Pasilla Mole is a modern British recipe (based on a Mexican original) for a classic well-flavoured sauce prepared from a base of pasilla and guajillo chillies with tomatoes, pear, spices, stock and chocolate. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Pasilla Mole.
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Mole is one of Mexico's most iconic sauces, made with chillies, spices and dark chocolate. Use as a topping on enchiladas and meat. Here pasilla chillies are primarily used, hence the name,
Ingredients:
4 dried pasilla chillies, seeds and stems removed
3 dried guajillo chillies, seeds and stems removed
2 medium tomatoes
1 onion, quartered
1 pear, halved but with the core left in
2 garlic cloves
40g sesame seeds
60g peanuts, blanched
5g cinnamon stick
3 cloves
½ tsp oregano
½ tsp coriander seeds
½ tsp cumin seeds
10 black peppercorns
3 tbsp pork lard or sunflower oil
300-400ml hot vegetable stock
1 tbsp tomato purée
45g dark chocolate
Method:
Begin by pre-heating your grill (broiler) to high. Once hot lay the dried chillies on a tray and grill to char them for 1 minute on each side. Transfer them to a jug or bowl, cover with hot water and set aside to rehydrate for 10 mins.
Put the tomatoes, onion, pear and garlic on a tray and set them under the grill to blacken for about 10 minutes, turning the tomatoes half-way. This might take more or less time, depending on your grill, so keep an eye on them. When nicely blackened all over, remove from under the heat and set aside.
Whilst the vegetables are charring, toast the sesame seeds and peanuts in a dry frying pan over medium heat. Remove from the pan and turn out onto a plate to cool.
In the same frying pan, add all the spices and toast for 1 minute. Remove them from the heat and set aside on the same plate as the nuts.
Combine the soaked chillies (reserving the liquid), charred vegetables, pear, nuts and spices in a high-speed blender adding about 200ml of the soaking water from the chillies. Process them until you have a very smooth paste.
In a large cast iron pot or lidded pan, melt the pork lard or sunflower oil over a high heat. Pour in the mole and fry for 3 mins, stirring continuously. Pour in around 100ml of the vegetable stock and reduce the heat, leaving the mixture to simmer gently for a few minutes.
Stir in the tomato purée, chocolate and ½ tbsp sea salt, mix to ensure everything is thoroughly combined. Add a little more of the stock (50-100ml) and stir to mix. Cook the mole for 1 hour, mixing in vegetable stock from time to time to avoid it burning or going dry. You want it to be the consistency of a loose paste.
The mole is ready when a layer of oil separates and appears on the surface.
Serve over meat with rice or use to top enchiladas.
