Mole

I decided to try to make mole from scratch and found the recipes to vary greatly, from simple to 30-ish ingredients. I landed somewhere in the middle based on what I had available and made a pretty tasty sauce for my first attempt.

Ingredients:

• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2 large garlic cloves fine diced
• 4 dried pasilla chiles
• 4 dried guajillo chiles
• 3 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large tomato
• 1/4 cup peanuts
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• Small pinch cloves
• 2 tsp sugar
• 2 tsp cocoa powder
• 2 tsp corn masa
• 1 cup water (can sub chicken broth)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Remove the stems from the chiles and toast them in a dry skillet, until they soften a bit, then set aside. Add olive oil to the skillet with the onion and saute until softened. Add garlic and stir for about 30 seconds. Add the onion, garlic, chiles, tomato, peanuts, tomato paste and water to a pot and begin simmering. When everything seems to be soft, about 15 minutes, blend with an immersion blender or transfer to a regular blender and blend until smooth. Please be careful as the mixture is very hot, if using a regular blender remove the center vent on the lid and cover with a towel.

Once blended add back to your pan and continue to simmer, adding the salt, pepper, oregano, cinnamon, cloves, sugar, cocoa powder, and corn masa. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Simmer until the flavors are concentrated to your liking. Enjoy on your taco fillings or over your burritos!