El Torito’s Mole Coloradito
Ancho (Ahn-cho) Chile (Capsicum Annum) means Wide Chile Pepper. This chile ranges from 3 – 4 on a heat scale of 1 to 10. An Ancho is the dried form of a Poblano Pepper and often is mislabeled as a Pasilla or Mulato Pepper. Anchos have sweet fruity flavor with hints of cherry, prune, and fig. Anchos, combined with the Pasilla and Guajillo, form the Holy Trinity of chiles used to prepare the traditional mole sauces. Scoville heat units are 1,000 to 3,000.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup guajillo chiles, seeded
1/8 cup ancho chiles, seeded
1 cup hot water
1 black peppercorn
1 clove, whole
1 allspice, whole
4 garlic cloves
1/4 cup yellow onions
2 Roma tomatoes, quartered
Pinch of oregano
6-8 raisins
6-8 whole almonds
1/8 cup sesame seeds
1/2 oz. Mexican chocolate
3 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup plantains, sliced
1/2 bolillo roll (dried out)
2 Tbsp. margarine, melted
4 sprigs fresh epazote
1/2 mediun cinnamon stick
salt, to taste
Instructions:
Roast all the chiles, then transfer them to a pan with 1 cup of hot water and soak them for 1 hour. Drain the chiles and reserve the water. Transfer the chiles to a blender with the reserved water and blend until smooth, then strain through a fine sieve.
Place the black peppercorn, clove, allspice, garlic and onions in a saute pan and cook until they have evenly toasted. Place the tomatoes on a sheet pan and cook in a 220F oven until they are roasted and dried. Add the oregano to the tomatoes and mix well.
Place the raisins, almonds and sesame seeds in a separate saute pan and cook until evenly toasted, then transfer them to a blender with the Mexican chocolate, one cup of chicken broth, the plantains, the bolillo roll, toasted spices and the dried tomatoes. Blend the ingredients until they form a smooth puree.
Lightly saute the epazote and cinnamon stick with some margarine in a saucepan and add the previously prepared chile puree and cook 10 minutes. Add the remaining two cups of chicken broth, salt to taste, and cook for five minutes, stirring constantly.
Remove the cinnamon stick and epazote before serving. Add hot chicken broth to thin the mole as needed for the desired texture.
Serve the mole with grilled chicken or tamales.
Recipe from El Restaurante Mexicano, September/October 2004.