Oaxacan Lamb Shanks Mole Mixiote De Borrego En Mole Coloradito Recipes

MOLE COLORADITO

Steps:

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees F.
• Toast the ancho, guajillo, cascabel, avocado leaves, bay leaf, canela, clove, oregano, cumin, coriander and peppercorns on a rimmed baking sheet until browned in spots (but not charred!) and very fragrant, nutty and spicy, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a large heatproof bowl.
• Toast the raisins, prunes, almonds, peanuts, pecans, pumpkin seeds and sesame seeds on the same baking sheet until the nuts are lightly browned and the fruit are puffed and lightly toasted but not burnt, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the toasted chiles.
• Meanwhile, heat the schmaltz in a large Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add the plantains and cook until deep golden brown and caramelized on both sides, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl. Add the garlic, onions and 4 teaspoons salt to the pot and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are tender and lightly browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the reserved chile mixture, the plantains, and the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the chiles are very tender and fragrant, about 30 minutes. Discard the avocado leaves, bay leaf and canela (if you can find them). Remove the pot from the heat and let cool slightly.
• Working in batches, transfer the stewed chiles to a blender and puree until very smooth and thick. Transfer to a large bowl and repeat with the remaining stewed chiles.
• Wipe the pot clean, transfer the mole to the pot and bring to simmer over medium-high heat, stirring constantly to prevent from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Simmer until the mole is the consistency of a smooth, thick tomato sauce, 5 to 10 minutes, adding water or additional stock if the sauce is too thick. Add the chocolate and stir until melted. Season with salt. Remove from the heat. Serve over roasted turkey or roasted chicken. Top with toasted sesame seeds.

OAXACAN LAMB SHANKS MOLE - MIXIOTE DE BORREGO EN MOLE COLORADITO

Steps:

• Prepare the mole sauce by combining tomatoes and garlic cloves in your blender and whirl until smooth, adding water if necessary.
• Strain and set aside.
• Grind the sesame seeds, peppercorns, oregano and cinnamon all together; set to the side.
• Make a lengthwise cut on 1 side of each ancho and guajillo chile and remove seeds. Place chiles in a heat resistant bowl and cover with boiling water; soak for 20 minutes or until soft.
• Place chiles and the water they've been soaking in in a blender.
• Whirl until smooth, strain and set to the side.
• In a stockpot, heat up about 3 tablespoons of oil and add the dried spices, stirring constantly to release the fragrant oils.
• Add the two purees and bring to a boil.
• Add the chocolate, sugar; salt to taste and let simmer for about 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Season the lamb shanks with salt; sear shanks on all sides in a hot skillet with a little oil added.
• Place some of the mole sauce in a bowl.
• Dip each shank in mole sauce, sprinkle with vinegar, chopped onion and salt; wrap in a banana leaf and then in aluminum foil.
• Place shanks in a pan and bake for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, or until the meat is.
• very tender and falling off the bone.
• Place shank on a plate and top with additional warm mole sauce.

COLORADITO (RED OAXACAN MOLE)

Steps:

• Put the chicken into a pan with the onion, garlic, and herbs; cover with water and add salt to taste. Bring to a simmer and continue simmering until the chicken is just tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.
• Remove the stems, if any, from the chiles, slit them open, and remove veins and seeds.
• Toast the chiles on a hot comale for a few seconds on each side, pressing them down until the inside flesh turns an opaque, tobacco color. Rinse the chiles in cold water, cover with hot water, and set aside to soak for about 15 minutes.
• Put the tomatoes into a blender jar and blend briefly. Heat 1 tablespoon of the lard and fry the sesame seeds for a few seconds until a deep golden brown. Transfer with a slotted spoon, draining them as much as possible, to the blender jar; add the oregano, cloves and allspice and blend until smooth, adding a little more of the water in which the chiles were soaking if necessary.
• Add more lard to the pan and heat; add the onion and garlic and fry until translucent.
• Add the cinnamon pieces and fry until the onions and garlic are lightly browned.
• Transfer with a slotted spoon to the blender jar. Add the plantain and bread to the pan and fry over low heat until a deep golden color; transfer to the blender jar. Adding more chile water if necessary, blend until you have a smooth puree. Gradually add the soaked chiles with more water as necessary and blend until smooth. When all the chiles have been blended, dip a spoon into the bottom of the blender jar and take out a sample of the sauce to see if the rather tough chile skins have been blended sufficiently. If not, add a little more water, stir well, and then blend for a few seconds more.
• Heat the remaining lard in a heavy pan or saute pan, add the blended sauce and chocolate, and cook over medium heat, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to prevent sticking, for about 15 minutes. Add 2 cups of the chicken broth and the chicken pieces, taste for salt, and cook for 15 minutes more. The sauce should be fairly thick and lightly cover the back of a wooden spoon.
• Serve with white rice and tortillas.

