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Mole Negro Oaxaqueño, Oaxacan Black Mole
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| Author: | Susana Trilling
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4 large onions, chopped, plus 1 medium onion, quartered
8 ribs celery, chopped
8 carrots, chopped
2 3-lb. chickens, cut into 12 pieces, skinned
5 chilhuacles negros, seeded and deveined; seeds reserved
5 guajillos, seeded and deveined; seeds reserved
4 pasillas Mexicanos, seeded and deveined; seeds reserved
4 anchos negros, seeded and deveined; seeds reserved
2 chipotles mecos, seeded and deveined; seeds reserved
1/2 head garlic, cloves separated
2 T. whole almonds
2 T. shelled and skinned raw peanuts
1 (1-inch) piece Mexican cinnamon
3 black peppercorns
3 whole cloves
3 tablespoons sunflower oil
1-1/2 T. raisins
1 slice egg-dough bread
1 small ripe plantain, cut into 1/2-inch slices
1/2 c. sesame seeds
2 pecan halves
1/2 lb. chopped tomatoes
1/4 lb. chopped tomatillos
1 sprig thyme, or 1/2 t. dried
1 sprig Oaxacan oregano, or 1/2 t. dried
2 T. lard
4-1/2 oz. Mexican chocolate
1 avocado leaf
Salt, to taste
In a 2-gallon stockpot, heat 5 quarts water and onions, celery, and carrots to a boil. Add chicken pieces and poach, covered, over low heat for about 35 to 45 minutes, until cooked through and juices run clear when pierced with a fork. Remove meat from stock. Strain and reserve stock.
Heat 2 quarts water in a kettle. On a 10-inch dry comal, griddle, or in a cast-iron frying pan, toast chilies over medium heat until blackened, but not burnt, about 10 minutes. Place chilies in a large bowl, cover with hot water, and soak for 1/2 hour. Remove chilies from the soaking water with tongs, placing small batches in a blender with 1/4 cup of the chili soaking water to blend smooth. Put the chili purée through a strainer to remove skins.
In the same dry comal, griddle, or frying pan, grill onions and garlic over medium heat for 10 minutes. Set aside. Toast almonds, peanuts, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, and cloves in a dry comal, griddle, or cast-iron frying pan for about 5 minutes. Remove them from pan.
Over the same heat, toast the chili seeds, taking care to blacken but not burn them, about 20 minutes. Try to do this outside or in a well-ventilated place because the seeds will give off very strong fumes. When seeds are completely black, light them with a match and let them burn themselves out. Remove from heat and place in a bowl. Soak blackened seeds in 1 cup cold water for 10 minutes. Drain seeds and grind them in a blender for about 2 minutes. Add the blended chili seeds to the blended chili mixture.
Heat sunflower oil in an 8-inch cast-iron frying pan over medium heat until smoking. Add raisins and fry until they are plump, approximately 1 minute. Remove from pan. Fry the bread slice in the same oil until browned, about 5 minutes, over medium heat. Remove from pan. Fry the plantain in the same oil until it is well browned, approximately 10 minutes, over medium heat. Set aside. Fry sesame seeds, stirring constantly over low heat, adding more oil if needed. When sesame seeds start to brown, about 5 minutes, add pecans and brown for 2 minutes more. Remove all from the pan, let cool, and grind finely in a spice grinder. It takes a bit of time, but this is the only way to grind the seeds and nuts finely enough.
Wipe out the frying pan and fry the tomatoes, tomatillos, thyme, and oregano over medium to high heat, allowing the juices to almost evaporate, about 15 minutes. Blend well, using 1/2 cup of reserved stock if needed to blend and set aside. Place nuts, bread, plantains, raisins, onion, garlic, and spices in the blender in small batches, and blend well, adding about 1 cup of stock to make it smooth.
In a heavy 4-quart stockpot, heat lard (or 2 T. oil) until smoking and fry the chili paste over medium to low heat, stirring constantly so it will not burn, approximately 20 minutes. When it is dry, add tomato purée and fry until the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Add the ground ingredients, including the sesame seed paste, to the pot. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until well-incorporated, about 10 minutes. Add 1 cup chicken stock to the mole, stir well, and allow to cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Break up the chocolate and add to the pot, stirring until it is melted and incorporated into the mixture. Toast the avocado leaf briefly over the flame, if you have a gas range, or in a dry frying pan and then add it to the pot. Slowly add more stock to the mole, as it will keep thickening as it cooks. Add enough salt to bring out the flavor. Let simmer another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally so it does not stick, adding stock as needed. The mole should not be thick; just thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Place the cooked chicken pieces in the leftover stock in a saucepan and heat through.
To serve, place a piece of chicken in a shallow bowl and ladle 3/4 of a cup of mole sauce over to cover it completely. Serve immediately with lots of hot corn tortillas.
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