MOLE!!!

Hola amigos! I know you are probably thinking the title for this post is weird.... but do not worry, I will not write about lumps on the skin or about an infiltrated person in a team or anything like that.... I am talking about MOLE SAUCE (Mole is pronounced like... hmmm, like "mo- as in moment" and "-le as in legs")

There are many different kinds of "MOLE" in Mexico, and some of them are nothing at all like the rest (sometimes I even wonder why they are called mole), but I would say the most popular MOLE is "Mole Poblano", it takes its name from its state of origin "Puebla" and it is such a delicious dish, you have to TRY IT! and that's the type of mole I will focus on today.

When my mom and grandma' were here these past weeks (Yes, they are already gone and I am missing them so much!) they made "mole con pollo" (mole with chicken) .... Mole Poblano is a combination of chilies, spices, nuts, seeds and chocolate, it is such a rich sauce! but it requires too many ingredients and time to make it from scratch (which of course is the best), But I must say I have never made mole from scratch... Now, there are many brands that offer good "MOLE", basically the "paste" and you can just "make it your own" by adding some little touches that will make it more "homemade like".

The Brand I suggest you to use is: "Doña Maria"

That would be the base for the sauce.

To make your own "Pollo con mole" you will need:

Ingredients:

1. 2 pounds of chicken (legs and thighs)
2. 1/2 white onion
3. 2 cloves of garlic
4. 2 tbsp. of salt
5. 1 cup of Mole Dona Maria (the whole container of 8.25 oz)
6. 1 slice of bread (white or even 1/2 hot dog or hamburger bun)
7. Approx. 2 oz. of chocolate (chocolate "abuelita", "ibarra" or "Goya" -those are the brands to use-)
8. 1/2 tsp. sugar
9. 2 tbsp. chunky peanut butter
10. 1 pinch of salt, ground black pepper and garlic powder

Directions:

Put the chicken in enough water (2 inches of water over the top of the chicken), add the 1/2 white onion, cloves of garlic and 2 tbsp. salt, cook it all together until the chicken is cooked (no pink juices running).

While the chicken cooks, fry the slice of bread in some vegetable oil and set aside, it should be just a little golden, separately fry the chocolate just for a little bit (about 2 mins).

Once the chicken is cooked, use 2 cups of the liquid of the chicken and blend it with the rest of the ingredients (mole paste, bread, chocolate, sugar, peanut butter,  pinch of salt, black pepper and garlic powder)

Put the sauce in a big pan, start the low fire until it starts bubbling, add 2 more cups of the liquid of the chicken and the pieces of chicken until it all starts bubbling, make sure the chicken legs and thighs all get covered by the sauce. (note: If it is too thick you can add one 1/2 to 1 cup of water to it)

Done! You have "Mole Poblano" right in your kitchen!

Serve hot with rice and refried beans or lettuce salad. Have corn tortillas to go with it too!

If you are enjoying this blog... share it with others... tell your friends about it.... I am really trying to share about Mexican cuisine... 

Provecho!

Paloma.

Tostadas de Pollo

Hola amigos! I just want to give a quick update from my very Mexican Kitchen.... which is even more Mexican now that my mom and grandma' are here spending some days with us!

I haven't cooked anything! but I am still eating real Mexican food! From tostadas to a potato/carrot soup, it's been great! So I thought I should share a "Chicken Tostadas" recipe with all of you...

There are different ways to make chicken tostadas, these are the ones we had last week:

Ingredients:
(for 4-6 people)
- Corn Tostadas (12)
- 1/2 a can of Refried Pinto Beans (these brands are easy to find in USA and they are very good: "La Preferida", "Goya" "Adelita" "La Costena" "La Sierra"
- Cooked and shredded chicken (you can use leg quarters or chicken breast, or even mix the two) approx. 2 pounds. (just boil your chicken with enough water, salt, 1/2 white onion and 3 whole cloves of garlic, once it is cooked, let it cool a little so you can handle it and shred it)
- 3 red tomatoes (chopped or thinly sliced)
- chopped (in stripes I would say, julianne) lettuce (about 1/2 a lettuce, or more)
- 1/2 big white onion (chopped)
- 4 oz. queso fresco (Mexican fresh cheese, it's not too hard to find) (crumbled, you can easily crumble it with your fingers)
- 1 thinly sliced avocado (1 big avocado or 2 small ones)
- Mexican style sour cream (if you can not find Mexican style sour cream just use more queso fresco)
- Salsa verde (optional)
- Salt to taste

Directions:

- Spread a thin layer of the refried beans on all of your tostadas
- Add the shredded chicken (equally on all the tostadas)
- add the rest of the vegetables (lettuce first, then avocado, onions, tomatoes)
- Add the crumbled queso fresco and then each person can add the sour cream and salsa.
- Add a pinch of salt to each tostada on top and voila! You are set to go to have a wonderful Mexican meal!

Today we will be having "POLLO CON MOLE" for lunch... I will share the recipe with all of you soon! So, stay connected!

Provecho

Paloma.

Carne Asada

Good morning everyone! As I promised, I will share with you our "Sunday Dinner".... It was "Carne Asada" (Grilled meat).

For us, Mexicans, Grilling or BBQing is a WHOLE experience, it has to do with the open flames, the flavors and the aromas, forget about GAS GRILLS! (Gas is for our stoves), to grill we use charcoal or MESQUITE wood (among other types of wood) but never gas... In Mexico we can grill pretty much everything. Grilling takes us back to our very origins; actually, even when Mexico has very modern cities, like Monterrey, (which by the way got hit really badly by Hurricane Alex) many places are proud to offer really "old fashioned" and GOOD cooking, and it's all done over the open flame, Monterrey is actually known for its famous "Cabrito" (baby goat), usually cooked on a stick, directly over the fire, it is just DELICIOUS!

So, as Mexicans, we basically grill whatever we have available, from vegetables, tortillas, cheese, beans, fish or any other meats, the specialties vary from State to State (and sometimes from city to city)

So, on Sunday, hubby and I had friends over (a wonderful couple with beautiful kids!) and we decided to grill out, whenever I say "let's grill out", hubby still thinks of hamburgers and brats, but he is getting used to my grilling... Our grill isn't as big as I'd like it to be, so we are kind of limited by the space and time, but hopefully we will get one big (never gas) grill soon!

This was our menu

Guacamole
Grilled banana peppers stuffed with queso fresco (Mexican style cheese)
Chicken
Thinly sliced sirloin steaks
Mexican Chorizo
Salsa verde, pico de gallo
Grilled onions
Tortillas
and glass bottled coke (imported from Mexico)

Forgive my "fine china" I am using mostly disposable stuff to avoid the load of dishes, I don't feel like washing much stuff lately

All the ingredients we needed we got at "El Rey" a Mexican Supermarket close to our house, you can find the "Mexican coke" there too... it's not expensive and it does taste different (way better) than the American Coke (which I wonder why).

For dessert we had a very American Apple Pie (baked in a bag) we got at wonderful store The Elegant Farmer about 30 mins. away from home, they are the proud holders of the title of the "Best Pie in America" and some coffee (which I didn't drink, I just can't drink coffee yet...)

Please stay connected... I will be sharing in the following days the recipes so you can have this same menu the next time you grill.... and you will have a very authentic and really Mexican GUACAMOLE (no taco mix, no sour cream, no garlic powder!)

Provecho!

Paloma.