Chicken Mole with Refried Beans and Handmade Tortillas
Serves 6-8
2 oz guajillos or chilhaucles dried chili
4 oz pasillsa dried chili
2 oz mulatos dried chili
8 cups of chicken stock
1 cup of red wine
Olive oil
1 onions, small diced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
2 sprigs of thyme
¼ bunch cilantro, chopped
¼ teaspoon cloves
¼ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon or one stick cinnamon
¼ cup of raisins, or dried figs
¼ cup of peanuts
¼ cup of sesame seed
3 oz Mexican chocolate, chopped
4 chicken legs
4 chicken breast
Salt and pepper
11 rose peddles (optional)
Refried beans, see recipe below
Handmade tortillas, see recipe below
Split dried peppers in half and remove seeds. Reserve seeds to add spice to the
final mole, if needed, or another use. Soak peppers in hot water for 30 minutes.
As the peppers soak, weigh them down with a plate so that they will be
completely submerged under water. Meanwhile, add a touch of olive oil to a
sauté pan, add the chopped onion, thyme and garlic. Cook over low heat for 10
minutes. Drain peppers and blend them in a blender until smooth with 4 cups of
the chicken stock, cilantro, cloves, allspice, cinnamon, raisins, (or dried figs)
peanuts, sesame seeds, cooked onion, garlic, and thyme. Preheat oven to 375.
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Place large pan on stove top, add a few
tablespoons of olive oil and turn heat to medium high heat. Once oil is just
beginning to produce smoke, add chicken skin side down a cook for 8 minutes or
until skin is golden brown on medium heat. Turn chicken and cook for a few
minutes more. Deglaze pan with red wine. Add mole and the rest of the stock
(4 cups) to the chicken. Roast in oven for 45 minutes. Remove Chicken from
pan, add chocolate and cook for 5 minutes more. If sauce is too thick, add more
stock. If sauce is too thin, continue to reduce over medium heat until desired
thickness. Place chicken and mole sauce on a platter and garnish with rose
peddles. Serve with pinto beans and handmade tortillas.
Refried Beans
This recipe is one of those all day recipes. For this reason and the technique
involved, no soaking is required, only lots of love along the way.
For 8
1 pound of dried pinto beans
2 quarts (8 cups) of water
1 laurel leaf
1 ham bone (optional)
2 teaspoon of salt and pepper
1/4 cup of vegetable shortening or lard
Add beans, water, ham bone, (if using) and laurel leaf to a pot. Cover with lid,
tilted, bring to a boil, and adjust heat to low. Cook beans for 2 hours. Keep
beans covered with water thoughout the cooking process by adding about a cup
or two of warm water every so often. I usually don't need to start adding water
until a hour, then I check every 30 minutes. After the 2 hour mark and not
before, salt beans with 2 teaspoons of salt and season to taste with pepper.
Continue cooking for 2 hours more on low heat, adding water as needed.
Remove pork bone and laurel leaf. Add vegetable shortening or lard and mash
with a potato masher for about 3 minutes until beans are thick and creamy. To
thin out beans, add more water. To thicken beans more, continue to stir and
cook on medium heat.
Handmade Tortillas
I have the fondest memories of my grandmother, the late Eugenia Rios, making
handmade tortillas. Although, at the time, we spoke different languages she
expressed her love for us through her cooking. She made tortillas throughout
the day and served them with fried potatoes and eggs in the morning and
refried beans and ground beef in the afternoon.
For 11
6 cups of flour
2 teaspoon of salt
3 teaspoon baking powder
10 tablespoon lard or vegetable shortening
2 cups of warm water
Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Work lard or vegetable shortening into flour
mixture with your fingers until it is completely mixed together. Slowly, drizzle in
warm water to flour, mixing with a fork or wooden spoon. Using your hands,
form into a cohesive ball of dough. Kneed for 5 minutes until dough is smooth
and soft. Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30
minutes. Cut into 16 equal sized balls and dust with flour. Using a rolling pin or
palote, roll out dough balls into a thin, round shape. Heat up a cast iron skillet
or a comal to medium high heat and brown tortillas on each side. Only takes
about 30 seconds or less per side. Place in tortilla warmer or under a dry towel
to keep warm until serving.
