We promise: The longest part of this weekend project is the shopping list. Once you have the ingredients for this rich Mexican sauce, the possibilities are endless. Historically, every Mexican family had its own unique recipe for mole. Mexican culinary authority chef Rick Bayless writes that all family moles can be divided into five general categories: chiles, sweet, sour, spices and thickeners.
Cooks hand-ground and then slowly sautéed their version, using it to braise turkey, chicken, lamb or pork. This process took a team of women about a day to accomplish; so mole was reserved for high celebrations or important guest.
Today, ground spices ingredients are sautéed together, and when tender, the sauce is pureed in a blender and pressed through a fine mesh sieve, making it much more accessible for a home cook. We make a large batch of mole, then freeze it in one cup batches, where it will keep up to year.
Make the sauce on Saturday, then relax on Sunday as you slowly braise your favorite cut of meat to unctuous perfection. For a richer, heartier dish, choose cuts of meat with more bones and fat like bone-in pork butt or rib tips. For a lighter, more elegant dinner, pieces of chicken or a classic St. Louis pork steak works wonderfully. For this project, we sliced the meat and served it simply in a tortilla with fresh cole slaw, but you could also serve it with any roasted winter starch, vegetable or salad.
The Gameplan
Day 1: Make the Mole Sauce.
Day 2: Cook the pork steaks in the mole sauce. Prepare the cole slaw.
The Shopping List *
½ cup lard, beef tallow or vegetable oil
6-8 dried mulato peppers
10-12 dried ancho peppers
12-14 dried pasilla peppers
2 small white onions
6-8 cloves roasted garlic
¼ cup raw almonds
¼ cup raw peanuts
¼ cup raisins
¼ cup sesame seeds
2 Tbsp. pepitas
3-4 whole cloves, smashed
1 tsp. peppercorns
1 tsp. coriander seeds
¼ tsp. anise seeds
¼ tsp. ground allspice
1 cinnamon stick
½ tsp. dried thyme
½ tsp. dried oregano
1 tomato
1 tomatillo
1 package corn tortillas
3 quarts chicken stock
4 oz. 99-percent dark chocolate
4 ½-inch thick pork steaks
6-8 cups thinly sliced green cabbage
½ cup thinly sliced red onion
2 tsp. red wine vinegar
*This list assumes you have olive oil, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper at hand in your kitchen. If not, you will need to purchase those items, too.
Mole Sauce
5 to 6
½ cup lard, beef tallow or vegetable oil
6-8 dried mulato peppers, stemmed and seeded
10-12 dried ancho peppers, stemmed and seeded
12-14 dried pasilla peppers, stemmed and seeded
1 small white onion, sliced
6-8 cloves roasted garlic
¼ cup raw almonds
¼ cup raw peanuts
¼ cup raisins
¼ cup sesame seeds
2 Tbsp. pepitas
3-4 whole cloves, smashed
1 tsp. peppercorns
1 tsp. coriander seeds
¼ tsp. anise seeds
¼ tsp. ground allspice
1 cinnamon stick
½ tsp. dried thyme
½ tsp. dried oregano
1 tomato, roasted and chopped
1 tomatillo, roasted and chopped
3 corn tortillas, torn into 1-inch pieces
2 quarts chicken stock, divided
4 oz. 99-percent dark chocolate
? Day 1: In a large enameled pot, melt the lard over medium-high heat. Add the mulato peppers and fry 2 minutes, tossing occasionally until they start to blister, but do not burn. Remove from the oil and set aside. Repeat with the ancho and pasilla peppers.
? Add the onions to the oil and saute 10 minutes, until they begin to caramelize. Add the roasted garlic, smashing the cloves with the back of a spoon while stirring.
? Add the almonds and peanuts and cook 2 to 3 minutes, until fragrant. Add the raisins, sesame seeds and pepitas one at a time, stirring constantly to coat them in the fat.
? Add the cloves, peppercorns, coriander seeds, anise seeds, allspice, cinnamon stick, thyme and oregano, then add the roasted tomato and tomatillo. Saute 2 to 3 minutes.
? Add the corn tortillas and stir them until they have absorbed the remaining lard and liquid, about 1 minute.
? Return the chiles back to the pot along with 6 cups chicken stock and the chocolate. Stir until the chocolate melts and all ingredients are combined, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.
? Remove the chiles form the sauce. Season with salt, cover and let cool 30 minutes to 1 hour.
? Once cool, use a stick blender to puree or puree in batches in a blender. Press through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. If the mixture is too thick, add the remaining 2 cups chicken stock.
? Mole will keep refrigerated in airtight containers for 6 months or frozen up to 1 year.
Pork Steak Mole
4 to 6 servings
4 bone-in, ½-inch thick pork steaks
4 tsp. kosher salt, divided
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
4 Tbsp. olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
1 cup Mole Sauce
2 cups chicken stock
Sesame seeds for garnish
1 package corn tortillas, for serving
? Day 2: Generously season the pork steaks on both sides with 3 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper on both sides. Let rest about 20 minutes.
? In a heavy-bottomed skillet or enameled cast-iron pan, heat the olive oil over high heat until it ripples, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the pork steaks to the skillet, making sure not to overcrowd the pan, and cook 1 to 2 minutes on each side, until browned. Remove from the pan and set aside.
? Reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and season with the remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Saute until they soften and begin to color, 3 to 4 minutes, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
? Whisk in the mole sauce and chicken stock, then return the pork steaks to the sauce and cover them with the sauce and onions. Cover and simmer over medium heat until fork tender, 45 to 55 minutes.
? Remove the meat from the sauce and slice into 1/3-inch strips. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve with tortillas and cole slaw.
Cole Slaw
2 quarts
6-8 cups thinly sliced green cabbage
½ cup thinly sliced red onion
2 tsp. kosher salt, divided, plus more to taste
3-4 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. red wine or sherry vinegar, plus more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
? Day 2: In a large mixing bowl, combine the cabbage, red onion and 2 teaspoons salt. Use your hands to mix, gently crushing the cabbage and coating evenly with salt. Let rest 10 to 15 minutes.
? Vigorously stir in the oil to coat the slaw evenly, then mix in 1 teaspoon vinegar. Season to taste with pepper, salt and vinegar. Slaw will keep refrigerated in an airtight container up to 1 week.
This article appears in January 2016.