Toughest dish to make?

[yorkiefan_]

For me, it's mole poblano. Luckily I only need to make it a few times a year, since I can make about 3 quarts of it at a time and then freeze it. Ingredients include

mulato chiles
pasilla chiles
ancho chiles
chipotles in adobo
manteca (pork lard)
raisins
almonds
garlic
onion
chicken stock
tomatoes
aniseed
Mexican chocolate
salt
sugar
peppercorns
cloves
cinnamon sticks
sesame seeds
cilantro seed
tortillas
white bread

Kitchen looks like a mess and it takes all day to do. Stuff is incredible on chicken though.

[BabyGirl Rosie]

Wow! Lots of ingredients. I have never heard of this but love chicken! Do you mind to share the actual recipe?

[yorkiefan_]

Sure Rosie. It's from Rick Bayless' book Authentic Mexican, Twentieth Anniversary Edition . The exact recipe calls for it to be done with baked turkey, but I just posted the mole itself since it makes way more than you could possibly eat in a sitting unless you're having a huge get together. This book has some amazing Mexican recipes in it for interior Mexican style of food (not much in the Tex-Mex we enjoy so much in Texas though). You might want to try mole at a couple of restaurants or from a jar you can find at a Mexican market first. While this is my favorite mole I have ever had outside of Mexico, people tend to either love or hate mole poblano; I know no one who has a middle-ground opinion on it. Also, you have to have the exact chiles or you just can't make it. There can be no substitute whatsoever with the chiles.

The chiles:
16 medium (about 8 ounces total) dried chiles mulatos
5 medium (about 2 1⁄2 ounces total) dried chiles anchos
6 (about 2 ounces total) dried chiles pasillas
1 canned chile chipotle, seeded (optional)

The nuts, seeds, flavorings and thickeners:
1⁄4 cup sesame seeds, plus a little extra for garnish
1⁄2 teaspoon coriander seeds
1⁄2 cup lard or vegetable oil, plus a little more if needed
A heaping 1/3 cup (2 ounces) unskinned almonds
1/3 cup (about 2 ounces) raisins
1⁄2 medium onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 corn tortilla, stale or dried out
2 slices firm white bread, stale or dried out
1 ripe, large tomato, roasted or boiled, cored and peeled
OR 3⁄4 15-ounce can tomatoes, well drained

The spices:
2/3 3.3-ounce tablet (about 2 ounces) Mexican chocolate, roughly chopped
10 black peppercorns (or a scant 1⁄4 teaspoon ground)
4 cloves (or about 1/8 teaspoon ground)
1⁄2 teaspoon aniseed (or a generous 1⁄2 teaspoon ground)
1 inch cinnamon stick (or about 1 teaspoon ground)

To finish the dish:
1⁄4 cup lard or vegetable oil
About 2 1⁄2 quarts poultry broth, preferably made from turkey
Salt, about 2 teaspoons (depending on the saltiness of the broth)
Sugar, about 1⁄4 cup

1. The setup.
As with any recipe calling for twenty-six different ingredients, half the battle is won by getting yourself properly setup. Organize the ingredients as follows: stem, seed and carefully devein the dried chiles, reserving 2 teaspoons of the seeds; tear the chiles into flat pieces. If using the chipotle, seed it and set aside. Make measured mounds of sesame seeds, coriander seeds, almonds, raisins and onion. Lay out the garlic, tortilla and bread. Place the tomato in a large bowl and break it up, then add the chopped chocolate to it. Pulverize the remaining spices, using a mortar or spice grinder, then add to the tomato and chocolate. Have the lard or oil and broth at ready access.

2. Toasting the seeds.
In a medium-size skillet set over medium heat, dry-toast the chile, sesame and coriander seeds, one kind at a time, stirring each until it has lightly browned. Add to the tomato mixture.

3. Frying and reconstituting the chiles.
Turn on the exhaust fan to suck up the pungent chile fumes. Measure 1⁄4 cup of the lard or oil into the skillet and, when hot, fry the chile pieces a few at a time for several seconds per side, until they develop a nut-brown color. Remove them to a large bowl, draining as much fat as possible back into the skillet. Cover the chiles with boiling water, weight with a
plate to keep them submerged, soak at least 1 hour, then drain and add the chile chipotle.

4. Frying the almonds, raisins, onion and garlic.
Heat the remaining 1⁄4 cup of lard or oil in the skillet, add the almonds and stir frequently until browned through, about 4 minutes. Remove, draining well, and add to the tomato mixture. Fry the raisins for a minute or so, stirring constantly as they puff and brown. Scoop out, draining well, and add to the tomato mixture. Cook the onion and garlic, stirring frequently, until well browned, 8 to 9 minutes. Press on them to rid them of fat, and remove to the mixing bowl with the tomato and other fried ingredients.

5. Frying the tortilla and bread.
If needed, add a little more fat, then fry the tortilla until browned, break it up and add to the mixing bowl. Lay the bread in the pan, quickly flip it over to coat both sides with fat, then brown it on both sides. Tear into large pieces and add to the tomato mixture.

6. Pureeing the mixture.
Stir the mixture thoroughly and scoop 1⁄4 of it into a blender jar, along with 1⁄2 cup of the broth. Blend until very smooth, adding a little more liquid if the mixture won’t move through the blades. Strain through a medium-mesh sieve. Puree the 3 remaining batches, adding 1⁄2 cup broth to each one; strain.

7. Pureeing the chiles.
Puree the drained chiles in 3 batches, adding about 1⁄2 cup of broth (plus a little more if needed) to each one; strain through the same sieve into a separate bowl.

8. Frying and simmering the sauce.
Pour off the excess fat from the kettle, leaving a light coating on the bottom. Return to the heat for a minute, then add the chile puree and stir constantly until darkened and thick, about 5 minutes. Add the other bowlful of puree and stir several minutes longer, until the mixture thickens once again. Mix in 5 cups of broth, partially cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer gently 45 minutes, stirring occasionally. Finally, season with salt and sugar and, if the sauce is thicker than heavy cream, thin it with a little broth.

[yorkiefan_]

I season with sugar to taste at the end, and strongly recommend high quality manteca from your butcher over store-bought vegetable oil.

[Verbena]

Yum. I think I might have to make it

[Verbena]

Mine is backing those complicated Christmas cookies lol. I only bake them once a year. They just take too long. lol

[yorkiefan_]

Originally Posted by Verbena

Yum. I think I might have to make it

If you like mole poblano, it's a very deep and complex version of the dish. I could eat my shoe with it.

[BabyGirl Rosie]

Thank you!

[yorkiefan_]

Originally Posted by BabyGirl Rosie

Thank you!

It is an amazing book. The different moles, the beans, the salsas, the pork and chicken dishes, the soups... they're all really good in it.