February 4, 2009 5:42 pm

Holy Mole!

On a recent visit to a Mexican restaurant with my husband, I became infatuated with the flavors of the traditional mole (pronounced MO-LAY) sauce. I knew that mole was prepared with numerous fresh ingredients, a cooking process fairly tedious, but I was determined to make my own! So, I did.

The search for the perfect mole recipe took just as long to find as the preparation itself. I finally decided on a recipe from a small cooking school, the Coci-Mari, located in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.

For the most part, I could find most of the ingredients listed at my neighborhood grocery store. As for items such as, ancho chile, pasilla chile, Ibarra chocolate, and plantains, I decided to venture to an authentic Mexican mercado (market) on the Upper East Side, El Tepeyac Grocery Inc.

Once I had all 21 ingredients on my kitchen counter, I was ready to begin. Looking over my recipe, I did feel a bit disheartened. I had just bought all of these items and knew I had committed the rest of my afternoon to making a sauce! My husband would laugh at me, but I hoped his first taste of my version would make him proud. The anecdote I had once heard about the Mexican tradition of making a genuine mole kept reverberating through my mind. Slow and steady - I did not want to take any shortcuts.

I carefully laid out all of my perfectly measured ingredients and began my slightly modified recipe. There were a series of thirteen steps in all. I had to improvise on some of the equipment called for in the directions. I did not have what is called a Comal, or griddle, so I used my largest sauté
pan.

My kitchen quickly filled with the aromas of pork lard (think bacon), smoky dried chiles, roasted garlic, and toasted spices (cumin, cinnamon, anise). All in all, the whole recipe took me about an hour and a half just to get everything in the same pot! Once the last ingredient was in, the stirring began. The constant stirring allows for everything to remain well blended and to prevent the bottom from burning. Just like making a fine chocolate ganache, I was on the vigil.

My classic Mexican creation cooked for well over two and a half hours, blending into merriment of flavors for my mouth to enjoy! I was on cloud nine when the sauce became a hit at the dinner table -- not only did I "wow" my family -- but I felt proud of myself for starting from scratch -- just like the Old Mexican tradition.

Hailee Moore

— Written by Hailee Moore

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