Mexican food? Tamales and Enchiladas! What is Mole' and what is it for? Mole' recipes too.?!
Mexican food? Tamales and Enchiladas! What is Mole' and what is it for? Mole' recipes too.?
I need some really great recipes. No funky ingrediants, just easy to find. Thanks in advance!
Answers:
The word mole comes from the Aztec word "molli", which means concoction, stew, or sauce. In Mexico, mole recipes are passed down from generation to generation, vary from town to town and from family to family. Mole is a complex rich thick sauce, which is traditionally used to accompany chicken or turkey. It is made from a variety of chiles, onions, garlic, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cloves, sesame seeds, several types of nuts and a small amount of chocolate.
Its best-known ingredient is the chocolate, which contributes richness to the sauce without adding much sweetness. Grated avocado pit is even used in the recipe to add a balancing bitterness.
Chicken Mole
Serve this mole (pronounced mo-LAY and translated as "sauce") with brown rice, steamed corn tortillas and a green salad.
3 cups water
4 chicken breasts
2 chicken legs and thighs
1 celery stalk, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh cilantro, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons chili powder
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup crushed corn chips
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces tomato sauce
1 ounce unsweetened chocolate, melted
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted
Bring water, chicken and celery to a boil. Cover and reduce heat, letting chicken simmer about 1 hour, or until meat comes away easily from bones. Remove chicken from broth and set aside to cool. Strain broth and keep liquid; discard celery.
In a blender, combine half of the broth with the cilantro, salt, cumin, cloves, chili powder, garlic, raisins, corn chips and onion. Pulse several times to blend.
In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat and carefully add the blended ingredients. (You are actually "frying" the sauce, here, so pour carefully to avoid spatters.) Heat and stir for 5 minutes. Add the remaining broth, tomato sauce and melted chocolate to skillet. Cover and simmer on low heat 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, remove skin and bones from chicken and cut into bite-size pieces; add to sauce in skillet. Taste and correct seasonings, if desired. Simmer for 10 minutes. Toast almond slivers and use as garnish.