Also known as
mole poblano, this is a sauce used in
Mexican cuisine which is of true pre-conquest origins. It contains hot peppers,
Mexican chocolate (which is vastly different from unsweetened baking chocolate), ground nuts, spices, cornmeal, oil, and various other things. You can buy condensed mole in a jar in
bodegas or in grocery stores which stock good
Mexican food. Or you can make your own (beware, this recipe is
labor-intensive:
4 dried Pasilla chilies
4 dried mulato or red New Mexico chilies
1/4 lb ancho chilies
1 chipotle chile
1 or 2 medium onions, chopped
1-2 garlic heads, cut in half horizontally
2-4 medium tomatoes, peeled and seeds removed, chopped
1/2 lb tomatillos, husked and rinsed
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds
1/2 c peanuts
1/2 cup almonds
2 7-inch corn tortillas
1/4 cup or more raisins
2 2-inch cinnamon sticks
1 tps coriander seed
4-8 whole cloves
3 Tbsp. shortening or oil
2-4 oz. bitter "Mexican" choclate(or more to taste)
Lay chilies in a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake in preheated oven at 300'F. oven until chilies smell lightly toasted and are flexible, 5-8 minutes. While they are still
warm, discard stems and shake out seeds.
Rinse chilies and put in a large bowl; add 8 cups boiling water and let stand until soft, 30 minutes or so. Drain and save liquid. Puree chilies, a bit at a time, in food processor or blender adding a total 2 cups reserved chilie-soaking liquid. Rub firmly through fine strainer into a bowl and discard residue.
Put the onions, tomato, tomatillos, garlic (cut side down), on a cookie sheet and bake at 450F turning occasionally, until the vegetables and tortillas have dark brown spots or edges. Let cool. Pull off vegetable skins and discard.
Puree vegetable mixture in a food processor or blender, adding a total of 1 cup reserved chili-soaking liquid. Rub firmly through fine strainer into a bowl and discard residue.
Toast tortillas in a dry frying pan over medium heat until they have brown spots, remove. Toast almonds & peanuts in the dry frying pan and set aside. Toast sesame seeds and spices last (they will toast fastest) and remove.
Add oil to the frying pan. Add nuts, spices, & raisins, stirring frequently. Tear up corn tortillas and add to this mixture. Continue cooking 5-10 minutes. Puree this mixture in a food processor or blender, adding remaining chili-soaking liquid.
In a large stockpot, mix all ingredients. Bring to a simmer on medium heat; cover and simmer to blend flavors, at least 2 hours, stirring often.
Chop chocolate; mix with sauce until melted.
Use sauce within one week, or freeze. You could also can the sauce.