Years back I did a riff on a mole chili. It had all the classic flavors but was more of a stew than a chili. It did win an office chili cook off. But for this TD I wanted to bring a more authentic mole to my creation. And holy mole was it a lot of work. In the end it was worth it. This chili is a keeper!
[SIZE=14pt]Holy Mole Beef and Pork Chili[/SIZE]
Ingredients
3 plum tomatoes
½ cup sesame seeds, toasted
½ cup canola oil
2 ounces dried ancho mulato chiles, stemmed and seeded
2 ounces pasilla chles, stemmed and seeded
5 garlic cloves, peeled
½ cup unskinned almonds
½ cup raisins
Salt to taste
½ teaspoon fresh ground Mexican cinnamon
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground clove
1 slice bread, darkly toasted and broken into pieces
1 ounce Mexican chocolate with chipotle
4 to 5 teaspoons raw sugar
3 lb course ground chuck and pork shoulder 50/50 mix
Directions
Set out all ingredients and prep them as specified. It will help the process if everything is ready to go. Wash the tomatoes, stem and seed the chiles, peel the garlic, toast and grind the spices, toast the bread and chop the chocolate.
Roast the tomatoes under a broiler for 5 minutes. Turn them over and roast the other side for 5 minutes. Expect some splotchy black blistering. Add tomatoes and their juices into a bowl.
Toast sesame seeds in a small frying pan for about 5 minutes or until golden brown. Add 2/3 of the seeds to the bowl with the tomatoes. Reserve the rest for garnishing the final dish.
Heat a 5 quart or larger pot (I used an enameled cast iron pot) over medium heat. Add the canola oil. Tear the chiles into pieces. Fry them in the oil for 20-30 seconds. Fry them in small batches. Be sure to turn them often and drain the excess fat back in to the pot. Be sure not to toast them too darkly or they will become bitter. Add them to a second boil separate from the tomatoes. Cover them with hot water and place a small plate on top to keep them submerged. Soak for about 30 minutes.
Remove any stray seeds from the oil. Now fry the garlic and almonds. Stir them regularly until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add them to the bowl with the tomatoes.
Now add the raisins. Fry them for 30 seconds until they puff and brown slightly. Add them to the bowl with the tomatoes.
Add re-hydrated chiles and 2 ½ cups of the soaking liquid to a blender. Blend the snot out of it. Strain the mixture back into its bowl to remove the skins and stray seeds. Now blend all of the ingredients in the tomato bowl plus the spices, sugar, salt, bread and 1 cup of water. You don’t need to add all the sugar. You can add half and then adjust the seasoning later. But as for the blender, same thing. Put the spurs to it. Strain this mixture back into its bowl.
Over medium heat, with a small amount of oil, add the chile mixture to the pot. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until the mixture comes to a tomato paste consistency. Now add the strained tomato mixture to the already cooked down chile mixture. Once again, cook it down to tomato paste consistency. This should take 5-10 minutes.
Remove mixture to a bowl. Do a quick cleaning of the pot. You will be using the same pot to brown the meat.
Brown the beef and pork mixture over medium/high until it is cooked. Drain off the fat and return the meat to the pot. Add in the mole mixture and about 1-2 pints of water. You will simmer this for as long as you like. I simmered for an hour. Just make sure you have enough water to keep it at a nice simmer but don’t water it down too much and dilute the awesome flavors! Adjust salt and sugar as needed. I had to add a bit more salt when I did mine.
Ladle some chili into a bowl. Garnish with sesame seeds, queso fresco and serve with a big hunk of queso fresco corn bread. Drink lots of tequila. The day of the dead tequila I picked works here because mole is a traditional dish served on the Day of the Dead celebration
[SIZE=14pt]Queso Fresco Corn Bread[/SIZE]
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup half and half
1/4 cup butter melted
1/4 cup orange blossom honey
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 small wedge queso fresco, sliced
Directions
Heat oven to 400°F.
Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt in bowl. Stir in all remaining ingredients just until moistened. Pour half of the batter into greased 8- or 9-inch square baking pan. Create a layer of the queso fresco. Pour in the rest of thebatter.
