Red Mole Enchiladas

INGREDIENTS

COLORADITO MOLE (makes almost 8 cups):

• 6 dried guajillo chilies, stemmed and seeded

• 4 morita chiles, seeded

• 5 cups tomatoes, chopped

• ½ cup sesame seeds

• 1 ½ TBS ground cinnamon

• ¼ cup breadcrumbs

• 1 tsp dried oregano

• 1 tsp dried thyme

• 8 whole peppercorns

• 6 whole cloves

• ¼ raisins

• ½ cup raw almonds

• 1 small white onion, quartered

• ¼ cup garlic cloves (about 6 to 8)

• 6 ½ oz Mexican chocolate (or semi-sweet)

• 3 cups chicken stock (no/low sodium)

• 2 bay leaves

• 2 hoja santa leaves

• Salt

• Canola oil

POACHED CHICKEN (3-4 cups shredded):

• 3 lbs chicken - BONE IN/SKIN ON

• 1 medium white onion - quartered

• 4 cloves of garlic

• 1 large carrot - roughly chopped

• 2 bay leafs

• 6 whole peppercorns

• ½ TBS salt

• 1 tsp ground cumin

ENCHILADAS (about 15):

• Yellow corn tortillas

• 3-4 cups of shredded chicken

• ¼ white onion

• Coloradito mole sauce

• Queso fresco (plus more for topping)

• Red onions, sliced (for topping)

GO FOR IT

COLORADITO MOLE:

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and then remove from heat, then put dried guajillo and morita chilies in and cover for 30 minutes to soften

2. Once soft, remove from water and set aside while also saving 2 cups of the soaking liquid for later

3. In another pot, place chopped tomatoes with ¼ cup of water and cook over medium heat until color lightens (about 5 minutes) then set aside

4. In a cast iron or large skillet, toast the sesame seeds, cinnamon, breadcrumbs, oregano, thyme, peppercorns, cloves until fragrant (about 3 to 5 minutes for this amount of spices), then grind these spices together in a spice grinder, pestle and mortar, or molcajete

5. In a blender combine ground spices, soaked chilies, garlic, raisins, almonds, onions, and 1 cup of the chili soaking liquid and blend until smooth

6. In a large pot or dutch oven heat about 3 TBS of oil over medium heat and then add your blended mix and additional 1 cup of chili soaking water and simmer for 10 minutes

7. Add tomatoes and chocolate and begin tasting and added in salt as desired (it may take a bit)

8. Add chicken stock, bay leaves, and hoja santa leaves and simmer for another 10 minutes to reduce (sauce should be thick and creamy)

9. Remove leaves once finished and then using an immersion blender, blend everything until pureed throughout (you can also use a blender but that will require you to let the sauce cool a bit before doing)

10. You can now enjoy your mole but I find that flavor improves after sitting in the refrigerator overnight

POACHED CHICKEN:

1. In a large pot, bring 8 cups of water to a boil

2. Add chicken and all ingredients listed

3. Simmer for 40 minutes

4. Remove chicken, let cool, then shred - set aside

ENCHILADAS:

1. In a large skillet, heat 2 TBS of oil and sauté onions until they just begin to soften (2 minutes)

2. Add chicken and mix with onions until everything is heated throughout

3. In a bowl, put chicken and mix well with ½ cup of mole sauce - set aside

4. Using enough oil to cover skillet surface. Heat until sizzling, then add tortillas 1 at a time, cooking about 10 seconds on each side, until soft and very flexible - set aside on paper towel to drain

5. Grease up the bottom of a baking dish with a little bit of mole sauce

6. Start assembling enchiladas in dish by filling each tortilla with a bit of chicken, queso fresco, and sauce, then rolling so that the seam is facing down. Cover enchiladas with remaining sauce and top with remaining cheese

7. Bake at 350°F until cheese is melted (10 minutes)

8. Top with sliced red onions and more mole sauce if desired and enjoy

NOTES:

If making the mole from scratch for this meal, it really needs to be a 2 day affair. The mole sauce will improve in flavor overnight in the same way people are familiar with when it comes to Italian tomato sauces. You can also take the 1st day to make your poached chicken so that when you cook then next day, you can throw everything together quickly and enjoy your meal without feeling like you just ran a kitchen marathon.

As much as I love the Oaxaca cookbook by Bricia Lopez, I found her mole instructions a bit vague. Personally, if I had some of the best sauces available this side of the border, I too might be a bit reluctant to give up all trade secrets. So in this case I had to improvise and learn a few things along the way. For one, when you chop your tomatoes, don’t discard the guts. You’ll need that flavor for later (a lesson I had to learn to hard way and adjust for down the line). There was also no instruction on blending the tomatoes so I just did so at the end as must be done. Personally, I would say you could even blend them separately before adding them to the pot with the chili and spice mix so that you don’t have to blend at the end should you lack an easy to use immersion blender.

What adjustments I did make are minimal. I added the morita chilies to the mole. I love the smoky flavor they add along with a tiny bit more heat than is given off by the guajillo. I’m also advising 1 ½ TBS of cinnamon (maybe even just 1 TBS) instead of the whole 2 TBS suggested by Bricia. Cinnamon is great. I just thought it was a tad too much for my taste

Also take note that this is quite a bit of mole sauce but that’s okay. With as laborious as mole sauce can be you will enjoy having leftovers. Simply freeze and thaw as needed. Place on top of grilled meats, make more enchiladas, or simply use as a dip for chips. Or, just make half of this if you don’t want to make as much. Fair warning - should you make less, you will regret it after tasting.