chicken mole variation

I'm worried about L. I think the stress of preparing for the class she's going to teach is affecting her critical thinking.

Tonight I made another chicken mole dish and she pronounced it possibly the best meal I have cooked for her, perhaps forever if not just in recent memory. Now I was fairly pleased with this new variation I invented and thought it was even quite excellent and indeed eminently guest-worthy. But it didn't strike me as genius quality and certainly not a candidate for a lifetime achievement award!

But then she said that the modern eclectic versions of traditional Mexican and Hispanic cuisine (like the Border Grill in LA of the Two Hot Tamales fame) are just about her favorite class of food. Who knew? Have I been wasting all my considerable efforts on fish, Italian and Sicilian inspirations, and many other innovations over the years?!?! I thought some of those rated a MacArthur Genius grant, but maybe we should go live in Oaxaca now for a few years and I should cook for her there. Learn Spanish and go to all the markets and make friends with the vendors, while she writes a book about a small Mexican town. Hey, it was inspirational for Edward Weston, maybe I could become a photographer/chef. Hmmm.

Anyway, this mole I attempted to do a little more from scratch and it was an excellent amalgamation of flavors, I must say. The starting point was a recipe for mole rojo, from the Coyote Cafe cookbook (p. 29).

Dry-roasted ancho chiles in a cast iron pan, then simmered to reconstitute them. Pan-blackened fresh tomatillos and regular tomatoes. Oven-roasted and blackened red bell peppers. Caramelized red onions and already cooked corn removed from the cob. Oaxacan starter mole paste simmered in vegetable broth and roasted pepper juices.

Everything coarsely pureed and all simmered in one pot. Added some ground toasted almonds and cinnamon, black pepper, salt – could have lots more stuff from the recipe, but wasn't sure what was really in the starter besides chocolate. Chicken breasts sauteed in the pan juices then added to the pot.

Heated Trader Joe's handmade corn tortillas in the oven. Yogurt and heated blackberries and wild huckleberries for dessert later. Quite delicious, even if not the best ever.

Comments

[jane kunzman]

okay.
so now i am reading the back story of your food/meals...
not only have i eaten at the Coyote Cafe,
but i am quite famous around here for the Southwestern Cumin Bread which is near the back of their cook book with some really sweet matisse style graphics.