(Photo By: SB, Allrecipes.com)

Sometime ago, maybe a week or two, someone, I think it was Margaret, asked me about the Mexican Mole sauce. From various sources, including Allrecipes.com, the Foodnetwork.com, waymorehomemade.com and the travelblog.com, I have found the following recipes and some description of the sauce. It is a lot like Indian curry – it can, and usually does, change with the maker or creator or chef. Cheers and enjoy.

If you are looking for an authentic Mexican food recipe you should try Mole. Mole comes from the Aztec times and it is a delicious sauce prepared with zippy chile and Mexican chocolate. Mole is known all over the world and it is not hard to cook. You can add some chicken or make some mole enchiladas. Two of the most popular places to get Mole in Mexico are Oaxaca and Puebla. Oaxaca is known as the Land of the Seven Moles and Puebla has also a great variety of Mole. When cooking Mole you need to add some Mexican chocolate so the taste is a little bit sweet and not as strong as the mole itself. Mole can be prepared in different ways, depending on the state or traditions of each family. Some of the ingredients include cloves, peanut butter, bananas and epazote. There are also different types of mole. For example you can find yellow mole, red mole, black mole, green mole and the famous one – tablecloth stainer known in Spanish as the ‘mancha manteles’. You can serve some chicken and rice to make a complete, perfect meal and enjoy it with some Crema Mexicana Mexican style sour cream, white fresh Mexican cheese, and bolillos.

Description:
Why wouldn’t the cooks of Cerén have developed sauces to serve over meats and vegetables? After all, there is evidence that curry mixtures were in existence thousands of years ago in what is now India, and we have to assume that Native Americans experimented with all available ingredients. Perhaps this mole sauce was served over stewed duck meat, as ducks were one of the domesticated meat sources of the Cerén villagers. Cerén, or Joya de Cerén, is the name of a village in El Salvador that was destroyed by a volcanic eruption. Known as the North American Pompeii, because of its level of preservation, Cerén offers a fascinating glimpse into what life was like 1400 years ago.

Ingredients:
Makes 2½ cups
• 4 tomatillos, husks removed
• 1 tomato, toasted in a skillet and peeled
• ½ teaspoon chile seeds
• 3 tablespoons pepitas (toasted pumpkin or squash seeds)
• 1 corn tortilla, torn into pieces
• 2 tablespoons medium-hot chile powder
• 1 teaspoon achiote (annatto seeds)
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 ounce Mexican or bittersweet chocolate

Directions:
In a blender, combine the tomatillos, tomato, chile seeds, pepitas, tortilla, chile powder and achiote to make a paste. In a pan, heat the vegetable oil and fry the paste until fragrant, about 4 minutes, stirring constantly. Add the chicken broth and the chocolate and stir over medium heat until thickened to desired consistency.

Ingredients:
* 4 Dried Pasilla chilies, stems and seeds removed
* 4 Dried red New Mexican chilies, stems and seeds removed
* 1 med. Onion, chopped
* 2 Cloves garlic, chopped
* 2 med Tomatoes, peeled and seeds removed, chopped
* 2 T Sesame seeds
* ½ c Almonds
* ½ Corn tortilla, torn into pieces
* ¼ c Raisins
* ¼ t Ground cloves
* ¼ t Ground cinnamon
* ¼ t Ground coriander
* 3 T Oil; canola or olive are nice
* 1 c Chicken broth
* 1 oz Mexican Bittersweet Chocolate

Directions:
Combine chiles, onion, garlic, tomatoes, 1 Tbsp sesame seeds, almonds, tortilla, raisins, cloves, cinnamon, and coriander. Puree small amounts of mixture in a blender until smooth.

Heat oil in a skillet and saute the puree for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add chicken broth and chocolate and cook over very low heat for 45 minutes. The resulting sauce will be quite thick.

Traditional mole sauce can be either red or green, depending on which ingredients you decide to use and is normally served over chicken. Experiment!

I do hope this helps with your question, Margaret. It goes quite well, and I think designed for chicken or turkey. But it can also go with pork or beef. I don’t think I would use a mole sauce with seafood. You can also find a Mole Sauce and Paste, to use as a starter for future recipes, at http://www.waymorehomemade.com/2010/04/mexican-mole-sauce-foodie-friday.html. Cheers!