Pork And Mole Negro Recipes

Steps:

• In a 2 gallon stockpot, heat 5 quarts water and onions, celery, and carrots to a boil. Add chicken pieces and poach, covered, over low heat for about 35 to 45 minutes, until cooked through and juices run clear when pierced with a fork. Remove the meat from the stock. Strain and reserve the stock.
• Heat 2 quarts of water in a kettle. On a 10-inch dry comal, griddle, or in a cast-iron frying pan, toast the chiles over medium heat until blackened, but not burnt, about 10 minutes. Place the chiles in a large bowl, cover with hot water, and soak for 1/2 hour. Remove the chiles from the soaking water with tongs, placing small batches in a blender with 1/4 cup of the chile soaking water to blend smooth. Put the chile puree through a strainer to remove the skins.
• In the same dry comal, griddle, or frying pan, grill the onion and garlic over medium heat for 10 minutes. Set aside. Toast the almonds, peanuts, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, and cloves in a dry comal, griddle or cast-iron frying pan for about 5 minutes. Remove them from the pan.
• Over the same heat, toast the chile seeds, taking care to blacken but not burn them, about 20 minutes. Try to do this outside or in a well-ventilated place because the seeds will give off very strong fumes. When the seeds are completely black, light them with a match and let them burn themselves out. Remove from the heat and place in a bowl. Soak the blackened seeds in 1 cup of cold water for 10 minutes. Drain the seeds and grind them in a blender for about 2 minutes. Add the blended chile seeds to the blended chile mixture.
• Heat 3 tablespoons of oil in an 8-inch cast-iron frying pan over medium heat until smoking. Add the raisins and fry them until they are plump, approximately 1 minute. Remove from the pan. Fry the bread slice in the same oil until browned, about 5 minutes, over medium heat. Remove from pan. Fry the plantain in the same oil until it is well browned, approximately 10 minutes, over medium heat. Set aside. Fry the sesame seeds, stirring constantly over low heat, adding more oil if needed. When the sesame seeds start to brown, about 5 minutes, add the pecans and brown for 2 minutes more. Remove all from the pan, let cool, and grind finely in a spice grinder. It takes a bit of time, but this is the only way to grind the seeds and nuts finely enough.
• Wipe out the frying pan and fry the tomatoes, tomatillos, thyme, and oregano over medium to high heat, allowing the juices to almost evaporate, about 15 minutes. Blend well, using 1/2 cup of reserved stock if needed to blend and set aside. Place the nuts, bread, plantains, raisins, onion, garlic and spices in the blender in small batches, and blend well, adding about 1 cup of stock to make it smooth.
• In a heavy 4-quart stockpot, heat 2 tablespoons of lard or oil until smoking and fry the chile paste over medium to low heat, stirring constantly so it will not burn, approximately 20 minutes. When it is dry, add the tomato puree and fry until the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Add the ground ingredients, including the sesame seed paste, to the pot. Stir constantly with a wooden soon until well-incorporated, about 10 minutes. Add 1 cup chicken stock to the mole, stir well, and allow to cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Break up the chocolate and add to the pot, stirring until it is melted and incorporated into the mixture.
• Toast the avocado leaf briefly over the flame if you have a gas range or in a dry frying pan and then add it to the pot. Slowly add more stock to the mole, as it will keep thickening as it cooks. Add enough salt to bring out the flavor. Let simmer another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally so it does not stick, adding stock as needed. The mole should not be thick; just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
• Place the cooked chicken pieces in the leftover stock in a saucepan and heat through.
• To serve, place a piece of chicken in a shallow bowl and ladle 3/4 of a cup of mole sauce over to cover it completely. Serve immediately with lots of hot corn tortillas.
• You can use oil instead of lard to fry the mole, but the flavor will change dramatically. In our pueblo, people traditionally use turkey instead of chicken, and sometimes add pieces of pork and beef to enhance the flavor. You can use leftover mole and chicken meat to make Enmoladas or Tamales Oazaquenos made with banana leaves.
• Inspired by Maria Taboada and Paula Martinez

Steps:

