[CH] mex -23- The Mole of Santa Clara

Jim Weller (arcticchef@theedge.ca)
Wed, 05 May 2004 23:30:25 -0600 

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06
 
      Title: The Mole of Santa Clara
 Categories: Mexican
      Yield: 10 Servings

      6 lb chicken breasts without skin
           boned
           Sauce:
     12    mulato chiles
      3    pasilla chiles
      2    ancho chiles
      1    chipotle pepper
    1/4 c  peanut oil; up to 1/2 cup
    1/2 c  whole unblanched almonds
    1/2 c  seedless dark raisins
  1 1/2 ts sesame seeds
      1 md tomato; coarsely chopped
      2 ts salt
    3/4 ts anise seed; ground
      1 TB fresh cilantro; minced
    1/4 ts cinnamon; ground
    1/4 ts fresh ground black pepper;
           scant
    1/8 ts cloves; ground
      2 oz bittersweet chocolate;
           chopped fine
      2 TB packed brown sugar
           Garnish:
           Toasted sesame kernels
           Onion, sliced paper thin in
           rings; halved
  
  Prepare the Meat: Put poultry in a stockpot with 4 cups of cool water.
  Bring to a boil, skim foam off top, reduce heat and simmer until
  tender (about 1-1/2 hours). When poultry is done, remove it and
  refrigerate (or freeze if preparing for later use). Strain stock into
  a bowl, cover and refrigerate. After stock has chilled, skim off top.
  Reserve stock for later use in the recipe.
  
  Sauce: Pull out the tops of the dried chiles by the stems. Tear chiles
  into strips. Remove all seeds and veins. Reserve 1 to 3 tablespoons of
  the seeds (depending on how hot you want the mole to be).
  
  If the chiles are too dry to tear apart, cover them with boiling water
  and soak a few minutes until softened.
  
  Put 1 or 2 tablespoons of oil into a large skillet or pot over high
  heat. Fry the chile strips, reserved chile seeds, almonds, raisins,
  sesame seeds, tomato and garlic in batches until the chiles have
  changed color and stiffen. Be sure and fry the chipotle thoroughly, or
  it will be too hot. (This is a very hot pepper and you might not want
  to add the full amount of reserved chile seeds to the dish, depending
  on your tolerance for heat).
  
  After each batch is fried, transfer to a food processor and add a
  ladle of stock. Process mixture to a coarse paste. Continue until
  batches have been processed.
  
  Add 2 to 3 tablespoons of oil to the pan, and place over medium heat.
  Add all of the chile paste. As the paste cooks, stir in the salt,
  anise, cilantro, salt, cinnamon, black pepper and cloves. Be careful
  or the mixture will spatter all over the stove and floor. Add stock, a
  ladleful at a time, mixing after each addition, until sauce is smooth
  and thick enough to coat the back of a metal spoon.
  
  Add chocolate and brown sugar. Stir until chocolate is melted and
  sugar is dissolved in the sauce. Simmer at least 40 minutes over very
  low heat, stirring occasionally.
  
  Finishing and Serving: Cut chicken into medium-sized slices. Add to
  mole in skillet or stewpot and cook over medium heat, stirring
  frequently, until poultry is heated throughout.
  
  Serve hot, garnished with toasted sesame seeks and fresh onion slices.
  
  If making mole in advance, refrigerate or freeze the sauce (separately
  from the meat), then re-heat and serve sauce and meat together as
  above.
  
  Recipe Source: Chile Pepper, Feb 1998
  Recipe By: Ron West
 
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Cheers

Jim in Yellowknife