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Holy Mole!

written by Susan Buchananfor Venus Rising Magazine

Aries 09 - Spring Break Issue

Watercolor by Philip GaligaMole is often the word used for a dish, commonly chicken, in a special sauce. This sauce has as much stature in Mexico as marinara in Italy or béarnaise in France. Mole, pronounced Mo-lay, comes from the indigenous word “molli,” meaning mixture or concoction. It is a complex sauce made of a combination of chiles, nuts, seeds, various spices, and other aromatics. It is infamous for containing chocolate. Certainly, the first mole is thought to have had chocolate, but over centuries of passing down recipes and individualizing them based on available ingredients, most now do not contain chocolate. However all moles contain lots of ingredients, as many 30, and can take hours, if not days to prepare.

It is believed that mole was first created by nuns for a visiting archbishop in the 1600’s. Stories of the original mole vary vastly, ranging from the nuns pulling out all the stops and using only the best ingredients to nuns panicking because they did not have anything special to serve, so the sauce was born of the random ingredients already in stock. In every story however, the nuns spend a day or more preparing their sauce, which they serve over roasted turkey. From that original mole, a national dish and sauce was born. 

While mole can be found everywhere in Mexico, the state of Oaxaca is famous for it, due to its abundance of local fresh ingredients and amalgamation of indigenous groups. Dubbed the Land of Seven Moles, it is said that if you do not eat mole when visiting Oaxaca, you did not really visit Oaxaca.

All seven sauces are made with chilies, which determine the color and flavor. Mole negro (black mole), the most famous of the “seven sisters” is made with a variety of dark dried chiles including gaujillo, ancho, and pasilla. Along with three additional indigenous chiles, black mole contains a huge list of ingredients including seeds, nuts, raisins, plantains, onions, garlic, chocolate, bread and lard…just to name a few. Not only does it have a vast number of additions, but mole negro is also the most difficult to prepare. Most ingredients are gently toasted or roasted before going into the sauce. Then, the sauce itself simmers long and low, on the edge of burning, making diligent attendance necessary. However, a well cared for mole negro is dark, rich, thick, fragrant, spicy, sweet and a remarkable sauce.

Mole negro represents one end of the mole rainbow. The other sauces span the spectrum and include mole Amarillo, a yellow mole made with green chilies, green tomatoes, tomatillos, cumin, and cilantro. Mole Rojo’s red comes from spicier, brighter red chilies as well as tomatoes and tends to have the most kick. There is also Coloradito, which is brick red and made with mostly ancho chilies giving it a smoky flavor. Chicillo is less common, incorporating spices such as cloves, allspice, marjoram, black pepper, and avocado leaves. Mancha Mancheles contains a heavy dose of ancho chili, with a hue between Rojo and Coloradito. It is made simply and tastes simple, often served on sliced sautéed plantains or pineapple.

When eating any mole, it is good to take care and have a napkin handy. Mancha Mancheles translated is “tablecloth stainer.” There are other moles, all similar to the seven sisters, but with different names. One such mole is the Mole Poblano, which is unique in its use of the chipotle chili. It is a mole of the Puebla state and is the mole widely known outside Mexico, mostly for its hint of chocolate.

Given the time and careful attention it takes to make any mole, they are generally reserved for special occasions. Smothering a roast chicken in grandma’s mole sauce truly means that something is being celebrated. Traveling in Mexico, and thus hitting restaurants and tourist spots will inevitably bring you face to face with a mole on the menu. Be wary, however, at most gringo spots, the mole is quite commercial and often overly sweet and oily. Look for the places where the locals are dining. Better yet, Mexico is a great place to take a cooking class, where you will likely experience the taste of an authentically-made mole that you can recreate when you return home. 

Mole Enchiladas with Chicken

8 chicken pieces (bone-in, skin-on (optional) legs, thighs and breasts)

4 cloves garlic, chopped

Salt

Water

Olive oil

1 lb. Roma tomatoes, about 10

1 head garlic

1 large yellow onion

Olive oil

2/3 cup sesame seeds

½ cup raisins

¼ cup whole unsalted almonds

1 tsp. oregano

½ tsp. cinnamon

1/3 cup chopped semisweet chocolate

Salt

Sugar

Corn tortillas, about 2 per person

Fresh Queso Blanco, crumbly farmer’s cheese or feta cheese

Preparing the chicken

Rinse and pat dry chicken and place in a large pot with garlic and a large pinch of salt. Add enough water to just cover the chicken and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. Simmer for 10 minutes. In a skillet, heat one tablespoon of olive oil over medium-high heat. Transfer chicken from water (reserve the cooking liquid) to the skillet and fry the chicken until evenly browned, about 8 minutes per side. This may have to be done in batches if you don’t have enough room for all of the chicken at once. If so, add another tablespoon of olive oil for each round of chicken. When all the chicken is cooked, reserve any remaining oil and either let the chicken cool slightly and store in and air-tight container in the refrigerator until you are ready to use.

Preparing the mole

Pre-heat oven to 350˚.  Lightly grease a cooking sheet with olive oil. Wash and dry the tomatoes and place whole on the cookie sheet. Break up the head of garlic and place on the cookie sheet. Peal and slice the onion and lay on the cookie sheet. Roast in the oven until vegetables begin to soften, about 5-7 minutes. Turn all vegetables over and continue to roast until the tomato skins are partially blackened and blistered and the onions are soft, about 10 more minutes. The onions may be soft before the tomatoes are done. If so, remove them to cool and continue roasting the tomatoes. When done, remove from the oven, let cool enough to be able to touch, peel the garlic. Set aside.

Heat a medium skillet over medium heat. Toast the sesame seeds, stirring constantly, until golden brown. WATCH carefully! This is where you could easily burn the seeds if you turn your head for too long. Remove the seeds to a bowl. Next, add the raisins to the hot skillet. Stir until they plump and remove to another bowl. Do the same to the almonds, until they are slightly toasted. Turn off heat, let the pan cool slightly and add oregano. Stir the oregano in the still warm pan just long enough for them to release their aroma, and then remove immediately to a bowl. Do the same with the cinnamon and remove to a separate bowl.

Wearing rubber gloves remove and devein the chilies. Place in a bowl and cover with hot water.  Allow to soften, about 5 minutes, and drain. 

Meanwhile, in a blender or small food processor and working in batches, add some chilies, seeds, raisins, almonds and oregano and enough water to help blend and process to a smooth puree. Pass the puree through a strainer into a bowl, pressing down on the mixture and tapping the strainer over the bowl to get out as much liquid as possible. Discard what remains in the strainer and repeat this process with the remaining chilies, seeds, nuts, raisins and oregano. Then follow this same process with the tomatoes, garlic and onion, blending and straining in batches. Discard the remains in the strainer. Finally, in a large pot, heat any remaining oil from the chicken frying (removing or adding additional oil enough to equal about 2 tablespoons) over medium heat. Add the strained sauce and enough of the reserved chicken water to reach your desired consistency. It should be pourable but not too watery. Mix well and add chocolate and cinnamon, stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer sauce uncovered for an hour, stirring occasionally. Add salt to taste and a pinch or two of sugar if it is too spicy.

Assembling the final dish

If you have refrigerated the chicken, re-warm in a low-heat oven. Briefly fry corn tortillas in a small amount of oil in a skillet, just until soft. Keep warm in tin foil. One by one dip the tortillas in the mole sauce to coat. Roll or fold in quarters and arrange on warm plates. Add a piece or two of warm chicken and pour sauce over chicken and a drizzle a little more over the tortillas. Sprinkle the tortillas with a bit of cheese and serve.

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