• For the mole sauce: Toast the ancho, chipotle and morita chiles in a dry skillet until fragrant. Let cool slightly, then remove the stems and seeds and roughly chop. Transfer to a blender. Toast the corn tortilla in the dry skillet. Add it to the blender along with the almonds, peanuts, pine nuts, allspice, cinnamon, radishes, tomatillos, cloves and onions. Blend well.
• Transfer the puree to a saucepan and add the chicken stock and Mexican chocolate. Simmer until thick and fragrant, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes.
• For the pork tenderloin: Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Heat the olive oil in a skillet large enough to accommodate the tenderloin. Brown the tenderloin well on all sides. Sprinkle with some salt, pepper and cayenne, then transfer to the oven and cook to the desired doneness, about 15 minutes. Let rest for 5 minutes.
• Slice the tenderloin and divide it among 4 serving plates. Pour some sauce over the top, add a dollop of ricotta, and top with micro cilantro. Serve immediately.

Steps:

• Tear the tortillas into small pieces; toss with the chiles, sesame seeds, raisins, onion, garlic and five-spice powder in a bowl. Heat a large cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tortilla mixture; cook, stirring, until the sesame seeds are toasted and the onion is slightly charred, about 5 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits, until the liquid evaporates and the tomatoes start browning, about 6 minutes. Add the cilantro and 1 1/2 cups water; bring to a boil, scraping up the skillet. Working in batches, transfer to a blender and puree until smooth, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a 6-quart slow cooker.
• Season the pork all over with salt and pepper; add to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low, 8 hours.
• Before serving, pierce the sweet potatoes several times with a fork: microwave until tender, about 8 minutes. Remove the pork from the slow cooker and slice. Top with the sauce and more sesame seeds and cilantro. Serve with the sweet potatoes and tortillas.

Steps:

• In a large skillet over medium-high heat, brown pork chops in 1 tablespoon oil on both sides; remove and set aside. In the same skillet, saute the onion and green pepper in remaining oil until crisp-tender. , Add tomatoes and mole sauce; stir to combine. Return pork chops to the pan. Cover and cook for 10 minutes or until meat is no longer pink. Serve with rice if desired.

Steps:

• Heat a large dry skillet over low heat; cook the sesame seeds until they are fragrant, about 3 minutes; transfer to a small bowl, cover and set aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in the skillet over medium-high heat; add the chicken. Cook, turning chicken occasionally, until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side; transfer to a platter.
• Add pork ribs to the skillet; cook, turning, until ribs are browned, about 3 minutes each side, and transfer to the platter.
• Add 3 tablespoons of the oil to the skillet. Add plantains; cook, turning often, until golden, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer with a slotted spoon to a large bowl; set aside.
• Repeat process, separately cooking the peanuts, almonds, raisins and brown sugar, adding a bit more oil as needed.
• Stir mixture together.
• Puree half of the mixture in a blender with 1/2 cup of the broth.
• Pour through a strainer; reserve liquid. Repeat with the remaining half of the mixture in a blender and 1/2 cup of the chicken broth.
• Pour through a strainer; reserve liquid and set aside.
• Process tortilla, cinnamon stick, cookies, roll, chocolate and pine nuts together in the clean blender until crumbly; set aside.
• Heat a small skillet over medium-high heat; add the ancho chilies.
• Cook, stirring, until very fragrant, about 2 minutes; transfer to a medium bowl.
• Repeat with mulatto and pasilla chilies. Pour boiling water over cooked chilies to cover; set aside 30 minutes.
• After they have soaked. puree in a blender and then pour through a strainer into a Dutch oven; discard solids.
• Add remaining 2 cups of chicken broth to the Dutch oven.
• Heat mixture to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to a simmer.
• Add the chicken, pork, plaintain-nut mixture, and tortilla mixture to the Dutch oven; cook until pork is tender, about 2 hours.
• Set aside to cool, about 20 minutes.
• Remove meat; shred meat with a fork.
• Stir shredded meat into the sauce; pour into a serving bowl or platter.
• Decorate with reserved sesame seeds.

