well blended. Dip asparagus individually in the batter and deep-fry them in at least 2 inches of peanut oil for 2 minutes or until golden brown.

Steps:

• Toast the pumpkin seeds in an ungreased pan, turning them over and shaking the pan from time to time to prevent them from burning. Set them aside to cool and then grind them in an electric grinder to a fine powder. Put 1 1/2 cups of the broth in a blender, gradually adding the tomates verdes, lengua de vaca, hoja santa, chopped epazote, and chiles, blending as smooth as possible.
• Heat the lard in a flameproof casserole in which you are going to serve the mole and fry the blended ingredients, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking; cook for about 25 minutes. Add the rest of the epazote.
• Stir 1/2 cup of the broth into the pumpkin seeds until you have a smooth consistency and gradually stir into the cooked ingredients. Continue cooking over low heat, stirring constantly for 10 more minutes. Take care that the pumpkin seed mixture does not form into lumps; if this happens, put the sauce back into the blender and blend until smooth. Add any remaining broth and salt, to taste. If the sauce is too thick, add a little water to dilute.

Steps:

• Clean the chicken pieces and place them in a stockpot with boiling water, onion, garlic, and salt, reduce the heat and poach the chicken until tender about 30 minutes. Remove chicken and reserve broth.
• Heat 2 pots of water to boiling. Add salt. Add chayote to 1 pot and green beans to the other. Cook each to al dente. Drain. Slice chayote and set both aside.
• For the Mole: Clean the anchos and guajillos with a damp cloth, cut them open, remove the seeds and stems, and spread them flat. Roast them on a hot comal or thin skillet. Remove from the skillet and place in a bowl of hot water and soak for 20 minutes.
• On the same comal or skillet dry-roast the tomatillos, tomato, onion, and unpeeled garlic, remove the garlic when black spots appear and peel it, and leave the vegetables until blistered and soft.
• In a small skillet, lightly roast the black peppercorns, cloves, and cumin until the aroma is released.
• Transfer the reconstituted chiles to the blender with enough water to process. Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons oil in large pan and pour the chile mixture through a sieve into the hot pan, it is important that all the pieces of chile skin are blended or removed so the sauce will be smooth. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for 8 minutes.
• While frying the chile mixture, blend all the roasted vegetables and roasted spices with enough water to puree. Add this mixture to the frying chile paste, let it simmer for about 20 minutes or until it is reduced. Add reserved chicken broth and simmer for 5 minutes. Dilute masa harina in 1 cup water and add to mixture. Let it cook 10 minutes, check for salt. Add the cooked chicken, peeled and sliced chayote and green beans and cook until heated through. Add hoja santa or cilantro.
• For the rajas de chile: Make a small slit in each of the chiles, fry them in hot oil, until all sides are blistered. Remove from oil. Let them cool down and remove the skin, discard it along with seed and stems, tear in pieces, and place the strips in a serving bowl, quarter the pearl onions, and add to the chiles along with lime juice, oregano, and salt.
• Serve with white rice and hot tortillas along with the rajas de chile.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Remove the stems, seeds and veins from the ancho and guajillo chiles. In a pan over medium-high heat, add 3 tablespoons of the oil and sauté the chiles for about 20 seconds on both sides. Transfer them to a pot with 3 quarts of very hot water. Sauté the tomatoes, tomatillo and garlic in the same pan until lightly roasted and fragrant, about 1 minute for the garlic and 2 to 3 minutes for the tomatoes and tomatillo; add them to the water with the chiles. Allow them to steep while you prepare the other ingredients, at least 30 minutes.
• Roast the pecans on a baking sheet for about 5 minutes. Allow them to cool, then process to a fine consistency in a food processor; set aside.
• Toast the bolillo in the oven directly on the rack until toasted and golden, 6 to 8 minutes. Let cool, then tear into large pieces and process in a food processor to make fine breadcrumbs; set aside (there should be about 3/4 cup of breadcrumbs).
• Toast the sesame seeds in a small pan over medium heat, stirring, until just beginning to turn light brown, about 3 minutes. Grind in a coffee or spice grinder until finely ground; set aside.
• In an 8-quart pot, add the remaining 3 tablespoons oil and set over medium heat.
• Drain the water from the chiles, tomatoes and garlic and begin blending them in a blender on high speed in batches. Add 1 cup of chicken broth to each batch, then pour into the 8-quart pot. Raise the heat to medium high and start adding the other ingredients. First, add the peanut butter and stir until it is well blended into the mixture. Next, add the ground sesame seeds and stir until you work out any lumps that may be visible in the sauce. Do the same with the finely ground pecans and chocolate tablet. Add the breadcrumbs, 1 teaspoon black pepper, cumin, cocoa, sugar, chopped chocolate and bouillon. Cook, stirring and working out any lumps that may be visible in the sauce. If you think the sauce is too thick, add another cup of broth. Bring down the heat to medium low while you start to sear the chicken.
• Heat a griddle (the type you use for pancakes) or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until hot. Sprinkle the chicken with salt and pepper and sear on the griddle for 6 to 8 minutes per side.
• Add the chicken to the sauce and allow to simmer until the chicken is very tender and the mole is thickened, 45 to 60 minutes. Taste occasionally for more salt or sweetness to your liking.
• I like to accompany my mole with homemade Tex-Mex rice and bolillos. Enjoy. Buen provecho!

Steps:

• Heat a heavy Dutch oven or saucepan over medium heat and add pumpkin seeds. Wait until you hear one pop, then stir constantly until they have puffed and popped, and smell toasty. They should not get any darker than golden or they will taste bitter. Transfer to a bowl or a baking sheet and allow to cool.
• Place cooled pumpkin seeds in a blender and add tomatillos, chiles, lettuce, onion, garlic, cilantro, cumin, salt, and 1/2 cup of the stock. Cover blender and blend mixture until smooth, stopping blender to stir if necessary.
• Heat oil in the Dutch oven or heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Drizzle in a bit of the blended mixture and if it sizzles, add the rest. Cook, stirring, until mixture darkens and thickens, about 5 minutes. (Hold the lid above the pot to shield you and your stove from splatters.) Add remaining stock, bring to a simmer, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered, stirring often, until sauce is thick and creamy, 15 to 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt. You should have about 2 cups.
• Steam potato wedges above 1 inch boiling water for 10 to 15 minutes, until tender. Steam asparagus and green beans for 5 minutes, or blanch for the same amount of time in salted boiling water. Transfer to a bowl of cold water, drain and drain again on a kitchen towel.
• Arrange the vegetables on a platter or plates and spoon mole sauce over, or heat through in the sauce, in the saucepan. Serve with rice or corn tortillas if desired.