Mole (pronounced MOE-lay) is a staple of Oaxacan cooking and a versatile, thick sauce that can be used over vegetables, seafood or meat. The sauce is not cooked, although many of the ingredients are toasted or roasted to amplify flavors before being pureed. There are infinite varieties of a handful of basic Moles. Coloradito, which is a deep red color, features sweet-savory qualities similar to barbecue sauce, but with more depth of flavor and the distinct punch of chiles. Customize the recipe according to your tastes, such as more or less sweet or spicy. Most ingredients are available at your local grocer, including Winco, URM Cash & Carry or DeLeon's Foods.
Ingredients
1 pound whole dried guajillo chile
1/2 pound whole dried ancho chiles
5 dried whole puya chiles
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried thyme
4-5 whole cloves
2 ounces or roughly 1/4 cup walnuts
1 ounce (roughly 2 tablespoons) unsalted peanuts
1 ounce (roughly 2 tablespoons) almonds
1 ounce sesame seeds, plus additional for garnish
1-2 cinnamon sticks
6-8 cloves garlic
1/2 white or yellow onion, chopped
1/2 cup raisins
6 roma tomatoes, quartered
2 plantains, peeled, rough chop
2 pieces of bolillo bread, sliced to 1-inch thicknesses (or up to 1/2 of a loaf of crusty French bread)
4-5 animal crackers, crumbled
Vegetable oil for frying
Chocolate to taste (Ibarra brand or try a combination of 1/2 semi-sweet chips and cocoa powder)
Directions
Organize all your ingredients and have ready a blender, saute pan and several nonreactive bowls. It may seem complex, but this recipe is really only two steps: preparing the ingredients by roasting, toasting or frying them, then pureeing everything together.
Roast the guajillo, ancho and puya chiles over an open flame or under the broiler until the skins blister slightly. Do not allow them to burn. Remove from heat and let cool enough to handle.
Break open the roasted, cooled chiles to remove seeds, which are the spiciest parts. Cut and discard the stems, which are tough and inedible. Put chiles in a nonreactive bowl and cover with water to soften them for a few minutes.
Working in batches, you'll saute ingredients over medium heat until the aroma blooms, then place sauteed items into a bowl and continue cooking. Work through ingredients from dry to wet in this order: herbs, spices; nuts, seeds; garlic, onion; raisins, tomatoes. Your goal isn't to "cook" these items, but rather heat them to enhance flavor.
Saute the plantains until you notice them begin to caramelize. Add the plantains and the softened chiles to the bowl with the other ingredients.
Pour oil into a deep-sided saute pan or shallow stock pot, up to about an inch (depending on size of pan). Fry the bread in batches over medium until golden, flipping once. Set aside to cool.
Put all ingredients except bread and crackers into the hot oil and fry 2-3 minutes until the aroma blooms again. Stir frequently to keep from burning and to coat all the ingredients.
Remove fried ingredients from oil and place into a blender, pulse a few times and add bread, then crackers, tasting as you go (crackers add sweetness).
Puree until you get a very smooth paste. If it's too thick, add some chicken stock. If it's too thin, add more fried bread.
Add chocolate to taste and blend one more time.
Serve hot over prepared food (Martinez recommends salmon, shrimp or bone-in chicken) and garnish with sesame seeds.
This recipe keeps well refrigerated for several weeks.
Recipe courtesy of Fredy Martinez, Mole Restaurant