Serves 6-8
2 oz guajillos or chilhaucles dried chili
4 oz pasillsa dried chili
2 oz mulatos dried chili
8 cups of chicken stock
1 cup of red wine
Olive oil
1 onions, small diced
4 cloves garlic, sliced
2 sprigs of thyme
¼ bunch cilantro, chopped
¼ teaspoon cloves
¼ teaspoon allspice
¼ teaspoon or one stick cinnamon
¼ cup of raisins, or dried figs
¼ cup of peanuts
¼ cup of sesame seed
3 oz Mexican chocolate, chopped
4 chicken legs
4 chicken breast
Salt and pepper
11 rose peddles (optional)
Refried beans, see recipe below
Handmade tortillas, see recipe below
Split dried peppers in half and remove seeds. Reserve seeds to add spice to the
final mole, if needed, or another use. Soak peppers in hot water for 30 minutes.
As the peppers soak, weigh them down with a plate so that they will be
completely submerged under water. Meanwhile, add a touch of olive oil to a
sauté pan, add the chopped onion, thyme and garlic. Cook over low heat for 10
minutes. Drain peppers and blend them in a blender until smooth with 4 cups of
the chicken stock, cilantro, cloves, allspice, cinnamon, raisins, (or dried figs)
peanuts, sesame seeds, cooked onion, garlic, and thyme. Preheat oven to 375.
Season chicken with salt and pepper. Place large pan on stove top, add a few
tablespoons of olive oil and turn heat to medium high heat. Once oil is just
beginning to produce smoke, add chicken skin side down a cook for 8 minutes or
until skin is golden brown on medium heat. Turn chicken and cook for a few
minutes more. Deglaze pan with red wine. Add mole and the rest of the stock
(4 cups) to the chicken. Roast in oven for 45 minutes. Remove Chicken from
pan, add chocolate and cook for 5 minutes more. If sauce is too thick, add more
stock. If sauce is too thin, continue to reduce over medium heat until desired
thickness. Place chicken and mole sauce on a platter and garnish with rose
peddles. Serve with pinto beans and handmade tortillas.
Refried Beans
This recipe is one of those all day recipes. For this reason and the technique
involved, no soaking is required, only lots of love along the way.
For 8
1 pound of dried pinto beans
2 quarts (8 cups) of water
1 laurel leaf
1 ham bone (optional)
2 teaspoon of salt and pepper
1/4 cup of vegetable shortening or lard
Add beans, water, ham bone, (if using) and laurel leaf to a pot. Cover with lid,
tilted, bring to a boil, and adjust heat to low. Cook beans for 2 hours. Keep
beans covered with water thoughout the cooking process by adding about a cup
or two of warm water every so often. I usually don't need to start adding water
until a hour, then I check every 30 minutes. After the 2 hour mark and not
before, salt beans with 2 teaspoons of salt and season to taste with pepper.
Continue cooking for 2 hours more on low heat, adding water as needed.
Remove pork bone and laurel leaf. Add vegetable shortening or lard and mash
with a potato masher for about 3 minutes until beans are thick and creamy. To
thin out beans, add more water. To thicken beans more, continue to stir and
cook on medium heat.
Handmade Tortillas
I have the fondest memories of my grandmother, the late Eugenia Rios, making
handmade tortillas. Although, at the time, we spoke different languages she
expressed her love for us through her cooking. She made tortillas throughout
the day and served them with fried potatoes and eggs in the morning and
refried beans and ground beef in the afternoon.
For 11
6 cups of flour
2 teaspoon of salt
3 teaspoon baking powder
10 tablespoon lard or vegetable shortening
2 cups of warm water
Mix dry ingredients in a bowl. Work lard or vegetable shortening into flour
mixture with your fingers until it is completely mixed together. Slowly, drizzle in
warm water to flour, mixing with a fork or wooden spoon. Using your hands,
form into a cohesive ball of dough. Kneed for 5 minutes until dough is smooth
and soft. Cover with a clean towel or plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30
minutes. Cut into 16 equal sized balls and dust with flour. Using a rolling pin or
palote, roll out dough balls into a thin, round shape. Heat up a cast iron skillet
or a comal to medium high heat and brown tortillas on each side. Only takes
about 30 seconds or less per side. Place in tortilla warmer or under a dry towel
to keep warm until serving.