Steps:

• The day before beginning the sauce, remove the stems and tops from the chiles; carefully shake out and reserve the seeds. Rinse the chiles under cold running water. Spread them out in a single layer where they can dry completely. Let stand until the following day, turning occasionally and checking to be sure not a drop of moisture remains.
• Crush the bread to fine crumbs or grind in a food processor. You should have about 1 cup. Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 350° F.
• Spread the chiles (they must be bone-dry) in one layer on a baking sheet. Toast them in the oven, turning frequently, until crisp and deeply blackened, about 20 minutes. Let the chiles stand at room temperature until completely cooled.
• Spread the pecans and almonds on a baking sheet. Toast them in the oven until golden brown, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
• Place the crisp toasted chiles in a food processor and process until finely ground. Set aside.
• On a griddle or in a small cast-iron skillet, heat the reserved chile seeds over high heat, shaking the pan occasionally, until thoroughly charred and black on all sides, about 5 minutes. (Because of the fumes, this is best done outdoors if you have the means.) You can speed the process by sprinkling a few drops of vegetable oil over the seeds and igniting with a match, standing well back from the flame and taking care to shield your face, clothing, and hair. Place the charred seeds in a bowl, cover with at least 2 cups cold water, and soak for 1 1/2 hours, changing the water twice. Drain and set aside.
• Heat a griddle or medium-size cast-iron skillet over low heat. If using 1 large onion, cut it in half crosswise (leaving the skin on). Place the onion, individual unpeeled garlic cloves, tomato (stem side down), and tomatillos (in the husks) on the griddle. Cook, turning frequently. The onion and garlic are done when they are somewhat softened, about 8 minutes for the garlic and 20 to 25 minutes for the onion. The tomato is done when the skin is blackened and blistered all over, about 15 to 20 minutes. The tomatillos are done when they are lightly softened all over, about 10 to 15 minutes. (Handle them delicately so as not to squeeze them and pierce the skin, and turn frequently to avoid scorching.) Remove each kind of vegetable as it is done and set it aside in a separate small bowl.
• When the vegetables are cool enough to handle, remove the husks from the tomatillos and peel the rest, making sure to save the juices. If using a large onion cut in half, scrape the black bits off the cut side.
• Place the sesame seeds in a medium-size heavy skillet over medium heat and toast just until golden (about 3 minutes), stirring constantly and shaking the pan. Immediately scrape out the seeds into a small bowl to stop the cooking. Set aside.
• In a small, heavy skillet, heat 1 tablespoon lard over medium-high heat until rippling. Add the canela, thyme, oregano, cloves, allspice, nutmeg and ginger. Fry the spices, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Set aside.
• In a small skillet, heat another 2 tablespoons lard over medium heat until rippling. Add the raisins and bread crumbs; cook, stirring, until the raisins are puffed and the bread is lightly colored, about 2 minutes. Set aside.
• Now you are ready to purée all the ingredients, using either a blender/food processor combination or a blender alone.
• If using both machines, place the pecans, almonds, sesame seeds, bread-raisin mixture, ground chiles, and drained chile seeds in the food processor (working in batches as necessary). Process to a smooth purée. Next, place the fried spices, peeled garlic, onion, tomatoes, and tomatillos in the blender and process to a smooth purée. Combine the two mixtures in a large bowl.
• If using only a blender, line up all the prepared ingredients next to the machine on the counter, place some of each in the blender container, add a few tablespoons chicken stock, and process until smooth, adding more stock as necessary to facilitate blending. (This method requires great patience; small batches will be well puréed in 1 to 2 minutes while large ones may retain coarse bits of the spices. If thoroughly processed, the mixture will not require sieving, so try not to rush things.) Pour each batch into a bowl as it is done and proceed with the next batch.
• In a large, heavy saucepan or Dutch oven, heat the remaining 4 tablespoons lard over high heat until rippling. Add the purée, all at once, watching for splatters, and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and cook, stirring frequently, until the harshness of the chiles is mellowed, 35 to 40 minutes.
• The mole should now be a heavy paste like a thick frosting mixture. It can be stored in the refrigerator for at least 4 to 6 days, or in the freezer for up to 6 months. In either case, it should be thinned before further cooking. Place the paste in the blender when ready to thin it; add 1 cup chicken stock (or as necessary) and process to combine thoroughly.

Steps:

• Heat dressing in large saucepan on medium-high heat. Add meat and yellow onions; cook 10 min. or until meat is evenly browned and onions are crisp-tender, stirring occasionally.
• Add next 4 ingredients; mix well.
• Stir in tomatoes; simmer on low heat 15 min. or until meat is done, stirring occasionally. Top with green onions. Serve over rice.