Especials del Sudoeste
Southwest Specialties

If Mexico could have 
a national dish, 
and to attempt to select 
just one from the wide 
repertoire available 
is nearly impossible,
it must be mole.  
The dish originally came 
from the Convent of
Santa Clara in Puebla.  
According to the legend 
the sauce was
concocted by the nuns 
in honor of their bishop, 
don Alonso de la Mota y Escobar, 
specifically for Lent.  
In the sixteenth century 
the custom of not 
eating meat in Lent 
did not apply to fowl. 
Consequently in honor 
of the bishop's visit 
one Lent the nuns made 
a chocolate sauce, 
"in order to sweeten our sins."  
Thank heavens for a
 little conventual sin!

The name mole comes from the 
Nahuatl "molli," 
which comes from the verb-stem 
"mola" meaning to 
grind something, 
since the most important part of 
the whole recipe is the 
grinding of the spices. 

8 lb turkey, cut into pieces
1 tsp salt
4 each, dried mulato chiles,
dried pasilla, dried ancho
2 cups hot chicken stock
1 cup blanched almonds
(some substitute 1/2 cup peanut butter)
3 large tomatoes,
peeled seeded and chopped
1 onion chopped
1/2 cup raisins
1 dried tortilla, broken up
2 cloves garlic, minced

Spices:

4 cloves
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
10 peppercorns
1/4 tsp. ground pepper
1/2 inch stick cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. coriander seeds
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. anise seed
1/4 tsp. ground anise
3 Tbsp. bacon fat
1 1/2 oz unsweetended chocolate
(1 1/2 squares)
2 Tbsp. sesame seeds

Place the turkey pieces i
n a large pot, 
cover with water, add salt, 
bring quickly to a boil, 
reduce heat and simmer 
until nearly done, 
about an hour.  
Remove from the heat 
and pat dry with towels.

While the turkey simmers, 
while wearing rubber gloves, 
wash the chiles under running water, 
removing the stems, breaking them open 
and removing the seeds.  
If you insist on preparing 
the chile bare-handed, 
do NOT touch your eyes, nose, 
or any other senstive 
part of your body 
(or those of any loved one). 
Place the chiles in a large bowl, 
and cover with 
the chicken stock.  
Let soak half an hour, 
reserving the stock afterwards.

Place the almonds in a blender 
and reduce to a 
relatively fine chop.  
Place in the blender the chiles, 
spices, raisins, 
dried tortilla, tomatoes, 
garlic, and onion 
in a blender, along with a 
little of the stock in 
which the chiles were soaked, 
and reduce to a smooth paste.

In a large frying pan, 
melt the bacon fat 
and brown the pieces of turkey, 
having first patted 
them dry with towels.  
Place the browned turkey pieces in 
an oven-proof baking dish.  
Add a little more bacon fat, 
if necessary, 
and spoon in the chile paste.  
Fry it over medium heat, for about 
5 minutes, slowly adding about 2 cups 
of the stock in which 
the chiles were soaked.  
Finally add the chocolate,
and stir well until 
it has melted.  
The sauce should be the 
consistency of thick cream 
or a medium cream sauce.  
Pour the sauce over the turkey, 
cover, 
and place the baking dish 
in a 350~oven 
for about 45 minutes.  
Remove, 
sprinkle the sesame seeds 
over the top.