The Family Jewels

I really didn't really think you'd notice. I thought I could slip quietly out the back door and relax while you were all having a good time. I was positive that you wouldn't miss me at all—not while you were busy sitting down at the table eating five of your mother's tamales in one sitting (and living to regret it). Not while you were munching on buñuelos and enjoying all of those traditional goodies that we mexicanitos crave and just die for during this time of year.

All I can say is muchísimas gracias, mis amigos, to those who missed me. No, I mean it-deveras. This super-short pocha who speaks el español with a funny LA accent is amazed that you even care. It's nice to be back.

What can I offer you to atone for my absence but one of the family jewels? Only the kind of recipe that will send your taste buds reeling into mole (MOH΄-LEH) ecstasy. That once you taste this simple dish made with chicken or turkey, will make you forever regret making what my acerbic but witty sister Ester jokingly refers to as gutless "lazy loser" mole from a jar found at the supermarket. And surprise, surprise, this little culinary gem comes from the Mexican heartland itself, Zacatecas.

¿Zacatecas?

Not exactly known as a foodie mecca, Zacatecas is more famous for its colonial architecture and for its bloody history—donde los hombres son altos, feos y bien machotes—where the men are tall, ugly and macho to boot—than for its culinary reputation. Perhaps this mole doesn't hog the spotlight like those superstars of the mole world: mole poblano or oaxaqueño. This is mole stripped to a beautiful simplicity, almost as austere as the Zacatecas' mountainous and semi-arid terrain.

Some have called this Zacatecas mole minimalist in comparison to the baroque complexity of other moles, but there is nothing minimalist about its flavor. A pure red fusion of the hot chile heat of California (mild), New Mexico (hot), Guajillo (sweet) and de Árbol (very hot), braced by the tang of green tomatillos and thickened by a small toasty bolillo, the Mexican French bread, touched with a hint of cumin, makes my mother's mole anything but. I have always loved its glistening redness and appetite inducing golden undertone. It is a gorgeous and unembellished mole, as straight shooting as the people of Zacatecas itself. Like my mom who was a take-no-prisoners kind of a cook.
 
In the end, Mexico has many magnificent moles, each with some delicious characteristic all its own. It is a festive dish, meant for weddings and other special gatherings. Maybe your family's mole is rich and complex, or maybe it is just mole out of a jar (in which case I say no tienes vergüenza!—have you no shame?), it is meant to be enjoyed when family gets together. So enjoy it, savor every bite and thank the one who made it .

As for my family's little culinary jewel, I think it's time that it step out of the shadows and into the limelight at last.

Zacatecas-Style Mole de La Familia de Clementina

Mole estilo zacatecano de la familia de Clementina
Señor Glutster himself, Javier Cabral, teenager, food blogger extraordinaire with a "really, really fast metabolism" has beaten me to the punch with his post on Zacatecas-style mole. The likes of Andrew Zimmern of Travel Channel's Bizarre Foods and celeb chef Ludovic Le Febvre have made the trek to East Los Angeles where Javier lives with his family. There, his Zacatecas-born mother cooked up some "bizarre' fare such as delicious cactus, menudo, and toasted grasshoppers for Mr. Zimmern, and introduced Monsieur Le Febvre to the glory of Zacatecas mole and pipian. Thanks, Javier, for proudly showing off your mom's cooking to the world. You are a mamá's boy in the very best sense!

Note: this recipe is for chicken mole. If you are making turkey mole (12 to 15 lbs.), simply double the recipe.

Ingredients:
1 whole chicken

1 onion, chopped

1/2 cup cilantro

3 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon peppercorns 

4 average size tomatillos

3 dried California chile pods

4 dried New Mexico chile pods
2 dried Guajillos chile pods
2 dried Chiles de Árbol
1 small bolillo bread. 2 slices of loaf bread, toasted to a golden brown is a perfect substitute.
pinch of cumin to taste

Directions:Cut the bolillo in half lengthwise and place it in a 350 degree oven and allow it to toast for about 10 minutes or so, or until it is crunchy and golden brown.

In the meantime, place the tomatillos in a small saucepan, add water to cover, place a lid on top and allow it to cook until the tomatillos are soft.   Cook the chicken: Put the chicken in a large pot, add water to cover and add onion and 1 clove garlic and a heaping teaspoon of salt. Bring the chicken to a boil. Use a large spoon to skim off the scum that rises to the top. Cover the pot, lower the heat to medium-low and allow it to cook until the chicken is tender. Remove it from the pot, letting it cool for a some minutes, and shred it into large pieces. Discard the bones, keeping the drumsticks intact. Make sure to remove all of the skins. Nothing grosses me out more than biting into a soggy pellejo (piece of skin). Using a large spoon, skim the fat off the chicken stock.

While the chicken is cooking, take a small thin knife to slit each chile lengthwise and gently remove the seeds. I use my fingers, but wash them right away after I am done. Toast the chiles on a hot oiled comal or skillet for a few minutes. When the chiles change color and give up their hot but delicious aroma, remove them immediately before they burn and turn bitter. Set them aside.

Pour the hot tomatillos and its water into a blender. Smash a clove of garlic, tear the bolillo into chunks and put them into the blender with the tomatillos and blend until smooth. Cut the stems off the chiles and, one at a time, place them into the blender and whirl them at high speed until the mixture turns into a smooth is and almost as thick as pudding. (Just remember to create a vent at the top lid of the blender or your chile mixture will explode all over the place as I have learned to my chagrin.) Do a taste-test as you add the chiles. Add California chile to make it mild. New Mexico to add more heat. Guajillo for sweetness. Little De Árbol to make it even hotter. Just make sure that you use 9 or 10 chiles (not including the De Árbol.) the mixture should be fiery red.
Pour the mixture into a large skillet or pot. Then, ladle some of the chicken stock into the pot and stir until it resembles thin spaghetti sauce.  Add a pinch of cumin to taste and adjust seasonings. Add the chicken pieces, stir and cover. Simmer for about ½ hour or until thickened.Tastes maravilloso the next day.