Mole Rojo Recipes

EASY MOLE RECIPE

Steps:

• In a large skillet, roast the tomatoes.
• Add the dried ancho chile.
• Toast for 1 minute on each side.
• Remove immediately.
• If the chile burns, the sauce will be bitter.
• Continue roasting the tomatoes while you boil 4 cups of water.
• Remove the stems and open up the anchos to remove the seeds.
• Discard the stems and the seeds.
• Place the anchos inside the boiling water.
• Turn the heat off and let them sit in the hot water for 5 minutes, or until pliable.
• Roast the tomatoes on all sides.
• Add the onion, garlic, and bread to the skillet.
• Char all the sides of the onions as well.
• Remove the garlic and bread once toasted.
• Remove the onions and tomatoes once they are ready.
• Discard the water from the dried chiles.
• Place the rehydrated dried chiles, tomatoes, onion, garlic, and bread into a blender.
• Add 1 cup of water.
• Blend until smooth.
• Heat the olive oil in a stock pot.
• Place a strainer over the top of the stock pot.
• Carefully and slowly strain the mole sauce into the stock pot.
• Remove strainer.
• Add the chicken broth and Mexican chocolate tablet.
• Stir until the chocolate has melted.
• Taste it. If you want it sweeter, add 1 tbsp sugar.
• Add the sauce, 2 cups chicken broth, and cooked chicken to a stock pot.
• Once the chicken is fully heated, it's ready!
• Serve with rice and tortillas. Enjoy!

AUTHENTIC MOLE SAUCE

Steps:

• Toast guajillo chiles, ancho chiles, and chipotle chiles in a dry pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until warm and aromatic, about 3 minutes. Transfer to the blender with chicken broth.
• Heat 2 cups chicken broth in a saucepan until it begins to simmer, about 5 minutes. Pour broth into a blender.
• Toast dinner roll pieces and tortilla strips in a dry pan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Transfer to the blender with chicken broth and chiles
• Allow the chiles and toasted bread and tortillas to soak, fully submerged, in the chicken broth until softened, about 10 minutes. Blend the mixture until smooth.
• Cook tomatoes and tomatillos in a dry skillet on medium-high heat until soft and blackened, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Place tomatoes in the blender with the chile puree.
• Melt lard in a large skillet over medium heat. Stir in onion, garlic, peanuts, raisins, cumin seeds, thyme, cinnamon sticks, cloves, and allspice berries; cook and stir until onions are soft and golden, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the cinnamon sticks and other whole spices; add onion mixture to the blender with the chile-tomato mixture and blend until smooth.
• Pour chile puree into a large saucepan over medium heat. Stir in chocolate chicken broth, sugar, and salt. Bring mixture to a simmer; stir until chocolate is melted and sauce is thickened and slightly reduced, 10 to 15 minutes.

MOLE ROJO

Steps:

• In a large stockpot, bring salted water to a boil. Add the remaining onion and garlic. When the water is at a fast boil, it is time to add the chicken pieces. Reduce the heat to medium and let the chicken cook until done, about 25 minutes (it will be floating on top). Check for doneness, remove and reserve. Strain the broth and reserve for the mole.
• On a comal (flat griddle) or griddle set over medium-high heat, dry-roast the tomatoes, 2 onion halves and 8 cloves unpeeled garlic, about 15 minutes. The garlic will be ready sooner-when it shows brown spots, remove.
• Remove the stems, seeds and veins from the chiles. Dry-roast the chiles on a dry comal. Transfer to soak in hot water, no more than 15 minutes. Heat 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in a skillet and saute the pecans and peanuts. When golden, add the sesame seeds, canela, peppercorns, cloves and oregano. Remove from the heat.
• Transfer the chiles into the blender and add enough water to blend. Process until smooth, strain and reserve.
• Heat the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons oil in a large cazuela (Dutch oven) set over medium-low heat and pour the chile puree over the oil. Fry for 5 to 10 minutes. Blend the roasted tomatoes, onions and garlic and pass through a sieve. Stir into the chile paste and let the mole simmer until thickened and reduced by 3/4. Add the chocolate, 1 1/2 cups reserved chicken broth, and salt and sugar, to taste. (This will be determined by the taste of the cook, the ripeness of the tomatoes and the brand of chocolate used.) Let the sauce simmer, stirring occasionally, until the mole covers the back of a spoon.

MOLE ROJO (RED MOLE SAUCE) FOR TURKEY OR CHICKEN

Steps:

• Start raisins soaking in warm water (20 minutes). Prepare the chiles: remove stems and seeds. On an ungreased cast-iron frypan (or in a 250 degree oven) dry roast them 5 minute, shake a cuple times, don't blacken them. Add water to a covered pan and simmer the roasted chiles very low for 30 minutes. Strain, cool.
• Husk tomatillos, wash tomatoes. Blacken in dry skillet or under broiler (or in gas flame on a fork) about 5 minutes. Dry-roast sesame in frypan 5 minutes until they finish popping, don't burn them. Saute almonds in the oil over medium heat until browned. Drain almonds, reserve oil.
• Puree the prepared tomatoes, tomatillos, sesame seeds, crumbled tortillas, and alonds in a blender to a fine paste. Add chiles, soaked raisins, roast garlic (peeled), stock, spices, puree all together fine. Melt chocolate in a little hot water, add to blender paste. Check the volume. Add enough water to bring it all to 5 cups during the blending process.
• Put all the oil in a high-sided pan and heat almost smoking hot. Refry the sauce over medium heat for 15 minutes, stirring constantly. Don't let it get too thick, add more water or stock if necessary. Strain sauce through a seive. Serve warm, not hot, over chicken or (especially) turkey.