Mole Poblano Recipes

Steps:

• In an ungreased skillet, cook tomatoes over medium heat for 10 minutes or until browned; set aside. In the same skillet, cook peppers, a few at a time, over medium heat in 4 tablespoons shortening for 20-30 seconds, turning often; drain. Place peppers in a large bowl of hot water; cover and soak for 1 hour. , In a spice grinder, combine sesame seeds, coriander seeds, aniseed, peppercorns, cloves and cinnamon; process until finely ground. Set aside. , In a skillet, cook the almonds, pumpkin seeds and garlic in 4 tablespoons shortening until lightly browned, stirring often. Add raisins; cook and stir for 1-2 minutes or until raisins are plump. Add bread cubes; cook and stir for 2-3 minutes or until crisp. Drain well. , In a blender, combine 1 cup broth and reserved tomatoes; cover and puree. Add seasoning mixture, raisin mixture and 1 cup broth; blend until very thick. Pour into a bowl; set aside., Place 1-1/2 cups broth in blender. Add peppers, one at a time; process to a thick consistency. In a Dutch oven, melt remaining shortening over medium heat. Add pepper mixture; cook and stir for 10 minutes. Add tomato mixture; cook and stir for 6-8 minutes or until thickened. Add the chocolate, salt and remaining broth. Simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes or until mixture reaches desired consistency. Serve with poultry.

Steps:

• Pat turkey dry. Cut off wings; discard or save for another use. Cut off legs; separate drumsticks from thighs. Cut the breast into quarters. Sprinkle all sides of turkey pieces with salt. In a Dutch oven or large heavy skillet, melt lard. Cook turkey pieces in batches over medium heat until browned on all sides. Remove and keep warm. , Drain pan drippings. Return turkey to Dutch oven. Pour mole over the top; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 1 hour or until a thermometer reads 180°. , Remove turkey to a cutting board; cover and let stand for 15 minutes. Cut turkey into 1/4-in. slices if desired. Arrange turkey slices or pieces in a deep serving dish; drizzle with mole. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Steps:

• Heat about 3 cups water in a microwave-safe bowl for 3 minutes.
• Heat a griddle or comal over medium heat. Toast pasilla chiles, guajillo chiles, ancho chiles, cascabel chile, and morita chile for about 1 minute. Turn chiles over and toast until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove stems and seeds. Place chiles in the bowl of water; cover and let soak, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Place tomatoes on the hot griddle. Cook until blackened on all sides, 10 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a blender.
• Heat 1/4 cup oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic; cook and stir until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Transfer onion and garlic to the blender using tongs, tilting the skillet to reserve the oil.
• Toast cloves, sesame seeds, and coriander seeds in the hot skillet until fragrant and lightly browned, 30 to 60 seconds. Place in the blender. Cook cranberries in the skillet until toasted, about 1 minute; place in the blender.
• Pour an additional 1/4 cup oil in the skillet; reheat over medium heat. Stir in peanuts and almonds; cook and stir until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add to the blender, reserving oil in the skillet.
• Place tortillas in the hot skillet; increase heat to medium-high. Fry until slightly crisped, about 1 minute; place on a plate. Add the remaining oil and chocolate tablet to the skillet; cook and stir until melted, about 2 minutes. Pour into the blender.
• Place softened chiles and 1/3 of the soaking liquid into the blender. Add salt, white pepper, cumin, and oregano. Blend until smooth. Tear tortillas and add to blender; blend mole until smooth.
• Pour mixture into a large pot over low heat. Stir in broth slowly and add cinnamon stick. Simmer until slightly thickened and flavors meld, about 1 hour. Remove cinnamon stick. Pour mole over reheated turkey.