MIXIOTE DE BORREGO EN MOLE COLORADITO: LAMB SHANK IN AN OAXACAN RED MOLE SAUCE

Steps:

• To prepare the mole sauce: In a blender or food processor, blend tomatoes and garlic cloves, adding water if necessary. Strain and set aside. In a spice grinder pulverize the sesame seeds, peppercorns, oregano and cinnamon; set aside.
• Make a lengthwise cut on 1 side of each ancho and guajillo chile and remove seeds. Put chiles in a bowl and cover with boiling water, letting soak for 20 minutes or until soft. Place chiles and soaking water in a blender. Puree, strain and set aside. In a medium stockpot, heat 3 tablespoons of canola oil. Add the dried spices stirring continuously. Add the two purees and bring to a boil. Add the chocolate, sugar, and salt to taste; let simmer for about 20 minutes.
• To prepare the lamb shanks: Season the lamb shanks with salt and in a hot skillet sear shanks in oil on all sides. In a bowl, dip each shank in mole sauce, sprinkle with some of the vinegar, chopped onion and salt, then wrap in a banana leaf and then in aluminum foil. Place shanks in a roasting pan and bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, or until the meat is falling off the bone. Place shank on a plate and top with additional warm mole sauce.

LAMB MIXIOTE

Steps:

• Sprinkle the lamb with 2 teaspoons salt on both sides and transfer to a nonreactive bowl or large resealable plastic bag. Set aside at room temperature while you prepare the adobo.
• Set a dry skillet or comal over medium heat. Add the guajillos, allspice, garlic, anchos, moritas, cloves and cinnamon and toast until the chiles are dark in spots and the spices are fragrant, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl. When cool enough to handle, peel the garlic.
• Add the toasted chiles to a small saucepan with enough water to cover them by 1 inch. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, pressing on the chiles to submerge them. Remove from the heat, cover and let stand until the chiles are fully softened and pulpy, 15 to 20 minutes.
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chiles to a blender (discard the soaking water). Add the reserved toasted spices and peeled garlic, broth, vinegar, oregano, thyme, onion and 2 teaspoons salt. Puree until completely smooth. Reserve 1/2 cup adobo in a container and refrigerate. Pour the rest of the adobo all over the lamb until completely coated. Cover the bowl or seal the bag and marinate, refrigerated, for at least 6 hours and up to overnight.
• When ready to cook, lay out six 12-by-16-inch parchment rectangles. Place a piece of lamb on each and top with a spoonful of reserved adobo and 1 avocado leaf (or 1 bay leaf and 1 mint sprig). Carefully fold each corner of one of the parchment rectangles towards the center, tie it tightly with twine and trim any excess parchment. Repeat with the remaining parchment rectangles.
• Set up a steamer pot with water in the bottom and a steamer basket above the water level and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once the water is boiling and steam is coming out, place the lamb packets in the steamer basket in a single layer. Cover tightly, lower the heat to medium and steam, checking occasionally to make sure there's enough water in the bottom, until the lamb is tender and nearly falling apart, about 1 hour and 30 minutes.
• Serve the packets directly on a plate with sliced limes, a side of rice pilaf and warm tortillas.

OAXACAN CHICKEN MOLE

Steps:

• Using 1 tsp of the chili powder, season the breasts, along with salt and pepper to taste.
• In a heavy skillet that comfortably holds both breasts, heat the oil over mediium-high heat and cook the chicken until brown on both sides (about 2 minutes per side); transfer cooked chicken to a plate and add the remaining chili powder, along with the cumin and cinnamon, to the skillet and saute, stirring, for 15 seconds.
• Stir in the tomatoes and their juices along with the chocolate and simmer until the sauce thickens up, about 5 minutes.
• Add chicken, along with any juices that have accumulated on the plate, back into the skillet and simmer until the chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes.
• Taste sauce; add salt and pepper if desired.

