Master The Mole

Mole, a multilayered delight

One of the oldest and most treasured parts of Mexican cuisine, mole was until recently considered the bastion of traditional Mexican restaurants. Today’s chefs, inspired by global mash-up trends and a deep respect for authenticity, are discovering the vast potential of this earthy, complex sauce to elevate their menu. Mole ingredients can be grouped into chiles, sour (tomatillos), sweet (dried fruits and sugar), spices, and thickeners (nuts and tortillas). Mole enhances the flavors of beef, turkey or chicken as a thick, rich sauce, and can also be used to prepare enchiladas and fill tamales.

Chef Talk

There’s no limit to making mole magic with out-of-the-box mash ups like the one we recently sampled at Old Vine Café, an Italian restaurant in California that crossed cuisines and categories with amazing results. Their recipe for success: a mole blend of pasilla chiles, cashews, sesame seeds, cocoa, garlic and white wine atop braised rabbit, with a side of slightly sweet cornbread.

Quick Mole Verde

Ingredients

1 oz Chicken Base Paste 18 oz Tomatillo 1/8 oz Bay Leave Whole Sweet 3 oz Seed Pumpkin, Shell Off Raw, Unsalted 2 oz White Sesame Seed 2 oz Jalapeño Pepper, Diced 1 oz Garlic Whole 2 oz Onion Yellow, Diced 3 oz Romaine Lettuce Chopped ¼ oz Cilantro, Chopped 6 oz Squash Zucchini, Chopped

Preparation

Cut up the tomatillos and place in a sauce pan.

Turn on medium high heat and cook for approximately 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add 2 cups of water and the chicken base.

Cook for another 5 minutes or until the tomatillos are tender. Add the tomatillos and chicken stock to a blender.

Add the rest of the ingredients and puree. Season with salt.