Actually, I'm really proud of myself because molé is a little complicated, and I haven't been able to find two recipes out there that are remotely the same. Most include onion, some kind of dried chiles, and unsweetened chocolate. Some have peanuts, some don't, some have tomato sauce, some don't, the spices and amounts vary wildly...you get the idea. So I looked at three or four recipes that had some basic elements in common, and tried to combine them to approximate what molé, in my mind, should taste like.
I guess I should say what molé is. Since I've lived in Arizona and California my whole life, I've maybe had more exposure to it than a lot of people. Don't quote me on it, but I don't think you can get anything molé-related at Taco Bell, for instance. This is understandable; it's less accessible than a lot of Mexican dishes because the spicing is pretty unique. It includes chocolate as a spice. It's unsweetened, but still. A lot of people think reflexively of chocolate and meat mixed together as some kind of abomination that is probably prohibited in the Bible. To my knowledge, it's not, but even if it were, I would trust my own taste buds over the word of God in this case. I ignored what God had to say about eating shrimp and shellfish, and I have yet to regret that. Anyway.
Wikipedia says that molé (which is really spelled with out the accent, but saying I made "mole" sauce is just confusing/gross) is really just a generic word for sauce that comes from the Nahuatl "molli." When we talk about molé in the US, what we're usually talking about...well, it's ambiguous. It could be mole poblano, named for the state of Puebla from whence it comes, or mole negro, which comes from Oaxaca, and is similar but, apparently, as the name would suggest, darker because it contains additional spices. In any case, turkey or chicken with molé is typically a celebration thing that you might have for weddings or holidays. I think what I ended up making was maybe closer to mole negro? But I'm not sure. It was pretty tasty, though. Better, I feel confident in boasting, than the molé chicken I ate at El Charro here in Tucson. So there.
Some of the items you might have better luck finding in a specialty market, but I think most supermarkets have an area, usually in the "Ethnic Foods" or whatever they call it aisle, that sells Mexican spices. If you can't find Ibarra-brand chocolate, just get a bar of unsweetened baking chocolate. I got some Ghirardelli's and it worked fine.
Molé
4 dried pasilla (aka ancho) peppers
15 almonds
2 Tbsps pumpkin seeds
1 Tbsp sesame seeds
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
1 whole clove
1 whole allspice
1 corn tortilla
1 yellow onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
2 Tbsps orange juice
1/2 cup canned crushed tomato
1 cup+ water (I continued to add water little by little as I went along to get the right texture. I suggest you follow the same policy)
1 oz unsweetened chocolate (1/4 of a 4 oz bar), grated (Grating the chocolate is messy! Do thison a large plate with a rim to catch the excess
2 tsps sugar
salt to taste
Bring a pot of water to boil; pour the boiling water over the dried chiles and let sit covered until they soften, 15 minutes to 1/2 an hour. Meanwhile, toast the almonds, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, whole spices, cinnamon and cumin in a skillet over medium low heat, stirring occasionally. When the sesame seeds start to turn golden, remove from heat and grind into a fine powder--I cleaned out my coffee grinder really well and used that; if you want to be old school I suppose you could use a mortar and pestle. Cook the corn tortilla in a little oil until it softens, then tear into pieces and set aside. Cook the onion in the same skillet until it begins to soften, then add the garlic and cook a little longer.
Drop the nut-seed-spice powder, tortilla pieces, chiles, cooked onion and garlic, tomato, orange juice, and water into a blender or food processor and process until you have a smooth paste, somewhat thicker than ketchup. If it is too thick, add more water. Pour the sauce back into the skillet and cook over medium low heat until it starts to bubble. Add in the chocolate and sugar, stirring well to incorporate. By the way, you should taste the sauce as you go to decide if you think the seasonings need tweaking. You may want it to be sweeter or spicier than mine ended up being. There you go, there's your molé. This makes about 4 cups, I would say, but I don't know how much water I ultimately ended up using. You can use it right away, either as a sauce for chicken or turkey, or for enchiladas, or you can freeze it. If you use it for enchiladas, you may want to dilute it with more water.
Mole enchiladas
2 chicken breasts, cut in 1-inch cubes
8 corn tortillas
Mole sauce
Cooking oil
1 cup shredded jack cheese + more for garnish (optional)
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Drop in the chicken and cook until cooked through, 15 minutes or so. You don't have to worry about overcooking the chicken in this case. Drain the cooked chicken and, after it has cooled, shred it. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix half of the mole sauce with the shredded chicken and the shredded cheese. Reserve the other half for coating the tortillas. Now, before you get ready to cook the tortillas, make sure your workspace is organized. Have your bowl of mole sauce, your baking pan, and your bowl of enchilada filling lined up in that order for efficient assembly. Enchiladas are easy to make once you get the hang of it, but you need to plan well. Over medium heat, heat enough oil to cover the bottom of the skillet until an edge of corn tortilla dipped in bubbles on contact. Carefully place one tortilla in the skillet. After just a few seconds, flip it with your tongs, and then place it in the bowl of sauce. Be careful not to get sauce on your tongs, or you will cause the oil to sputter and possibly burn yourself when you go to flip the next tortilla. Coat the tortilla well in the sauce and place in the baking dish. Scoop about 1/3 cup of the enchilada filling into the middle of the tortilla and wrap it it up tightly, being careful not to rip the tortilla (not that it will matter much once it's baked, but still). Repeat these steps until you have eight happy little enchiladas tucked into the dish. Pour any remaining sauce over the top and sprinkle with additional cheese. Bake for about 15 minutes. This makes about 4 servings. ¡Olé!
This meal is labor intensive, and messy, I'm not going to lie. Stupidly, I was not wearing the apron my dear mother gave me, and at one point I zinged hot sauce all over myself slasher-movie style and nearly ruined my favorite white shirt. But if you have the time and the energy, I highly recommend that you try this, because you will feel accomplished for having done it...and you will have yummy food in your fridge.
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