Manual Del Cocinero (1906) – Mole Poblano

Mole Poblano

Para un guajolote una libra de chile pasilla, más pasilla que ancho, se tuesta en la lumbre, se muele cuartillo y medio de tomates cocidos, una cabeza de ajo asado en la lumbre, se tuesta una poca de pimienta, clavo, canela, cominos, tortilla y un poco de anís, de todo esto un tanto regular. Todo esto se tuesta (menos el agenjibre ó ajonjolí) y unas pocas de pepitas de chile; adviértase que de todas las especias se muelen aparte, y el chile, jitomate ó tomate junto. Se pone á cocer el guajolote, con sal, y asi que está cocido se pone el sartén con manteca suficiente, y asi que está bien caliente, se le echan las especias á que se frían muy bien, y estando fritas se les echa el chile, el tomate y su sal: así que todo está bien frito, se le echa el guajolote, y caldo suficiente con el que se cocio el guajolote y estando espeso, se aparta.

Mole Poblano

For one turkey, use a little more than half a pound of pasilla chile, and a little less than half a pound of ancho chile. Roast over the fire. Grind 1 ½ cuartillos of boiled tomatillos and a head of garlic roasted over the fire. Toast a little pepper, clove, cinnamon, cumin, a tortilla and a little anise, being careful not to over-roast or burn. Toast all the spices together (except the ginger and sesame, which should be toasted separately) along with a few chile seeds. Note that the spices are ground separately from the chile and the tomatoes or tomatillos (which are ground together). Boil the turkey with salt. Once it is cooked, put sufficient lard in a pan, and once it’s hot, toss in the spices and fry well. Once the spices are fried, add the chile , tomatoes or tomatillos and salt: once everything is well fried, put in the turkey, and enough of broth that the turkey was cooked in, once the sauce thickens, set aside.

Mole Poblano – interpretation for the 21st century kitchen (using cut-up chicken)

Ingredients

• One 8 pound turkey (or two 3-4 pound chickens, thawed and rinsed inside and out and cut into serving pieces, or 6-8 pounds of chicken parts, thawed and rinsed.)
• 12 cups chicken broth
• Just over ½ pound chile pasilla
• Just under ½ pound chile ancho
• 1 ½ to 2 pounds of tomatillos or tomatoes
• 1 head of garlic
• 6 peppercorns
• 6 whole cloves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1-2 tsp. cumin seeds
• 1 small dried tortilla
• 1/2 tsp. anise seeds
• 2 in. ginger root
• 6-8 T. sesame seeds
• salt, to taste
• 1 tablespoon reserved chile seeds (from de-seeding chiles)
• lard or vegetable oil

Directions

1. Toast the chiles in a dry skillet on the stovetop. Cut off the stems and de-seed (reserve 1 tablespoon of seeds).
2. Roast the head of garlic (in the oven or in the skillet, if broken into cloves)
3. Place the tomatillos or tomatoes in a pot, cover with water, and bring to a boil.
4. Simmer tomatoes or tomatillos for 10 minutes.
5. Use a blender to grind the tomatoes/tomatillos, garlic, and chiles together with 2-4 cups of the chicken broth. This will need to be done in 2-3 batches.
6. 6. Toast the peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon, cumin, and anise in a dry skillet on the stovetop and grind them with a mortar and pestle (or spice grinder). Also toast and crumble the tortilla.

1. Separately, toast the sesame seeds and grind them to a paste.
2. Mince the piece of ginger root.
3. To boil rinsed and cut-up chickens: Bring 12 cups chicken broth to a boil in a large stockpot. Add the chicken pieces, and simmer over low heat until just tender—25-60 minutes, depending on how much chicken is being prepared. A meat thermometer in the thickest part of a breast or thigh should read at least 165* Fahrenheit. Remove from heat and let the chicken cool slightly. Reserve the broth.
4. Drain the chicken, but reserve broth. Remove meat from the bones and shred coarsely. You may include some of the skin for extra flavor. Season with salt as necessary.