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| Sliced turkey with mole poblano |
Mole is the Spanish term for "sauce." it often refers to a specific sauce which is known in Spanish by the more specific name mole poblano. The term mole is most often associated with thick dark brownish red sauces, but the term is really more general than that. Mole can be anything from dark and thick to soup-like.
Mole poblano is the best known of all mole varieties and has been ranked as number one of "typical" Mexican dishes. It has also been called the "national dish" of Mexico.
Mole poblano contains about twenty ingredients, including chili peppers and chocolate, which works to counteract the heat of the chili peppers, but it is not a chocolate sauce per se as it is just one of the many ingredients and does not dominate.
This sauce is most often served over turkey at weddings, birthdays and baptisms, or at Christmas. Another time when the sauce is prominent is Cinco de Mayo.
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| Cazuela (Click for details) |
The mole is generally prepared in a “cazuela” or a thick heavy clay caldron and stirred constantly to keep it from burning. The thickness of the sauce has prompted some to claim that it is too substantial to be called a sauce. However, it is always served over something and never eaten alone just like a "sauce."
For mole poblano, the most traditional meat to serve it with is turkey, but it and many others are served with chicken and some are good with pork.
The labor-intensive part of mole is the toasting and grinding, and few people have time to do this anymore.
A number of mole powders and pastes can be purchased. Prepared mole sauce keeps for about three days in the refrigerator and freezes well.
The paste keeps six months in the refrigerator and about a year in the freezer. Leftover sauce is often used in the making of tamales, enchiladas or over eggs at brunch.
Turkey in Mole Poblano
Ingredient List
12 dried ancho chiles
12 dried guajillo chiles
6 dried pasilla chiles
5 tbsp. sesame seeds
1 tsp. whole aniseed
1 tsp. black peppercorns
1⁄2 tsp. whole cloves
1 tsp. dried thyme
1⁄2 tsp. dried marjoram or oregano
3 dried bay leaves, crumbled
1 1 1⁄2" stick cinnamon, broken into pieces
2 cups canola oil
7 1⁄4 cups chicken or turkey stock
1⁄2 cup skin-on almonds
1⁄2 cup raw shelled peanuts
1⁄3 cup hulled pumpkin seeds
1⁄3 cup raisins
2 slices white bread
2 stale corn tortillas
10 cloves garlic
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 large tomatillos, husked, rinsed and quartered
1 large tomato, quartered
1 4–5-lb. whole skin-on boneless turkey breast, split into halves
Kosher salt, to taste
1 cup Mexican chocolate, chopped fine
4 tbsp. sugar, plus more to taste
Tortillas and cilantro sprigs, for serving
1. Stem chiles; shake seeds into a bowl. Tear chiles into pieces; set aside.
Measure 4 tbsp. chile seeds (discard the rest) and 4 tbsp. sesame seeds into a small skillet set over medium heat. Toast seeds, swirling pan for 2 minutes. Transfer to a spice grinder or coffee grinder.
Toast aniseed, peppercorns, and cloves; transfer to grinder along with thyme, marjoram, bay leaves, and cinnamon.
Grind spices into a powder and transfer to a large bowl; set spice mixture aside.
2. Heat oil in an 8" skillet over medium heat. Working in small batches, add chiles and cook, turning until toasted, about 20 seconds. Using a slotted spoon and reserving oil in skillet, transfer chiles to paper towels to drain. Pat dry and transfer drained chiles to a large bowl; add boiling water to cover. Let chiles steep for 30 minutes. Strain chiles, reserving soaking liquid.
3. Working in 3 batches, put 1⁄3 of the chiles, 1⁄4 cup soaking liquid, and 1⁄4 cup stock into a blender; purée. Set a sieve over a bowl and strain chile mixture, pushing it through sieve with a rubber spatula; discard solids. Reserve blender; set chile purée aside.
4. Return skillet with oil to medium heat. Working with one ingredient at a time, gently fry the almonds, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, and raisins until toasted, about 1 minute for almonds, 45 seconds for peanuts, 20 seconds for pumpkin seeds, and 15 seconds for raisins. Transfer each fried batch to paper towels; pat and drain.
Return skillet to medium heat and fry the bread, turning once until golden brown, about 3 minutes; transfer to paper towel. Do the same with the tortillas. Break bread and tortillas into small pieces.
Add the pieces of bread and tortillas to a bowl along with the almonds, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, raisins, and ground spice mixture; set aside.
5. Set a fine strainer over an 8-qt. Dutch oven. Strain all but 2 tbsp. oil from skillet into a Dutch oven; set aside.
Return skillet to medium-high heat. Add garlic and onions; cook and stir until brown, 10–12 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer onion mixture to the bowl with bread, tortillas, nuts and spice mixture.
Return skillet to medium-high heat; add tomatillos and tomatoes; cook and stir until soft, 10–12 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with spice mixture.
Add 2 1⁄2 cups stock to spice mixture and purée in reserved blender. Press through the strainer into a bowl; set purée aside.
6. Heat reserved Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season turkey breasts with salt. Brown each breast, turning once, for 12 minutes. Transfer turkey to a plate. Pour off all but 3 tbsp. of oil in Dutch oven set over medium-high heat.
