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Mole Rojo Recipe

Ingredients

How to make it

  • Toss the tomatillos in a pot of water, bring it to a boil, then simmer for about five minutes and drain. Reserve.
  • Tear the tortilla and bread up into rough pieces. Reserve.
  • Chop the chocolate. Reserve.
  • Mix the tomatoes, tomatillos, chocolate, herbs, and spices. Reserve.
  • In a heavy skillet over high heat, toast the sesame seeds, stirring constantly, until golden and fragrant. Add to the reserved tomato mixture.
  • Be careful here! Put the skillet back over high heat, and a few at a time, toast the chiles, only a few seconds on each side, until fragrant (do NOT burn the chiles!) Cover the toasted chiles with boiling water to cover, and let soak for 20-30 minutes. Drain.
  • Toast the almonds over high heat until fragrant, and reserve. Toast the tortilla and bread until very dry and beginning to brown. Reserve with the almonds. Add the onion, garlic, and banana to the almond mixture, then add the almond mixture to the tomato mixture. Stem the soaked chiles, then tear them open and rinse out as many of the seeds as you can. Puree the chiles in your food processor, adding a bit of stock if necessary, then reserve.
  • You should have 1) the tomato mixture, 2) the chocolate, 3) the pureed chiles, and 4) chicken stock.
  • Puree the tomato mixture, adding stock as necessary. You'll have to do this in batches, but make sure you do puree it, and there aren't large pieces of stuff floating around.
  • Heat about 2 T. of lard (or oil) in the bottom of a LARGE saucepan until quite hot. Add the pureed chiles, turn the heat down to medium, and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture is quite dark. Taste it. If it still tastes of tannin, turn the heat down, and continue to cook another five minutes or so. Taste. Cook until the tannin is mostly gone. If you have to add a bit of chicken stock to keep it from sticking, go right ahead.
  • Add about half of the pureed tomato mixture, turn the heat up high, and cook, stirring constantly, until it darkens. Add the rest, and repeat.
  • Add 6 cups of chicken stock and the chocolate. Bring it to a boil, stirring constantly, then turn heat as low as you can (or dump it into a big slow cooker), and simmer uncovered for about three hours or more, until about the consistency of heavy cream. Stir it from time to time, because the seeds and nuts will fall to the bottom and burn.
  • Taste. ONLY IF NECESSARY, and it shouldn't be, if you cooked the tannin out of the chiles, add a bit of sugar to offset the tannin. Don't salt.
  • The mole shouldn't be greasy, but if it is, refrigerate all of it until the grease rises to the top and hardens, then remove it. If you want to be authentic, strain the mole, but if you can't be bothered, it's fine. Mexicans strain everything, multiple times.
  • Moles freeze well, and like chili, are better the longer they're kept. Make it a day ahead, freeze most of it, then reheat what you need the next day.

Reviews & Comments 4

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    " It was excellent "
    elgourmand ate it and said...
    Well Bondc, your blog for this says it all. That's why I only make this maybe twice a year. I didn't look mine up to compare but mine's about the same. A Senorita of my acquaintance got me to use wall nuts in this and I like the taste. This gets copied for future reference. Thanks. RJ
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    " It was excellent "
    lunasea ate it and said...
    Nice recipe - thanks!
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    " It was excellent "
    jimrug1 ate it and said...
    Hi Bondc
    I love this recipe. I had a red mole at Rick Bayless's Frontera resaurant in Chicago.. Awesome flavor!! I will be saving this for sure... Thanks for taking the time to share it. High 5 for this great recipe... .... Jim

    PS.. If you like good homemade Mexican. I have a Chile Rellenos recipe you may want to check out.
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    " It was excellent "
    momo_55grandma ate it and said...
    definetely deicous high 5555555555 recipe
    Was this review helpful? Yes Flag

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bondc State College, PA

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