Tuesday 27 May 2014

3 Moles a la Frida

So, in the last post we covered a simpler but delish mole.  Now it's time to get your hands dirty but try to think of it in a romantic sense.  These next 3 moles are out of Frida's Fiestas.  Those of you who know me understand how much I love her, her artwork, her story, her home, her lifestyle, her love for her husband, well everything about her pretty much.  She loved entertaining and traditional rituals.  In a sense, she was no different then the typical "ama de casa", much like my aunts in Nicaragua today.  Strong women running a tight ship and keeping the family respectable, happy and well fed.  She had stepdaughters (no children of her own) and they wrote a book in honour of the many celebrations Frida loved to hold, and of course traditional Mexican food was the highlight, along with the guests, the music and drinking late into the evening, mole often partaking in many of these celebrations.  Here are 3 mole recipes, which I discussed previously; black mole, red mole and yellow mole.  Don't be afraid to be adventurous.  As you can see these recipes were created to accommodate larger parties, especially the first one.

Black Mole from Oaxaca
Serves 16 to 20 

Ingredients


1 Pound/500g chihuacle chiles
1/2 Pound/250g mulato chiles, seeded and deveined, seeds reserved
1/2 Pound/250g pasilla chiles,  seeded and deveined, seeds reserved
3/4 Pound/375g  lard (you can use beef dripping)
2 Large onions, roasted
1 Head garlic, roasted 
3 Stale corn tortillas
2 Slices egg bread
3/4 Cup/100g blanched almonds
1/2 Cup/75g shelled peanuts
1 Cinnamon stick
1/2 Cup/70g sesame seeds
1/2 Cup/60g shelled pumpkin seeds
Pinch of anise seeds
1 Teaspoon cumin seeds
1 Teaspoon dried thyme
1 Teaspoon dried marjoram
1 Teaspoon dried oregano 
10 Coriander seeds
10 Black peppercorns
8 Cloves
3/4 Cup/100g raisins
3 Large bars Mexican chocolate or semisweet chocolate
4 Pounds/2k ripe tomatoes, roasted and peeled (vine tomatoes are great for this)
1 Pound/500g small green tomatoes
8 Tablespoons lard
Sugar and Salt
2 Guajolotes (small turkeys) or 4 small chickens cut into pieces and cooked in a strong broth with carrots, onions and herbs.  

Preparation


Quickly fry the chiles in hot lard, being careful not to let them burn.  Place the fried chiles in a large saucepan in hot water to cover.  Bring to a boil, then simmer until soft.

In the same hot lard, saute the garlic onions until translucent then saute the garlic.  Add the tortillas, bread, almonds, peanuts, cinnamon, reserved chile seeds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, anise seeds, cumin seeds, thyme, marjoram, oregano, coriander seeds, peppercorns, cloves, raisins and chocolate.  Saute for a few minutes.

Puree this mixture with the tomatoes and the chiles.  Strain puree and cook in 8 tablespoons of lard.  Stir in sugar and salt to taste and 2 cups/500 ml of the turkey broth.  Simmer for 20 minutes.

Add the turkey, and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes to blend flavors.  If the mixture is too thick, add more turkey broth as needed.
Note:  Chihuacles are special chiles from Oaxaca; you can subsitute with cascabel chiles


Red Mole
8 servings



Ingredients

3 Pounds/1.500g loin of pork
1 Onion, quartered
1 Garlic clove
1 Bay leaf 
Salt

Sauce

8 Ancho chiles
8 Guajillo chiles
3 Tomatoes, roasted and peeled 
8 Allspice berries
3 Cloves
1 Cinnamon stick
3/4 Cup/90g sesame seeds, toasted
1 Ripe plantain, peeled and cut into chunks
1 Medium onion, chopped
3 Tablespoons lard
Salt
3 Acuyo (hierba santa) leaves, chopped 
8 Medium potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes

Dumplings

1/2 Pound/250g masa harina
1/4 Pound/125g lard
Salt

Preparation

Combine the pork, onion, garlic, bay leaf, and salt to taste in a saucepan and add enough water to cover.  Cook until the meat is tender about 1 hour.  Drain the meat, let cool slightly, and slice.  Reserve the broth.

To make the sauce, roast the chiles for a few seconds.  Remove the seeds, then soak for 20 minutes in very hot water.  Puree the chiles with their soaking water and strain.  Puree the tomatoes, allspice, cloves, cinnamon, two-thirds of the sesame seeds and the plantain. Strain.

Saute the onion in the hot lard until translucent.  Add the tomato mixture and cook for 5 minutes more.  Add the acuyo leaves, cubed potatoes, and enough of the meat broth to make a medium thick sauce.  Cook about 20 minutes until the potatoes are tender.  Add the sliced meat.  Gently stir in the dumplings.  cook for 10 minutes more.  To serve, sprinkle with the rest of the sesame seeds.  

To make the dumplings, beat the masa harina thoroughly with the lard and salt to taste. Shape into little balls and poke a small hole with your fingers in the center of each.  Enjoy!




Yellow Mole
8 servings




Ingredients

2 Pounds/1k boneless pork
2 Pounds/1k pork bones
6 Cups/1.5 liters water
1 Carrot cut in half
2 Onions, cut in half
3 Garlic cloves 
5 Teaspoons salt
4 Black peppercorns

Sauce

18 Guajillo chiles
1/2 Cup/125 ml water
2 Pounds/1k Tomatillos, peeled
3 Green tomatoes, peeled
2 Garlic cloves, peeled
1 Onion, chopped
3 Tablespoons lard or corn oil
5 Acuyo (hierba santa) leaves
1 Avocado leaf
Salt
1Pound/500g green beans, ends trimmed
6 Courgettes (zucchini) cut into strips

Dumplings

1/4 Pound/125g lard
1/2 Pound/250g masa harina
Salt

Preparation

Cook the pork meat and bones in water with the vegetables and seasoning until tender, about 1 hour.  Strain, reserving the cooking liquid.  Slice the meat.

To make the sauce, roast the chiles in a griddle. Remove the seeds and veins.  Boil in the water for about 3 minutes.  Let stand for 10 minutes, drain, and puree with the tomatillos, green tomatoes, garlic, onion, and 1 1/2 cups pork broth.  

Heat the lard in a sacepan until very hot.  Add the pureed mixture, the acuyo leaves, avocado leaf, and salt to taste.  Cook for 20 minutes over low heat, adding more broth if needed.  Add the courgettes, green beans and dumlings and continue to cook for 20 minutes more, or until vegetables are tender.

Dumplings

To make the dumplings, beat the masa harina thoroughly with the lard and salt to taste. Shape into little balls and poke a small hole with your fingers in the center of each.  




















































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