Bake 18-22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
[SIZE=14pt]Holy Mole Beef and Pork Chili[/SIZE]
Ingredients
3 plum tomatoes
½ cup sesame seeds, toasted
½ cup canola oil
2 ounces dried ancho mulato chiles, stemmed and seeded
2 ounces pasilla chles, stemmed and seeded
5 garlic cloves, peeled
½ cup unskinned almonds
½ cup raisins
Salt to taste
½ teaspoon fresh ground Mexican cinnamon
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground clove
1 slice bread, darkly toasted and broken into pieces
1 ounce Mexican chocolate with chipotle
4 to 5 teaspoons raw sugar
3 lb course ground chuck and pork shoulder 50/50 mix
Directions
Set out all ingredients and prep them as specified. It will help the process if everything is ready to go. Wash the tomatoes, stem and seed the chiles, peel the garlic, toast and grind the spices, toast the bread and chop the chocolate.
Roast the tomatoes under a broiler for 5 minutes. Turn them over and roast the other side for 5 minutes. Expect some splotchy black blistering. Add tomatoes and their juices into a bowl.
Toast sesame seeds in a small frying pan for about 5 minutes or until golden brown. Add 2/3 of the seeds to the bowl with the tomatoes. Reserve the rest for garnishing the final dish.
Heat a 5 quart or larger pot (I used an enameled cast iron pot) over medium heat. Add the canola oil. Tear the chiles into pieces. Fry them in the oil for 20-30 seconds. Fry them in small batches. Be sure to turn them often and drain the excess fat back in to the pot. Be sure not to toast them too darkly or they will become bitter. Add them to a second boil separate from the tomatoes. Cover them with hot water and place a small plate on top to keep them submerged. Soak for about 30 minutes.
Remove any stray seeds from the oil. Now fry the garlic and almonds. Stir them regularly until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add them to the bowl with the tomatoes.
Now add the raisins. Fry them for 30 seconds until they puff and brown slightly. Add them to the bowl with the tomatoes.
Add re-hydrated chiles and 2 ½ cups of the soaking liquid to a blender. Blend the snot out of it. Strain the mixture back into its bowl to remove the skins and stray seeds. Now blend all of the ingredients in the tomato bowl plus the spices, sugar, salt, bread and 1 cup of water. You don’t need to add all the sugar. You can add half and then adjust the seasoning later. But as for the blender, same thing. Put the spurs to it. Strain this mixture back into its bowl.
Over medium heat, with a small amount of oil, add the chile mixture to the pot. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until the mixture comes to a tomato paste consistency. Now add the strained tomato mixture to the already cooked down chile mixture. Once again, cook it down to tomato paste consistency. This should take 5-10 minutes.
Remove mixture to a bowl. Do a quick cleaning of the pot. You will be using the same pot to brown the meat.
Brown the beef and pork mixture over medium/high until it is cooked. Drain off the fat and return the meat to the pot. Add in the mole mixture and about 1-2 pints of water. You will simmer this for as long as you like. I simmered for an hour. Just make sure you have enough water to keep it at a nice simmer but don’t water it down too much and dilute the awesome flavors! Adjust salt and sugar as needed. I had to add a bit more salt when I did mine.
Ladle some chili into a bowl. Garnish with sesame seeds, queso fresco and serve with a big hunk of queso fresco corn bread. Drink lots of tequila. The day of the dead tequila I picked works here because mole is a traditional dish served on the Day of the Dead celebration
[SIZE=14pt]Queso Fresco Corn Bread[/SIZE]
Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup half and half
1/4 cup butter melted
1/4 cup orange blossom honey
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1 small wedge queso fresco, sliced
Directions
Heat oven to 400°F.
Combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder and salt in bowl. Stir in all remaining ingredients just until moistened. Pour half of the batter into greased 8- or 9-inch square baking pan. Create a layer of the queso fresco. Pour in the rest of thebatter.
Bake 18-22 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
