I’m a little obsessed with mole (Mexico’s national dish, also known as mole poblano). I even visited its birthplace, the Convent of Santa Rosa in the beautiful colonial city of Puebla. Traditional mole takes days to make and is just as marvelous and multileveled as the most complex French sauce. Here you get a much easier version with nearly authentic results in terms of flavor. Do a little experiment and taste your mole right before you add the chocolate and then right after you add it. If you don’t get what it means when gourmands talk about “depth of flavor,” you’ll get it when you make this comparison. My great-grandmother, grandmother, mother, and I all like to sprinkle it with plenty of additional sugar and a dollop of sour cream after it’s on the plate. You can make the sauce on its own and use it for very impressive enchiladas—or do as I did when I was a kid: spoon a few tablespoons over Mexican rice and chow down.

　　

Ingredients

serves 4 to 6

　　

Chicken

One 3 1/2-pound whole chicken

　　2 onions, quartered

　　2 carrots, chopped

　　2 celery stalks, chopped

　　4 garlic cloves

　　2 bay leaves

　　

Mole Sauce

5 pasilla chiles, stemmed and seeded

　　2 tablespoons olive oil

　　2 cups chopped onion

　　2 garlic cloves, minced

　　3 tablespoons smooth peanut butter

　　2 corn tostadas (see page 23), grilled and torn into pieces

　　1 tablespoon sugar

　　1 teaspoon crumbled dried oregano

　　5.5 ounces Ibarra chocolate (see below), chopped

　　Salt and freshly ground black pepper

　　

Step 1

To cook the chicken, combine the chicken, onions, carrots, celery, garlic, and bay leaves in a large heavy pot. Add 12 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 45 minutes. Transfer the chicken to a large bowl, and let it cool. Cut the chicken into 6 pieces and set aside in the refrigerator.

　　

Step 2

Strain the cooking liquid into a large saucepan (discard the vegetables) and boil over high heat until reduced to 3 cups, about 1 hour. Remove from the heat.

　　

Step 3

To make the mole sauce, measure out and rewarm (if necessary) 1 1/4 cups of the reduced cooking liquid. Soak the chiles in the liquid for 15 minutes. Drain well, and discard the chile-soaking liquid.

　　

Step 4

Heat the olive oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté for 5 minutes, or until translucent. Transfer the mixture to a blender and add the chiles, 1 1/2 cups reduced cooking liquid, and the peanut butter, tostadas, sugar, and oregano. Blend until very smooth. Transfer the sauce to a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.

　　

Step 5

Stir the chocolate into the mole, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the cooked chicken pieces and stir until the chicken is heated through, about 5 minutes.

　　

Ibarra Chocolate

Step 6

Flavored with cinnamon, almonds, and vanilla, Ibarra chocolate is available in Mexican markets and some supermarkets. Mexican chocolate has a much grainier texture than other chocolates. It’s used in the preparation of a Mexican hot chocolate drink and certain specialties such as Ancho-Chocolate Braised Short Ribs (page 128). One ounce of semisweet chocolate, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1 drop almond extract can be substituted for 1 ounce Mexican chocolate.

　　Fresh Mexico