Peanut Mole
Mole de CacahuateMole is not just one dish or one sauce. There are regional moles made with different combinations of chiles, herbs, spices, nuts, seeds, fruits, tomatoes, and sometimes chocolate, and even more ingredients, all blended together to produce exceptional main dish sauces called moles. This orange-colored mole is thickened and flavored with roasted peanuts, guajillo chiles, and a long but flavorful list of other ingredients. Serve it with pork roast, chicken, or turkey.
Ingrediënten
Makes about 3 cups
- 5 dried guajillo chiles about 1 ounce
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 3 tablespoons chopped white onion
- 2 medium garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 1 6- to 7-inch corn tortilla, cut in quarters
- 2 plum tomatoes 6 ounces, cored and quartered
- ¾ cup salted dry-roasted peanuts
- 2 tablespoons raisins
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano Mexican variety preferred, crumbled
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon Mexican canela or Ceylon variety preferred
- ¼ teaspoon ground allspice
- 2 cups canned fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- ½ teaspoon salt or to taste
Instructies
- Wipe the chiles with damp paper towels.
- Cut the chiles open and discard the stems, seeds, and veins.
- Put the chiles in a bowl of hot water and let soak 25 minutes.
- Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat and cook the onion and garlic, stirring, until softened and starting to brown, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Transfer to a blender.
- In the same skillet, cook the tortilla pieces until crisp and lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes.
- Add to the blender with the onion.
- In the same skillet, cook the tomatoes until the skins char a bit, 4 to 5 minutes.
- Add to the blender along with the peanuts, raisins, oregano, cinnamon, and allspice.
- Drain the chiles and add to the blender, discarding the liquid.
- Add 1¼ cups of the broth, vinegar, and salt to the blender and purée the mixture as smoothly as possible.
- Pour the mixture through a strainer into a large bowl.
- Heat the remaining tablespoon of oil in a large heavy saucepan.
- Add the purée gently (to minimize splattering) and cook, stirring, about 1 minute.
- Add the remaining broth.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer the sauce 20 to 25 minutes to blend the flavors, stirring frequently to prevent sticking to the bottom of the pan.
- The sauce should have the consistency of gravy.
- If too thick, add a little broth to reach the right consistency.
- Adjust seasoning.
- The sauce is ready to use, or cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days, or freeze in a covered container for 3 months.
- The sauce thickens as it sits.
- Thin with chicken broth to the desired consistency when reheating.
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