BRAISED CHICKEN WITH OAXACAN MOLE

Steps:

• Wash the chile, remove stem and seeds. Place in a medium bowl and cover with warm water. Let stand for 30 minutes. While chile is soaking, add the sesame seeds and spices to a large skillet and toast over moderately low heat, stirring until fragrant. Place toasted mixture in a grinder and process to a fine powder. Set aside.
• In the same skillet add in 1 tablespoon oil and warm slightly. Stir in raisins, almonds and tortilla. Cook over low heat until almonds are toasted and raisins plump. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.
• Add the tomatoes to the skillet and cook, turning frequently until skins are blistered on all sides. Transfer to a bowl. Add onion and garlic to the skillet and cook, stirring until lightly browned taking care not to burn the garlic. Place contents in a blender or food processor container and lightly chop.
• Add a tablespoon of oil to skillet, stir in chopped vegetables and spice mix. Cover over medium heat until warmed through. Drain the chiles and add along with chicken stock. Partially cover, bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook for 1 hour. Remove from heat, add in chocolate and process in a blender in batches or using stick blender process until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet warm 2 tablespoons of oil and in batches if necessary brown chicken over high heat, turning as needed to brown all sides. Place browned chicken in oven proof dish, pour prepared mole over all. Cover and bake in preheated oven until chicken is cooked through, approximately 1 hour. Transfer to a serving platter and garnish with additional sesame seeds and chopped fresh cilantro.
• Note: The mole can be prepared ahead of time and frozen in 2 cup portions. Defrost in refrigerator and warm before pouring over browned chicken. Bake chicken and mole as directed.

MOLE COLORADITO OAXACA

Steps:

• For mole paste: Cut chiles open vertically, remove stems, seeds.
• On hot, ungreased griddle or heavy skillet, toast chiles on both sides, flattening with spatula, until skins blister and colors change.
• Put chiles in bowl.
• Add raisins.
• Cover with hot water; soak for 30 minutes and up to a few hours, until soft.
• Drain chiles, raisins then puree in blender with water as necessary.
• Strain through coarse sieve into large pot, pressing with large spoon adding more water as necessary.
• Add chocolate, bring to simmer.
• Toast then peel garlic and onion quarters.
• Put in blender.
• Toast almonds.
• Put in blender with onion and garlic.
• Add canela, salt, pepper, thyme and oregano.
• Puree, adding water as necessary.
• Strain into chile-chocolate mixture, pressing down with large spoon, adding more water as necessary.
• Cook, stirring, 15 minutes to thicken mole paste.
• Paste may be cooled and refrigerated for six months or frozen in airtight containers.
• To make sauce from paste: Toast and peel tomatoes.
• Puree and strain into paste.
• Pour in broth.
• Lower heat and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Sauce should be as thick as heavy cream.
• Taste and adjust seasoning.
• Serve over chicken or turkey pieces sprinkled with toasted sesame seeds.
• Sauce may be refrigerated for up to three days.

OAXACAN LAMB IN SPICY TOMATILLO SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300°F with rack in middle.
• Put avocado leaves in bottom of a heavy medium pot with a tight-fitting lid. Sprinkle lamb shanks all over with 2 teaspoons salt and arrange in pot (they don't have to be in 1 layer). Roast, covered, until meat is very tender, about 3 hours.
• Meanwhile, slit chiles lengthwise, then stem, seed, and devein. Tear chiles into roughly 1-inch pieces (you should have about 1 1/2 cups). Heat a comal or large heavy skillet (not nonstick) over medium heat until hot, then toast chiles, stirring constantly, until more pliable and slightly changed in color, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. (Chiles will crisp as they cool.)
• Cover tomatillos with water in a medium saucepan and simmer, uncovered, until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain well, then purée with chiles, garlic, cilantro, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt in a blender (in batches if necessary) until chiles are ground to small flecks.
• Transfer shanks to a cutting board to cool. Strain lamb juices remaining in pot into a glass measuring cup. Let fat rise to top and skim off. Coarsely shred meat, discarding bones.
• Heat oil in a heavy medium pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then cook one fourth of tomatillo sauce (it will spatter), stirring, until slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Add remaining sauce and lamb juices and simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Add lamb. Thin sauce with water if necessary. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 4 minutes.