Add chile purée; cook, stirring, until thick, 10–12 minutes. Add spice purée, reduce heat, and cook, stirring, for 30 minutes. Stir in 4 cups stock and chocolate; simmer, partially covered and stirring often for 1 hour. Season mole sauce with salt and sugar; remove from heat.
7. Heat oven to 325°. Nestle turkey in mole sauce. Bake, covered, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into turkey reads 150° about 1 hour. Transfer pot to a rack; let rest 20 minutes. Slice turkey, serve with sauce, and garnish with remaining sesame seeds and cilantro; serve with tortillas.
Serves 12–14
This recipe comes from SAVEUR contributing editor Rick Bayless.
Ingredient List
12 dried ancho chiles
12 dried guajillo chiles
6 dried pasilla chiles
5 tbsp. sesame seeds
1 tsp. whole aniseed
1 tsp. black peppercorns
1⁄2 tsp. whole cloves
1 tsp. dried thyme
1⁄2 tsp. dried marjoram or oregano
3 dried bay leaves, crumbled
1 1 1⁄2" stick cinnamon, broken into pieces
2 cups canola oil
7 1⁄4 cups chicken or turkey stock
1⁄2 cup skin-on almonds
1⁄2 cup raw shelled peanuts
1⁄3 cup hulled pumpkin seeds
1⁄3 cup raisins
2 slices white bread
2 stale corn tortillas
10 cloves garlic
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
2 large tomatillos, husked, rinsed and quartered
1 large tomato, quartered
1 4–5-lb. whole skin-on boneless turkey breast, split into halves
Kosher salt, to taste
1 cup Mexican chocolate, chopped fine
4 tbsp. sugar, plus more to taste
Tortillas and cilantro sprigs, for serving
1. Stem chiles; shake seeds into a bowl. Tear chiles into pieces; set aside.
Measure 4 tbsp. chile seeds (discard the rest) and 4 tbsp. sesame seeds into a small skillet set over medium heat. Toast seeds, swirling pan for 2 minutes. Transfer to a spice grinder or coffee grinder.
Toast aniseed, peppercorns, and cloves; transfer to grinder along with thyme, marjoram, bay leaves, and cinnamon.
Grind spices into a powder and transfer to a large bowl; set spice mixture aside.
2. Heat oil in an 8" skillet over medium heat. Working in small batches, add chiles and cook, turning until toasted, about 20 seconds. Using a slotted spoon and reserving oil in skillet, transfer chiles to paper towels to drain. Pat dry and transfer drained chiles to a large bowl; add boiling water to cover. Let chiles steep for 30 minutes. Strain chiles, reserving soaking liquid.
3. Working in 3 batches, put 1⁄3 of the chiles, 1⁄4 cup soaking liquid, and 1⁄4 cup stock into a blender; purée. Set a sieve over a bowl and strain chile mixture, pushing it through sieve with a rubber spatula; discard solids. Reserve blender; set chile purée aside.
4. Return skillet with oil to medium heat. Working with one ingredient at a time, gently fry the almonds, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, and raisins until toasted, about 1 minute for almonds, 45 seconds for peanuts, 20 seconds for pumpkin seeds, and 15 seconds for raisins. Transfer each fried batch to paper towels; pat and drain.
Return skillet to medium heat and fry the bread, turning once until golden brown, about 3 minutes; transfer to paper towel. Do the same with the tortillas. Break bread and tortillas into small pieces.
Add the pieces of bread and tortillas to a bowl along with the almonds, peanuts, pumpkin seeds, raisins, and ground spice mixture; set aside.
5. Set a fine strainer over an 8-qt. Dutch oven. Strain all but 2 tbsp. oil from skillet into a Dutch oven; set aside.
Return skillet to medium-high heat. Add garlic and onions; cook and stir until brown, 10–12 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer onion mixture to the bowl with bread, tortillas, nuts and spice mixture.
Return skillet to medium-high heat; add tomatillos and tomatoes; cook and stir until soft, 10–12 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with spice mixture.
Add 2 1⁄2 cups stock to spice mixture and purée in reserved blender. Press through the strainer into a bowl; set purée aside.
6. Heat reserved Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Season turkey breasts with salt. Brown each breast, turning once, for 12 minutes. Transfer turkey to a plate. Pour off all but 3 tbsp. of oil in Dutch oven set over medium-high heat.
Add chile purée; cook, stirring, until thick, 10–12 minutes. Add spice purée, reduce heat, and cook, stirring, for 30 minutes. Stir in 4 cups stock and chocolate; simmer, partially covered and stirring often for 1 hour. Season mole sauce with salt and sugar; remove from heat.
7. Heat oven to 325°. Nestle turkey in mole sauce. Bake, covered, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into turkey reads 150° about 1 hour. Transfer pot to a rack; let rest 20 minutes. Slice turkey, serve with sauce, and garnish with remaining sesame seeds and cilantro; serve with tortillas.
Serves 12–14
This recipe comes from SAVEUR contributing editor Rick Bayless.
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| Poblano Mole (Click for details) |
There's no doubt that poblano mole is labor-intensive to make from scratch. There's no shame in buying it pre-made. The goal is to pass the family's heritage foods on to the children. Educate and enjoy.
That's it for today, blog.