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Edited on Sat Mar-12-05 07:05 PM by mike_c
This looks complicated, and it is, kinda, but well worth the effort, and you should make LOTS when you make it at all to justify the effort. This is a chicken enchilada recipe with a rich, dark mole rojo rather than the usual enchilada chili sauce. I made this for a big dinner party a couple of nights ago, so I've still got a bunch in the refrigerator (and a cooler full of beer still on ice). Guess what I'm having for dinner!
Measurements are approximate.
For the chicken filling:
Simmer a mess of boneless thighs and breasts in enough lightly salted water to cover with a tablespoon or so of black peppercorns and a small whole onion until cooked, then cool the meat in the broth. Remove the meat when cool enough to handle and shred with your fingers. Reserve the broth.
4 dried ancho chilis
2 dried Calfornia or New Mexico chilis
1 dried pasilla chili
1-2 canned chipotle chilis
2 cloves garlic (roast in a hot skillet until blackened in spots, then peel)
1 Tbsp Mexican oregano
1 cup chopped green olives
1/2 cup seedless raisins
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tbsp lard or bacon fat
cooked, shredded chicken
reserved chicken broth + additional as needed
salt and pepper to taste
Remove stems, veins, and seeds from the dried chilis, keeping the pods as intact as possible. Toast the chilis, either by passing them through a gas flame or pressing them against a hot skillet until the flesh blisters. Don't burn them, however. Soak the toasted chilis in hot water for 20 minutes or so until they soften. Put the softened chilis into a blender along with one or two chipotles (depending on how hot you like your enchiladas) and some of their adobo, the roasted and peeled garlic, oregano, and just a bit of the chicken broth-- just enough liquid to puree the peppers to a thick paste. Do not use the chili soaking water! Discard it-- it's likely to be bitter. Fry the chili paste in the lard in a very hot skillet for a minute or two, stirring constantly. Add the shredded chicken, chopped onions, olives, and raisins, and some of the chicken stock to keep the mixture moist. Reduce the heat and simmer for a while, until the meat is well flavored by the chili sauce, the raisins are soft, and so on. Don't let it dry out too much, and don't let it burn. Season with salt and pepper.
For the mole rojo (again, measurements are approximate):
6 dried ancho chilis
6 dried pasilla chilis
4 dried California or New Mex. chilis
1 medium onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, roasted and peeled as above
1 15 oz can tomatoes
1 small can of tomatillos (drained) or 6-8 fresh tomatillos, boiled until soft
1 Tbsp Mexican oregano
1 Tbsp dried thyme leaves
2 Tbsp sesame seeds
1 cup raw, unskinned almonds
1/2 cup seedless raisins
2 stale corn tortillas, torn into pieces
1 slice stale white bread, torn into pieces
3 oz or so piece of dark chocolate, chopped-- use the best, highest cocoa content chocolate you can find
1 piece Mexican dark chocolate, broken
1 stick of cinnamon
6 cloves
2 bay leaves
10 cups or so of rich chicken broth
1 bottle of dark beer (optional, non-traditional, but yummy)
salt and pepper
Toast, soak, and puree the chilis as in the instructions above, along with the chopped onion and garlic. Fry the chili-onion-garlic paste in the lard in a very hot skillet for one or two minutes, stirring to prevent burning. Transfer to a large pot. Toast the sesame seeds in a hot skillet, then toast the almonds. Puree the tomatoes (with their juice), drained tomatillas, oregano, thyme, raisins, toasted sesame seeds, almonds, tortilla pieces and bread, adding a bit of additional liquid if necessary to blend, then stir the puree into the chili mixture in the pot. The mixture will be an orange-red color at this point. Add the chocolate, cinnamon, cloves, bay leaves, chicken stock, and beer. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a slow simmer and cook for several hours, stirring frequently to prevent scorching (pay attention!). If it scorches a little, pour it into another pot and continue cooking gently-- don't scrape the scorched bits back into the sauce. The best defense is to stir frequently. The mole will darken to a rich deep red and thicken. Add more stock if it seems too thick, but don't skimp on the time spent simmering-- 3 hours at least. Strain out the bay leaves, cloves, and cinnamon stick before serving.
To assemble the enchiladas:
a few Tbsp lard
corn tortillas
some crumbled queso fresco
chicken filling and mole rojo from above
Melt the lard in a skillet. Fry tortillas one at a time in the hot lard for a few seconds on each side until they puff up and smell like corn, but don't let them get crisp. Drain the fried tortillas on paper towels. As soon as they are cool enough to handle, transfer each tortilla to a plate, spoon in some of the chicken filling (not too much-- each enchilada should be about an inch or so in diameter), roll tightly, then spoon the mole rojo over generously. Sprinkle with crumbled queso fresco. Serve hot, with additional steamed or fresh tortillas to mop up the extra mole.
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