Playing with Mole Sauce

Up date on this recipe;   E-Z Beef & Red Mole with Avocado Pit; Paleo, Gluten Free

Every indigenous cuisine has food that dreams are made of.  A long time ago, (25 years or more)  my husband and I enjoyed a dish at a restaurant called Valverde’s on Fremont St. in Stockton Ca. There was an older gentleman there, I think the owners father, who made the most incredible Chille Colorado I’ve ever tasted. The restaurant is now defunct, and I believe the gentlemen dead.  It was said the old man would spend 2 days preparing the Mole sauce.  The hauntingly succulent and fascinatingly complex sauce, I have never found again.  The good news is I will never stop working on my own recipe . With every attempt I learn new info, such as after this latest batch, I’ve read some recipes that call for the dry peppers to be charred before hydrating, and for the addition of avocado pit.  Next time I’ll certainly try that.  One of the coolest parts of making up my own recipes, or embellishing old ones, is the freedom of throwing in what ever comes to my mind.  Now that I have the blog I just need to remember to write it all down or photograph it.  A good thing considering all the incredible recipes I’ve made up over time and not been able to duplicate.  Here is my most recent Red Mole.  It is by far my most complex and fantastic yet, but I hope to improve on future batches.

Red Mole Sauce

Dry Peppers

• 7-8 Pasilla-Ancho chili pods
• 2 California chili pods
• 1 Chipotle chili pod
• 1/2 to 1 Cup filtered hot water for soaking, reserve for use as needed later

Fresh

• 1 or more sweet bell peppers 2 or more make a sweeter sauce
• 1 jalapeño pepper optional for a hotter sauce
• 1 large sweet white onion

• 1/2 Cup Sprouted Chandler Walnuts, roasted.  Click on picture to see recipe.   
• 1/4  Cup Vinegar best organic raw apple cider or
• Paleo option use fresh squeezed lime juice
• 1/4 Cup olive oil organic nonGMO first cold pressed extra virgin
• 1-2 Tablespoons strong coffee
• 1/4 Cup bone broth best home-made  Click on picture to see the recipe post and my You Tube slide show.

Spices

• 1 Teaspoon Coriander seed
• 2 Teaspoons Cumin
• 1 Tablespoon Garlic powder
• 1 Tablespoon Cocoa powder
• 1 Teaspoon Oregano
• 2 Teaspoons White pepper
•  1 Tablespoon Fresh ground black pepper
• 1 Tablespoon Smoky Paprika
• 2 Tablespoons Unrefined Sea Salt
• Orange zest
• 2 Star anise
• 1 Whole cinnamon stick

Remove seeds and stems from dry peppers.  Cover with hot, not boiling water (boiling hot water makes the peppers taste bitter).  Weight the peppers down so they stay submerged.  Remove after 20 minutes.  Scrape the flesh and discard the tough skins.  Dry roast fresh peppers and onions in heavy skillet or on gas burner or on BBQ grill.  When charred remove blistered skin from peppers, and seeds.  Add all peppers, onion and walnuts to food processor and enough of the reserved soaking water to make a paste.  Add oil, and vinegar, or lime juice. (Lime juice is Paleo substitute for vinegar.)  With processor still running add the coffee and spices.  Add more of the reserved soaking liquid if needed to make sauce workable. Taste and adjust spices or sweetness and hotness as desired. Example if too hot roast more red bell peppers and add 1/2 at a time. To your taste.  Too sweet soak and add hot peppers, or roast a fresh hot pepper and add 1/2 at a time until the sauce is to your liking.  The reason this could very is because, pepper sweetness and hotness varies.  Once your happy with the sauce.  It’s time to strain it.  One way is to push it through a sieve, another is to use a food mill.  The food mill I think will be a lot easier, but I didn’t think of it until later.  That’s about it.  Now you can use the beautiful Red Mole Sauce.  I always make extra and freeze some.  This last batch was incredibly thick and complex, just a little went a long way.  Next I’ll share some of the recipes.

Up date 5 /27/14

Here are the changes and additions for the latest recipe: all ingredients not listed here remained the same.

Dry Peppers

• 3 New Mexico chili pods
• 16 Pasilla-Ancho chili pods

Spices

• 4 roasted garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon pan roasted  coriander
• 1 teaspoon pan roasted fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon pan roasted fresh oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon Black Cardamom grated
• 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

Other

• 1/2 cup skin on fresh ground sprouted Almonds
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 cup chicken bone broth
• 1 tablespoon grated avocado pit, (it will turn orange)

After blending in the food processor, I strained the mixture through the food mill, and it was mush easier than pressing through a strainer.

Up date on this recipe;   E-Z Beef & Red Mole with Avocado Pit; Paleo, Gluten Free