Mexican Mole

My dad is the best cook.  He taught me all the basics as a teenager and answered any questions I had when tackling recipes as a kid.  His greatest culinary talent is to eat something fabulous at a great restaurant, figure out the ingredients, and go home and make it.  He’s a real natural.

Mole is one of his favorite things.  He made pork with mole’ when I came home to visit once.  How can you go wrong with chocolate chili sauce?  Well, my younger son thinks it’s all wrong, but I still mixed up a batch this weekend to drizzle over our pulled pork.  As I was standing there licking the mole’ covered spatula, I was wondering why the heck I don’t own the movie Chocolat, remembering the decadent chocolate meal they ate alfresco in the movie.  Maybe we should have moved the sun room table, crystal, china, and silver to the patio and had Mexican hot chocolate for dessert rather than strawberry rhubarb pie to recreate that meal.

I just found out that Dad, who RVs with his wife, will be coming to town before heading to Florida.  I invited them to stay for dinner.  Now I’m wishing I had held off on the mole and strawberry rhubarb pie.  They would have made a great meal the night he’s over.  Oh well, I’ll just have to play with something else.

Ingredients:

4 dried pasilla negro chiles

1 c. tomato puree

1 medium onion, peeled and halved

3 cloves garlic, peeled, stems removed

3/4 c. broth

1/4 c. toasted walnuts

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. coriander

2 T cocoa powder

1 T turbinado sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

2 T dried cranberries

2 T extra virgin olive oil

Method:

Pour boiling water over the dried chillies and soak until they are soft.

Cut each chile lengthwise and scrape out seeds.

Remove stems.  Toast nuts while chillies are soaking.

Place all ingredients but the broth and olive oil into the bowl of a food processor.

Process until smooth and creamy.  Blend in broth.

Heat oil in a skillet just before serving.  Warm mole in the oil for 5 to 10 minutes.  Use on chicken, beef, or pork.

Makes approximately 2 cups.