The Kitchen Chronicles

chicken mole improv

In a daring, uninformed, barely researched effort, I made a variation on the famous Mexican chicken mole without ever having attempted the basic theme version. The theme and variations is a favorite theme in my cooking, but maybe it was fresh in mind because of our having heard the Bach Goldberg Variations in recital yesterday at the Olympic Music Festival.

In any case, the variation was one of those blended simmered sauces in which the final result seems not to highlight any specific ingredient nor allow any one element to dominate. I would like to claim grand knowledge and superior skill in the mole department, but it was a lucky accident that L pronounced a huge success, better than a normal one. So here's what I did:

Vegetable powder broth with some hunks of the mole block that Ari brought us back from Oaxaca "melted" in it and simmered. After a while, some chopped tomatoes and Trader Joe's roasted tomatillo salsa also simmered and allowed to thicken.

Separately, a big Walla Walla onion sauteed in olive oil with garlic, and then an ear of fresh corn kernels thrown in with some chipotle powder and salt and pepper. This concoction allowed to caramelize on low heat, then added to the liquid mix, and more simmering.

Meanwhile, some chicken breasts are partially sauteed in the same pan as the onion/corn mix, then cut in smaller pieces and added to the pot. Now a portion of the sauce taken out and pureed in the food processor and then returned to the pot for further blending.

It was scrumptious, perhaps much less chocolate-dominated than the traditional mole. And the resulting complex blend of somewhat unidentifiable flavor elements is an intriguing goal. It reminded me, and re-inspired me, about some of the Sicilian themes and variations explored on the stove. Must return to those (places and recipes)!

snapper & salsa

Not feeling too ambitious, I just baked a red snapper fillet with some Trader Joe's bottled habañero & lime salsa on it and chopped cilantro with lemon slices. Fresh corn from the market also. The fish was surprisingly good, reminding one that the bottled sauce rescue technique can be hugely effective in a pinch.

Extra protein dessert was yogurt with slightly stewed blackberry and huckleberry (from the farmers market bursting out with berries these days) mix on it. Very fantastic – just a little sugar in the fresh berries and cooked slowly and lowly in a saucepan.

turkey burgers + favas

Turkey burgers (ordinary, with salsa verde & worcestershire integral) plus steamed green beans, and a surprise success of fava beans – probably the last of the season. Blanched them first to remove the outer shells, then sauteed slowly with garlic and cilantro until slightly browned. Cilantro isn't always good when cooked, but this version, with the garlic, worked very well.

braised halibut

Made braised halibut from the Rose Pistola cookbook (p. 150), pretty much exactly from the recipe. Too many anchovies and too much wine without the pasta to soak it up. Needs another herb like thyme, and shallots also. Watch out for hot oil splashes when flipping the fish in the pan. Let the wine reduce a lot before putting the pan in the oven. With refinements, a very guest-worthy offering.