Making molé is to immerse oneself in Mexican cooking at its finest and most complex. Anyone who is transfixed, as I am, by the culinary alchemy that transpires when such diverse ingredients as dried chiles, chocolate, and pumpkin seeds are blended cannot help but be lured into at least one molé experience. Cooking a molé requires a long time, so it's an ideal activity to undertake during bleak winter months.


Mole

Meat & Stock:
1 turkey, 10-12 pounds, or 2 or 3 chickens, to equal 10-12 pounds
¼ cup of cream sherry
3 ribs of celery
3 medium carrots
1 large onion, quartered

Mole Sauce
2 large dried Ancho chiles
1 ½ cups boiling water
1 ½ cups canned diced or crushed tomatoes, packed in purée
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chiles
½ cup dried currants
2 heaping tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder (use dutched, the other stuff’s too harsh)
¼ teaspoon ground gloves
¼ cup sesame seeds
½ cup hulled pumpkin seeds
¼ cup slivered almonds
1 ½ teaspoons coriander seeds
1 ½ teaspoons anise seeds
1 ½ teaspoons cumin seeds
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 small hot fresh chiles, seeded and minced
2 cinnamon sticks (about 2 inches each)
¼ cup sugar
Salt to taste
Toasted sesame seeds and cut green onion for garnish

For the meat and stock:

Using a sharp boning knife, bone-out the turkey or chickens if you’re using those, reserving the bones and carcass. Cut the meat into 2-inc cubes and refrigerate until needed. Place all the scraps and bones in a roasting pan, an put into the oven at about 400º until toasted the golden brown you associate with perfectly fried chicken. Very carefully (hot grease can make this procedure fraught with potential spatters) deglaze the roaster with the sherry. Put the bones & carcass and all of the pan drippings with the sherry into a large stockpot, cover with water, add the celery, carrot and onion. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer uncovered for 1 hour. Strain, discarding the bones and vegetables and reserve the stock.

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

For the Mole sauce:

Stem and seed the ancho chiles, then chop into small irregular pieces. Toast in the oven 3-4 minutes, turning once. Transfer to a small bowl, cover with boiling water, and let steep 30 minutes.

Place the tomatoes and green chiles in a food processor or blender and purée them until smooth. Transfer to a mixing bowl and stir in the currants, cocoa and cloves.

Place the sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds and almonds in a small skillet. Toast, stirring or shaking the pan frequently just until golden brown (about 5 to 7 minutes). Transfer to a food processor or a spice grinder or even a mortar and pestle, you’re gonna smoosh ‘em up. So grind ‘em in your favourite method, adding a little of the liquid your chiles are soaking in just to make a thick, smooth paste. The smoother, the better. Combine with the tomato mixture.

Heat the vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic and fresh chiles; sauté until quite soft. Add to the tomato mixture. Purée everything once again, in batches, until smooth. Thin the sauce to the consistency of heavy cream with the reserved turkey/chicken stock. Transfer the sauce to a saucepan and add the cinnamon sticks. Simmer the sauce uncovered over medium heat 45 minutes. Add stock as needed to keep the sauce the consistency of cream. Season the sauce with sugar and salt to taste. Remove from heat.

Bring the remaining stock to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the turkey/chicken meat and poach over low heat just until tender, 15 -20 minutes. Let cool to room temperature in the stock.

About 30 minutes before serving, preheat the oven in 350ºF. Drain the meat and arrange in a large casserole dish. Cover with the mole sauce and bake until heated through, 25-30 minutes. Garnish with a sprinkling of toasted sesame seeds and some cut green onion. Serve hot with plain rice, boiled corn pasta or a nice firm polenta.