Steps:

• For the mole: Tear the ancho, anaheim, and chipotle chiles into large pieces and toast them in a dry skillet over medium heat until they change color a bit, about 2 minutes. Put them into a bowl with the raisins and cover them with hot water. Soak unti softened, about 30 minutes. In the same skillet over medium heat, add the almonds, sesame seeds, peppercorns, cinnamon stick, oregano, and thyme. Toast for 2 minutes, grind in a spice grinder, and add the powder to a blender. In the same skillet over medium-high heat add the olive oil, onions, garlic, and serrano. Cook until lightly browned, then add the tomatoes. Cook until vegetables are softened, about 10 to 15 minutes, then add to the blender. Add the chocolate and the soaked chiles and raisins to the blender along with some of the chile soaking liquid. Puree, adding more soaking liquid as needed, to make a smooth sauce. (This makes about 4 cups sauce, the recipe uses 2 cups, the extra can be frozen).
• Pour the lemon juice over the chicken and season it well with salt and pepper. Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed skillet and brown the chicken on all sides; remove the browned chicken to a plate leaving the oil in the pan. Pour 2 cups of the mole sauce into the hot skillet and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and return the chicken pieces to the pan. Simmer, covered, until the chicken is cooked through, about 20 to 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, put the onion and radish slices into a bowl. Add the lime juice and remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt. Mix well and serve with the chicken.
• Serve over cooked white rice with the onion and radish salad. Garnish everything with cilantro leaves.

Steps:

• For the chiles: The day before making the mole, remove the stems and seeds from the chiles; rinse the chiles and pat dry. Heat the oil in a large skillet, then add the chiles (in batches if necessary) and fry until glossy, about 4 minutes. Drain and place in a Dutch oven. Cover with 10 cups hot water, then add the vinegar and let stand overnight, covered.
• The next day, drain the chiles, then pat dry and reserve the soaking liquid.
• For the mole sauce: Preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat.
• Add the oil and chiles to a wok or a very large saute pan and turn the heat on medium-high heat. Once the oil is heated, remove the chiles to a plate, leaving the oil in the wok.
• Add the blanched almonds, peanuts, sesame seeds, pepitas, black peppercorns, anise seeds, cloves and cinnamon stick to the wok and toss to combine and toast, about 2 minutes.
• Grill the tomatoes, corn tortillas, bolillo roll and onion until each are charred on both sides. Remove from the pan and add directly to the toasted spices. Add the cocoa nibs, raisins, Mexican chocolate, mint and parsley and stir to combine, allowing the chocolate to melt.
• Carefully add the wok ingredients to a blender and slowly blend. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed with salt.
• Pour the sauce into a medium saucepan along with the chicken stock and 1/2 cup reserved chile liquid and turn the heat to medium. Once at a simmer, adjust the seasoning with salt.
• For the wings: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a sheet pan with foil and place an oven-safe rack on top of the foil. Coat the rack with cooking spray.
• Place the chicken wings in a large bowl along with the oil, cumin and smoked paprika and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss the wings until coated. Arrange the chicken wings in a single layer on the rack. Bake until crispy and golden brown, about 30 minutes.
• Place the wings in a very large bowl and cover with the mole sauce. Carefully toss until each wing is evenly coated.
• Add the wings to a platter and top with the parsley and pomegranate seeds.

Steps:

• In a medium saute pan, toast sesame seeds and place in food processor. In same saute pan add oil and fry almonds. Remove almonds, place in food processor, and fry peanuts. Remove peanuts, place in food processor, and fry plantains. Remove plantains, place in food processor, and fry raisins. Remove raisins and place in food processor. Remove all but one tablespoon oil and fry tomatoes.
• In a food processor grind together sesame seeds, almonds, peanuts, plantains, raisins, tomatoes, poblanos, aniseeds, and cinnamon; this is the mole. Thin with left over chile water. In large saucepan, heat oil. Add mole and cook in oil to bring out flavors. Add chocolate. When melted, add pre-cooked turkey legs and simmer until the turkey is heated through.

Steps:

