The Heart of Darkness

I love mole. I mean I REALLY love mole. I love all kinds of mole - red, yellow, black, sweet, savory, spicy whatever. I would consider bathing in mole if possible. I bet it would be great for the skin, if you didn't mind being slightly orange I mean.

As with most things in my life, I prefer not to settle when it comes to my mole. I'll give most restaurant's "mole" a try once, sure. But I'm not going back for seconds if it doesn't pass muster. When it came down to what to have for my birthday dinner I knew it was going to be mole, and I knew I was going to have to make it myself.



I have made mole only once before and it required a small army of assistants and an ENTIRE day. It has taken almost 5 years to take it on again, not necessarily because I was intimidated, but because if a sauce, not even a whole dish but a sauce, takes that much effort you need a pretty good reason to make it. I think my own birthday is reason enough, and this time I am older, I am wiser, and I have a lot more practice. With Chef Rick Bayless behind me I decided I was ready, and this time I was going to be going it alone.

I am not going to lie, this is by no means a "simple" recipe. This isn't even the REALLY involved Oaxacan black mole (some with upwards of 28-30 ingredients), it is only a mole rojo - a comparatively "easy" variety with only 18-20 ingredients. It is not, however, a very difficult recipe. Time consuming, maybe, but not difficult. I promise if you read it through, break it down, and take it slow, it can be done.

And it will be worth it.



Mole Rojo Clasico
Classic Red Mole
Adapted from Rick Bayless' Mexico One Plate at a Time

10 ounces (5 medium or 3 large) tomatillos, husked and rinsed
1 1/3 cup (about 6 1/2 ounces) sesame seeds
1 cup rich-tasting pork lard or vegetable oil, plus a little more if necessary
6 ounces dried mulato chiles, stemmed, seeded and torn into large flat pieces
8 ounces dried pasilla-ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded and torn into large flat pieces
8 garlic cloves, peeled
1 1/4 cup (about 5 ounces) whole almonds, with skin
1 cup (about 4 ounces) raisins
1 teaspoon Mexican canela, or regular cinnamon, ground
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, ground
1/2 teaspoon anise seed
1/4 teaspoon cloves, ground
1 bolillo or firm white roll, darkly toasted and broken into several pieces
2 ounces (about 2/3 of a 3.3-ounce tablet) Mexican chocolate
3 quarts chicken or vegetable broth (I only used 2, but good to have the full amount)
Salt
1/3 to 1/2 cup brown sugar

Prep the Ingredients
1) Measure out and prepare all your ingredients. I cannot stress this enough.

2) Stem and deseed the chiles and tear into large pieces if not already complete.

3) On a rimmed baking sheet or small baking pan lined with foil, roast the tomatillos 4 inches below a very hot broiler until splotchy black and thoroughly soft, about 5-10 minutes per side depending on size and broiler temp. Scrape into a large bowl.

4) In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast the sesame seeds, stirringly continuously, until golden, about 5 minutes. Scrape half of them in with the tomatillos. Reserve the remainder for sprinkling on the chicken.

Brown and Soak the chiles
Turn on an exhaust fan or open a kitchen door or window for this part.

5) Fill a kettle with water to its highest level and put on to heat.

6) In a very large soup pot (I used a 7-quart enamel cast iron pot), heat your fat over medium.

7) When the oil is hot, fry the chiles, three or four pieces at a time, flipping them nearly constantly with tongs until their interior side has changed to a lighter color, about 20 or 30 seconds total frying time. Don’t toast so darkly that they begin to smoke—that would make the mole bitter.

8) As they’re done, remove them to a large bowl (not the tomatillo bowl), being careful to drain as much fat as possible back into the pot. Cover the toasted chiles with hot water from the kettle and let rehydrate 30 minutes, stirring occasionally to insure even soaking.

Brown the Other Ingredients
9) Remove any stray chile seeds left in the fat. With the pot still over medium heat, fry the garlic and almonds, stirring regularly, until browned (the garlic should be soft), about 5 minutes. With a slotted spoon, remove to the tomatillo bowl, draining as much fat as possible back into the pot.

