Mole Poblano

I like a challenge. I also find that after a busy week cooking for me is a way to relax... I'm in the process of moving house so with all that impending stress I really need to chill, and what better way than cooking up something tasty. 
Tidying out my cupboards I realised that I had amassed rather a lot of ancho chillies, and after a midweek shopping trip I had acquired some more, plus some mulatto and guajillo chillies. So... what to make with them? I'd fancied trying my hand at making Mole Poblano, probably one of Mexico's most famous moles, or sauces, and best know outside of Mexico as being the 'one with chocolate in' - though chocolate is just one its many ingredients. 
It is a little time consuming to make, but well worth it. I've adapted the recipe slightly, because I didn't have a few of the ingredients. Traditionally it contains peanuts and unskinned almonds. I had neither so substituted cashews, pine nut kernels and some ready ground almonds. The recipe also calls for aniseed, raisins and tomatillos, which I didn't have in the house, so fennel seed, a dash of balsamic vinegar (to mimic the tartness of tomatillos) and some agave nectar for sweetness went in instead.
I also cut a few corners on the technique which would probably incurr the wrath of Mexican grandmothers. The recipe I had called for numerous different steps, of frying in batches, draining oil and then grinding. I decided to split the recipe into three main stages; the herb, spice and nut mixture, the chilli puree, and the tomato, garlic and onion mixture. These can be all made in advance, and then all you have to do is mix then together and cook the sauce down for an hour or so.

Mole Poblano
8 large dried ancho chillies
4 mulatto chillies
2 guajillo chillies
1 head of garlic, cloves separated but unpeeled
4 tablespoons of sesame seeds
1 tsp fennel seeds (or aniseed)
1 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp allspice
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
3 bay leaves
1 disk of Mexican drinking chocolate (or 6 squares of dark chocolate - I used some chocolate with naga chilli for additional heat)
1 stick of cinnamon
1 handful of cashews (or peanuts)
4 tablespoons pumpkin seeds (hulled)
2 tablespoons pine nut kernels
3 stale corn tortillas
2 red onions
2 large tomatoes
1 litre vegetable stock
Olive oil
seasoning to taste

Nut and spice mixture
1. Add the sesame seeds, pine nut kernels, cashews (or peanuts), fennel seeds and peppercorns to a heavy bottomed frying pan and toast until golden. Watch carefully to ensure they don't burn

 2. Pour into a pestle and mortar and grind until it becomes a fine powder. Alternatively if you have a coffee grinder do it in there. Much easier!
3. To this mixture add the ground almonds, dry herbs and ground spices. 

4. Toast the tortillas until they are crispy (I put them on the oven shelf whilst the vegetables were roasting - see below), then crumble them into the nut and spice mixture



Tomato mixture
1. Cut the tomatoes and onions in rough chunks, toss in some olive oil and place on a baking tray
2. Add the unpeeled garlic cloves 
3. Roast for around 30 minutes at 200 C until the onions are soft and slightly charred

4. Remove the skins from the roast garlic cloves and blend to a puree.
5. Add 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar and taste the mixture, adding sugar or agave nectar to taste








Chilli puree
1. Toast the chillies in batches in a heavy bottomed frying pan for a couple of minutes

2. Once all the chillies have been toasted put them in a large bowl and pour over boiling water
3. Leave to soak for at least 30 minutes
4. After soaking, drain the chillies (reserving around 300 ml of the liquid)
5. Remove the stalks and seeds and put the chillies into a blender
6. Blend to a fine puree with the soaking liquid

All of these stages can be prepared separately depending on how much time you have.


To make the Mole Poblano
1. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large pan, once hot slowly the chilli puree for a few minutes
2. Stir in the tomato and onion mixture and simmer. You want it to have the consistency of tomato paste
3. Slowly add the dried nut and spice mixture, and then stir in the vegetable stock
4. Put a tight fitting lid on the pan and simmer for 30 minutes
5. Add the chocolate, stir and cook on a low heat for 1 hour
6. Season the mole to taste. 

Et voila! It makes around 1.5-2 litres of sauce, and it should keep for around 1 week in the refrigerator. Traditionally it's used to cook meat such as chicken or turkey, but would work equally well with tofu or quorn. It may not be a traditional use, but I think it would be pretty damn fine as an enchilada sauce as well. You can use it immediately, but it's going to taste so much better after a night in the refrigerator letting the flavours mingle...