• Poach the chicken in 2 quarts water with the onion, garlic, and salt. When cooked through, transfer the chicken to a plate and reserve the cooking liquid. Pour the liquid through a fine-mesh sieve and reserve. Remove and reserve the meat from the bones, discarding the bones and skin.
• On a comal or in a cast-iron skillet over moderately high heat, dry-roast the chiles, flipping occasionally, until they start to blister and change color. Transfer the chiles to a bowl of hot water and soak for 15 minutes. Drain the chiles and reserve the water then transfer the chiles to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth, adding the reserved water as needed. Push the purée through a small mesh sieve and set aside.
• On a comal or in a cast-iron skillet over moderate heat, dry-roast the tomatoes, tomatillos, onion, and garlic. Remove from heat and let cool. Once cool enough to handle, peel the tomatoes and the garlic.
• In a small skillet, over moderately low heat, heat 1 tablespoon of the lard. Add the peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, coriander, and anise seeds and toast until fragrant. Remove from the heat.
• Using the remaining 4 tablespoons of lard, fry the raisins until they plump and change color. Remove with a slotted spoon. Continue the frying process with the almonds, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, tortillas, bread, and reserved chile seeds, adding more lard if needed.
• In a blender or food processor, purée the roasted vegetables, spices, and fried ingredients in small batches, adding water as needed, to form a smooth purée. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve and set aside.
• In a Dutch oven over moderate heat, heat the canola oil until hot but not smoking. Fry the chile purée, stirring constantly until it changes color, about 8 minutes. Add the reserved vegetable and spice mixture. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally until the mole thickens, about 1 hour. Add about 2 cups of the reserved chicken broth and simmer for 30 minutes. The mole should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Add the chocolate and cook for 10 to 12 minutes. Season to taste with salt and sugar, and add more chocolate if needed.
• To serve, ladle mole over the chicken until it is completely covered, then garnish with toasted sesame seeds.

Steps:

• Cook's Note:.
• If you cannot find Mexican chocolate, replace with dark chocolate.
• For the chile paste:.
• Toast the ancho chiles by opening them and pressing them flat in a hot skillet for a few seconds on each side. Soak the chiles in hot water until they are very soft, about 30 minutes. Drain and pour into a blender with the roasted poblanos and chicken broth. Pulse until pureed. Season with salt and set aside.
• For the mole:.
• Heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the almonds, hazelnuts, pecans and sesame seeds and cook, stirring until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes. Remove the nuts with a slotted spoon to a food processor or blender. Add the raisins to the same skillet and stir for a minute as they puff. Put them in with the nuts. Add the anise seeds, cumin seeds, peppercorns, cloves and cinnamon stick to the skillet and cook until fragrant, about1 minute. Transfer to the food processor. Add the garlic and onions to the skillet and cook until browned, about 10 minutes. Remove to the food processor with the nuts and raisins. Then, fry the plantains and add to the food processor with the tortillas. Add about 1 cup/250 ml chicken broth and blend to a smooth paste.
• In a large skillet, heat some more oil over medium heat and pour in the mole. Add the ancho chile paste, chocolate, sugar and remaining 2 2/3 cup/660 ml chicken broth. Season with salt and pepper and continue cooking on low heat for about 1 hour. Serve the mole with roasted, grilled or poached chicken.

Steps:

• Combine the chiles, onion, garlic, tomatoes, 1 tablespoon of the sesame seeds, almonds, tortilla, raisins, cloves, cinnamon, and coriander. Puree small amounts of this mixture in a blender until smooth. (I added a small of amount of water or rum each time to make it smooth.).
• Melt the shortening in a skillet and sauté the puree for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the chicken broth and chocolate and cook over a very low heat for 45 minutes. The sauce should be very thick. The remaining sesame seeds are used as a garnish.
• Season chicken breasts to taste and grill over low heat for about 25 minutes or until desired doneness. Ladle mole sauce over each breast and scatter the tops with warm corn kernels. Garnish with cilantro leaves, thin slices of tomatillo.

Steps:

• Combine dried chiles, tomatoes, onion, tortilla pieces, raisins, garlic, 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, cloves, and coriander in a bowl. Puree small amounts of this mixture in a blender until smooth.
• Melt shortening in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the puree and saute, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Add broth and chocolate, and cook over very low heat until sauce is very thick, about 45 minutes. Garnish with remaining sesame seeds.

Steps:

• In a medium bowl place the red chile powder, sesame seeds, almonds, crushed tortilla, raisins, garlic, anise seeds, cinnamon, cloves, coriander, tomatoes, salt, peppercorns, and 2 cups of the chicken stock. Mix the ingredients together and pour them into a blender. Puree the mixture until it is a thick paste.
• Place the other 3 cups of chicken stock in a medium large sauce pan and heat it. While stirring constantly, gradually add the blended paste. Bring the sauce to a boil. Reduce the heat and add the chocolate. Simmer the sauce until the chocolate has melted and a thick gravy is formed.
• In a large saucepan, half filled with boiling water, place the chicken. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer the chicken for 15 minutes. Broil the chicken 5-10 minutes on each side or until it is nicely browned. Serve it with the sauce.