10) Add the raisins to the hot pot. Stir for 20 or 30 seconds, until they’ve puffed and browned slightly. Scoop them out, draining as much of the fat as possible back into the pot, and add to the tomatillos.

-Set the pan aside off the heat.

11) To the tomatillo mixture, add the cinnamon, black pepper, anise, cloves, bread and chocolate. Add 2 cups water and stir to combine.

Blend, strain, cook
12) Into a large measuring cup, small stockpot, or pitcher, tip off the chiles’ soaking liquid. Taste the liquid: if it’s not bitter, reserve about 6 cups of the liquid. (if you’re short, add water to make up the shortfall). If bitter, pour it out and measure 6 cups water.

13) Scoop half of the chiles into a blender jar, pour in half of the soaking liquid (or water) and blend to a smooth puree. Press through a medium-mesh strainer into a large bowl; discard the bits of skin and seeds that don’t pass through the strainer. Repeat with the remaining chiles.

14) Return the pot to medium heat. When hot again, pour in the chile puree—it should sizzle sharply and, if the pan is sufficiently hot, the mixture should never stop boiling. Stir every couple of minutes until the chile puree has darkened and reduced to the consistency of tomato paste, about a half hour.

15) In two batches, blend the tomatillo mixture as smoothly as possible (you may need an extra 1/2 cup water to keep everything moving through the blades), then strain it in to the large bowl that contained the pureed chiles.

16) When the chile paste has reduced, add the tomatillo mixture to the pot and cook, stirring every few minutes until darker and thicker, 15 to 20 minutes.

Simmer
17) When the chile/tomatillo mixture has reduced, add the broth to the pot until it is the thickness of “cream soup.” Briskly simmer the mixture over medium to medium-low heat for about 2 hours for all the flavors to come together and mellow.

-If the mole thickens beyond the consistency of soup, add in more broth. If more liquid is needed to retain consistency, add water.

18) Taste and season the mole with salt (usually about 4 teaspoons) and the sugar.

Serve
Pour over cooked chicken or turkey (I used shredded chicken to make it more party friendly/taco ready) or you can cool, cover and refrigerate until you're ready to use. When you're ready to use the mole, rewarm over medium-medium-low heat.

*This recipe can easily be adapted to be vegan/vegetarian by using vegetable oil/vegetable broth. Serve over Tofu, seitan, or your protein of choice.

**Rick suggests using a splatter screen to prevent some of the clean-up. I don’t have one, but I can heartily agree with his suggestion – I am still finding errant splatters of chile more than a week later.

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Shades of Green

This slaw is just so good it would be cruel of me not to share. Cool, crisp, and fresh, it was the perfect foil to Sunday's dark, sweet, savory mole.

I hesitated to share this recipe because I didn't really do anything to it. But the fact of the matter is is that it is so simple and well crafted there isn't really anything to do to it. The only difference in the version I made versus the original recipe is that I used green cabbage instead of red (the store was sold out of red). I'm also including the size cabbage you should use, because a 'head' of cabbage can vary quite a bit.

Without further ado, Green Onion Slaw.

Green Onion Slaw
Recipe by Bobby Flay via Smitten Kitchen

Notes: Onion and cabbage can be prepped ahead of time and held in the fridge. The dressing will separate so it should be made just before serving as per SK's suggestion, though the ingredients can be measured/prepped ahead(chopping green onion, removing serrano stems). Leftovers can be kept a day or two in the fridge and retain flavor, but the dressing will separate and the texture will become less smooth.

1 cup green onions, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 serrano chiles, whole (do not de-seed), stems removed
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup pure olive oil
1 head cabbage, finely shredded (red or green, 1.5-2 lbs)
1 small red onion, halved and thinly sliced
1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves

Blend green onions, vinegar, chiles, mayonnaise, salt, pepper and oil in a blender until emulsified. Place cabbage and red onions in a bowl, add the dressing and stir until combined. Fold in the cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste.

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It's My Party and I'll Die if I Want To

Mi casa es su casa on Sunday, May 16th, for a low-key and informal celebration of my 25th birthday. There will be food. There will be music. There will be drinks. There will be board games. There may even be cake.

Please bring yourself, your empty stomach, and something to share.

