The greatest Mexican dish of all time, I believe, is Mole Poblano. Mole well made has a super-sophisticated combination of flavors. You can savor a taste of it and describe all the "notes" that it hits, similarly to a wine connoisseur describing fine wine. My recipe for Mole follows below.
The best and most authentic book of recipes I've found for Mexican food (beautifully adapted for use by US cooks) are in the books by Rick Bayless. His first book, Authentic Mexican, is just that.
For every day type food, my personal favorite is Lomo de Puerco en Salsa Verde (Tomatillo-Braise Pork Loin), from his book "Mexico, One Plate at a Time). Here is the recipe online, courtesy of Rick Bayless.
American Grassfed Association - Pork Recipes (http://www.americangrassfed.org/recipes/pork/index.html#7 - broken link)
For a special occasion (great around the holidays, because it looks so Christmas-ie) is Chiles en Nogada, a truly life-alteringly amazing dish (
Chiles en Nogada Recipe | ifood.tv).
Finally, here is my recipe for Mole Poblano. I received it I went to a one week cooking class that came with my accommodations at a boutique hotel, Mesones Sacristia, in Puebla, Mexico. (I've noted where I've adapted to for my personal preferences. It's still pretty authentic, even with the adaptations.) FYI: Puebla is the heart or center of Mexican cuisine, and taking a class there was a great way to learn how to make exquisite mole. (My BFF and I made a girls-only trip out of it, and it was a very affordable vacation. We were also the only two people in the "class", given by the hotel's chef, an assistant and a translator.)
Mole Poblano
Ingredients
2 cloves garlic, peeled
1 large white onion, quartered
10 medium plum tomatoes, whole
2 chile ancho
3 chile pacilla*
1 to 2 plantain (platano macho), very ripe, peeled and sliced lengthwise
3 to 6 Tbsp lard or bacon grease (veg. oil can be substituted, with a slight loss in flavor)
1 round of Mexican chocolate or more to taste (such as Ibarra brand, 2.3 oz), roughly chopped
1 corn tortilla
chicken breasts, poached in salted broth
½ to 1 cup sugar
2 Tbsp. chicken bouillon, powdered
½ tsp salt (or to taste)
½ cup ground toasted almonds or peanuts (Shortcut: use SMOOTH peanut or almond butter – look for products whose ingredients are nuts only; any type of nut can be substituted.)
Roast the onion, garlic and tomatoes using a dry grill, skillet, or Mexican comal over medium heat, turning frequently, until browned. (OR broil using the method Rick Bayless describes in his books for US cooks.)
Remove stems and seeds from the chilies. Heat 1 to 2 Tbsp lard in a skillet.** Fry chilies over medium heat until the color of the chilies changes to orange and then a deeper brown. Place roasted vegetables and fried chilies together in a saucepot and cover with water. Simmer until soft. Transfer contents to a blender, adding some of the cooking liquid, and liquefy. (Reserve remaining cooking liquid.)
Heat 1 to 2 Tbsp lard in a medium sized pot or Dutch oven.*** Strain the liquefied mixture through a sieve directly into the pot. Add reserved liquid and simmer 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
While the sauce is simmering, carefully toast a corn tortilla over an open flame until it has become at least 50% blackened. Heat 1 to 2 Tbsp lard* in a skillet. Add the plantain pieces and fry until browned on both sides. Place tortilla, broken into pieces, along with the plantain and ½ cup water into a blender or food processor, and liquefy. Pour mixture into the simmering sauce, whisking constantly to ensure no lumps are formed.
Add the sugar (which can be adjusted to taste****) and the chocolate pieces. Continue to stir the sauce with a whisk, watching out for lumps. Add the crushed chicken bouillon and salt. Also add the ground almonds or peanuts, if you are using them.
Simmer the sauce for at least an hour or two, or “for as long as you can” as this improves its flavor. Mole may also be reduced to a thick paste, if desired, which when sealed in an airtight container can be refrigerated for up to 6 months. Reconstitute with water and reheat when desired. (Sauce which has not been reduced may be refrigerated for up to 1 month.) To serve, pour the mole over a warm, poached chicken breast. Appropriate side dishes are refried beans and red-style Mexican rice.
NOTES:
*Chile mulatto may be substituted for chile pacilla. Mulattos give a black color to the sauce.
** If seeking to lower cholesterol in the dish, use vegetable oil. The same oil used to fry the chilies can be used to later fry the plantain.
***If seeking to lower the fat content of this dish, omit lard and strain sauce directly into pot without added fat. (Personally, I omit the fat in this step. FYI: When this recipe elsewhere calls for lard, I use bacon grease if I am really going for “max flavor”. Otherwise, use vegetable oil.)
**** My tendency is to add just ½ c. sugar, but add 50% more chocolate than indicated in this recipe.
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MOLE POBLANO - Or Anything by Rick Bayless
