Subject: RECIPE: Chicken mole
From: loosemor@esunix (Sandra Loosemore)
Date: 20 Jun 86 03:34:24 GMT
Newsgroups: mod.recipes

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.RH MOD.RECIPES-SOURCE CHICKEN-MOLE-1 M "4 Apr 86" 1986
.RZ "QUICK CHICKEN MOLE" "a microwave version of mole poblano"
Mole Poblano (pronounced MOE-lay puh-BLAH-no) is the kind of Mexican cooking
one doesn't often find in restaurants outside of Mexico.  It consists of
chicken in a dark, spicy sauce full of nuts and sesame seeds.  All of the
traditional mole recipes I've seen require several hours of preparation and
cooking time, so I developed this version for those of us who have only
limited time for cooking.  It takes about an hour to put together.

.IH "serves four"
.IG "1" "medium onion,"
chopped (or \(12 large onion)
.IG "1" clove garlic,
minced
.IG "2 Tbsp" "butter" "20 g"
.IG "1" "bay leaf"
.IG "6" "peppercorns"
.IG "3" "whole cloves,"
crushed
.IG "8 oz" "tomato sauce" "250 ml"
.IG "1 cup" "chicken broth" "250 ml"
.IG "1 slice" "bread,"
shredded
.IG "\(14 tsp" "crushed anise seeds" "1 ml"
.IG "\(12 tsp" "cinnamon" "2.5 ml"
.IG "1 Tbsp" "sugar" "10 g"
.IG "3\-4 Tbsp" "ground chile" "50\-60 ml"
(approximately; see note below)
.IG "2 Tbsp" "sesame seeds" "30 ml"
.IG "\(12 cup" "slivered blanched almonds" "60-80 g"
.IG "1\(12 oz" "Mexican chocolate," "50 g"
grated (see note). This is a half circle in the usual packaging.
.IG "1" "chicken,"
cut up (about
.AB "3 pounds" "1.5 kg" ")"
.PH
.SK 1
Put the onion, garlic, and margarine in a large
.AB "(3-quart)" "(3-liter)"
microwavable, covered casserole.  Cover and microwave on half power for
2\-3 minutes, or until butter is melted and the onion is starting to
soften.
.SK 2
Mix in the rest of the ingredients except the chocolate and the
chicken.  Cover and microwave on high for 10 minutes, stirring after
half the time.  When the sauce is done, stir in the chocolate until
it's melted.
.SK 3
Add the chicken, coating each piece with sauce.  Microwave
covered, on high power for about 30 minutes.  Rearrange the pieces
twice during cooking so it cooks evenly.  The chicken is done when
it starts to fall away from the bone.
.NX
My microwave puts out 650 watts on high power and has a turntable in
it.  You'll probably have to stir things more often if yours doesn't
have a turntable.  If your microwave is rated at less than 600 watts,
it's probably too small to fit the chicken in anyway.
.PP
Use pure ground chile, not "chile powder" (which usually contains other
ingredients).  The stuff I use comes in little plastic bags, and they
keep it in the Mexican food section of the store instead of the spice
section.  The hotness of the chile can vary considerably, so the most
reliable procedure is to mix in a little at a time, tasting the sauce
as you go along.  Mole is supposed to be spicy, not scorchingly hot; a
blend of mild chiles gives the best flavor.  I usually use about 
.AB "2 Tbsp" "30 ml"
mild Pasilla chile and another 
.AB "2 Tbsp" "30 ml"
medium hot California chile.
.PP
Mexican chocolate comes in round tablets about 
.AB "3 inches" "8 cm"
in diameter.
If you can't find any in the grocery store, use a piece of a dark
chocolate candy bar (or semi-sweet chocolate chips) instead, and add an
additional
.AB "\(12 tsp" "2 ml"
cinnamon.
.PP
You can substitute pine nuts, toasted pumpkin seeds, or raisins for all
or part of the almonds.
.PP
In theory, you can cook this on top of the stove in a Dutch oven in the
traditional style, although I've never tried it myself.  Judging by the
recipes I've seen, you should simmer the chicken in water for about an
hour first, then make the sauce and cook the chicken in the sauce for
another half hour.
.SH RATING
.I Difficulty:
easy to moderate.
.I Time:
30 minutes preparation, 30 minutes cooking.
.I Precision:
Approximate measurement OK.
.WR
Sandra Loosemore
Evans and Sutherland Computer Company, Salt Lake City Utah
{decwrl,utah-gr!uplherc}!esunix!loosemor
loosemore@utah-20