Yes, that is correct, I recently had a little birthday and Sunday was my party. There was food, games, laughter, and a minimum of bloodshed (more about that next time). It was an intimate gathering of friends and exactly what I wanted. A BIG thank you to all my friends who were there and there in spirit.



















It was a great fiesta and I got to do two of my favorite things - cook, and feed people. Look for the slaw and mole recipes later this week.

*All photos of people courtesy of J. Buchleitner (because I forgot to take pics after we ate). Opening picture is a found image - I cannot seem find this image again or its owner. If this is your image please let me know if you would like me to take it down, if it is okay to leave up please let me know how to credit you!

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Veggies with Flair

Not to get to stereotyped here on The Rose on Fire, but I thought that in honor of Cinco de Mayo I would post the instructiones for enchiladas. My most recent batch was vegetarian and sinfully delicious.



The best part about enchiladas is that they are so adaptable, and adaptable is my favorite kind of recipe. This time I used spinach, corn, black beans, and green sauce. Next time I may use chicken, cheese and red sauce. Vegetables, meat, cheese, sauce, the possibilities are endless.



These are great for a party or a potluck, but are easy enough to be weeknight meal friendly. If you aren't making these to share you will receive the added bonus of leftovers. Don't feel too bad when you then find yourself the envy of the lunchroom. It's the little things that help you make it though the day.

Veggie Verde Enchiladas

This is really more of a method than a recipe. I am giving the specifics for the batch that I made but switch out any of the ingredients you like. Each enchilada will hold a just over a quarter cup of filling.

12 standard sized corn tortillas, yellow or white
1 15 oz can of green enchilada sauce
2 small onions (or 1 medium, or 1/2 large), 1/4 dice
3-4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 jalepenos, fine dice
10-16 oz (1 1b) spinach
1 15 oz can of black beans, drained and rinsed
1 7.5 oz can corn kernels, drained
1 tsp chile powder
8 oz cheese
Oil, vegetable, canola, or corn

Extras:
Cilantro
Salsa
Guacamole or Avocado
Sour Cream or Plain Yogurt
Black Olives

Create the filling
1) Begin to soften the onion over medium heat with a tablespoon or two of oil in a large frying pan. When onions begin to turn translucent, add garlic and jalapeno cook until all ingredients start to soften.

2) Add cleaned (and torn if necessary) spinach in large handfuls and cook until thoroughly wilted. Turn off heat.

3) In the frying pan if large enough, or in a large bowl add drained and rinsed beans and drained corn kernels to the spinach mixture and thoroughly combine.

Build the enchiladas
4) Spread a little oil and enchilada sauce on the bottom of a 13x9 baking dish. A couple heavy handed table spoons of each, to give yourself a base.

5) Heat a few more tablespoons of oil in a clean frying pan. Dip a tortilla in the oil (heated) for a few seconds on each side to soften it. The tortilla should be pretty pliable, but not falling apart. This may take some trial and error.

6) Place the heated tortilla in your baking dish flattened out and spread approximately 1/4 cup of the vegetable mixture somewhat evenly in a line across the center of the tortilla. Sprinkle on slightly less than a tablespoon of cheese.

7) Roll the tortilla around the filling and rotate so it lies seam side down. The rolls should be tight, but not too tight. You don’t want the filling to come out, but you don’t want the tortilla to break either.

8) Repeat steps 5-7 until your pan is filled.

Bake
9) Finish the pan by pouring your sauce (warmed a little is good) over the pan of enchiladas (make sure it is well covered, it is okay if you don't use the whole can). Sprinkle your remaining cheese on top.

10) Bake in the oven at 350F until the cheese is bubbly and melted and the edges turn a little brown.

Serve with your choice of toppings including cilantro, salsa, avocado, olives and/or sour cream. Leftovers can be reheated in the oven or microwave, or they can be pan-fried the next day and eaten for breakfast.

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Lazy Sunday Pulled Pork

This is a batch of pulled pork I made. Actually, its more than pulled pork. Just calling it pulled pork doesn't hint at the sweet, spicy, smoky deliciousness that is this dish; perfect for a lazy Sunday in the middle of winter. It is great in a sandwich, or, as I had it tonight, as a sauce for pasta and greens. It originally blossomed from my desire to make a pot roast. But when I went to the store and beef was full price but pork shoulder was on sale, suddenly I was craving rich, smoky mole, and visions of chile peppers danced in my head.

I remembered the core element of a red pozole I made for New Year's. Toasted chiles softened with boiling water and pureed with softened garlic and onion made a thick paste for the soup base. I built on that chile base using the flavor profiles from a previous batch of tamales, anise scented black bean filling, and some of the more common ingredients in a red mole, cumin, garlic, cinnamon, chocolate, and toast, and came up with something completely new (at least I've never had anything like it).


When you break it down, this is just a braise. Braises are great because after you get them set up, they are pretty much hands off. First, you brown the meat, then, you add a base of flavors, and finally, you put it all together with some liquid and bake, covered, in the oven until done. I have independent verification from a discerning palate that these are some tasty vittles, and the recipe is nearly foolproof. I almost ruined it (twice) by trying to turn it into charcoal but pulled it back from the edge. That's okay, I'm not afraid of failure or a little carbon. It came together in the end and that is what matters.

If you can't find one of the ingredients, just improvise. I had never tried mulatto chiles before Sunday, and I picked them out by scent alone. They smelled smoky and fruity, which was just what I wanted so I went with it. I was originally going to include onion but 1) I only had red onions and I really needed a white or a yellow for this dish, and 2) when I did try to use the red onion I pretty much turned it into tar on the bottom of my pot (so much for my tasty brown bits). Ultimately I left the onion out, but you could certainly add it right back. Different kinds of sugar (molasses, brown sugar, or raw sugar) could easily be substituted, different chiles, and different proportions can all be played with. Have fun!


Lazy Sunday Pulled Pork

3.7 lbs Pork Shoulder (I used a bone-in picnic roast, but you can use whatever roasting cuts are available)
2 Tbs vegetable oil or Bacon Drippings
4-6 cups broth or stock (I used what was in the freezer, I think it was turkey stock)
3 or more Mulatto Chiles
2 or more Pasilla Chiles
2-3 Chipotle Chiles in Adobo
4-6 cloves Garlic
Pinch of Cumin
3 Star Anise
1 stick Mexican Cinnamon (Canela)
1 oz Mexican Chocolate (approximate)
2 tsp quality Sugar (raw, natural, turbinado, brown - not plain granulted)
2 slices of leftover Bread, toasted
1/3 cup Orange Juice

Brown Meat
1) Prep your meat by removing any excess skin, fat, and bone. Cut into large chunks.
2) Heat aprox. 2 tablespoons fat of your choice (I used bacon drippings) over medium high heat in a large heavy-bottomed, oven safe dish, like a large fry pan or dutch oven (as I used). Covered is best, but its okay if there is no lid.
3) Brown the meat in small batches, remove from pan, and set aside.

Prep Sauce
4) De-seed and de-stem the chiles (not chipotle), and toast lightly in a dry pan or in the oven if you wish (I forgot).
5) Heat the stock or broth to a low simmer.
6) Bring Cinnamon, anise, and 2 cups of water to a boil. Turn off, cover, and steep for 5-8 minutes. Strain and reserve liquid.
7) Put the chiles in a bowl, cover with the heated broth, and steep for 5-8 minutes.

Make the Sauce
8) Combine in a blender:
-the chiles and their soaking liquid
-the chipotles
-the garlic
-the cumin
-the cinnamon and anise flavored water
-the chocolate
-the sugar
-the toast
Pulse after every addition. Be careful, hot liquids expand in the blender and have been known to cause a blender spillover/burns. Taste. Adjust quantities of any ingredients and add salt to preference.

Put it Together
9) De-glaze the brown bits from your HOT pan with the orange juice and a bit of broth.
10) Add meat and chile sauce back to the pot, and add broth to just cover.
11) Put a tight lid on it and bake for 1-1.5 hours* at 350F degrees.

*Note, the exact amount of time it takes depends on the amount of liquid and the size of your chunks of meat. I used medium sized chunks (1.5-2 inch cubes) and an amount of liquid level with the top of the meat. 1.5 hours was a little too long, but larger pieces or meat or more liquid would have made it perfect. The dish you use will effect the cooking time.

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