Well-traveled recipes: Mom’s mole

Photos by Hayley Fager.

When immigrants come to the United States, they often leave behind their family, friends and culture. One way newcomers connect back to their homeland is through food. An example of this is Luis Chavez, who moved to Chicago from Guanajuato, Mexico.

Luis describes himself as a hippie. He works at a local coffee shop as a barista. In his free time, he makes jewelry and also started an artist collective for people to come together to support each other’s work. The collective also creates mentorship programs for young kids in this historically Mexican immigrant neighborhood in Chicago.

As Luis continues to settle into his new life in America, food is one of the ways he connects with his family, particularly his mother. He’s made groups of friends, fellow immigrants, who routinely get together for food and celebrations. At dinners like those, he breaks out his mother’s molé recipe to share with his companions.

The recipe Luis uses has been adapted from his grandmother’s original version. His grandmother is from Zacatecas in North Central Mexico, and his mom grew up just south of there in Jalisco. Each region has its own style of molé, but Luis’s brings the ingredients of all three places together with roasted nuts and fried onions, tomatoes and french bread.

Try this recipe at home!

Luis’ Mom’s Molé

Ingredients

8 pieces of chicken

6 chiles negros

6 chiles guajillo

1 large piece of french bread

1 piece of Mexican chocolate

4 tomatoes

1½ onion

1 handful pumpkin seeds

1 handful pecans

1 handful walnuts

1 handful almonds

1 handful sesame seeds

1 handful of raisins

1/4 tsp oregano

½ tsp thyme

½ tsp cumin

½ tsp clove

6 whole peppercorns

1 peel of cinnamon stick

½ cup canola oil

extra virgin olive oil

Salt to taste

Directions

Prepare the chicken: Boil 5 quarts of water in a large stockpot. Add the chicken, one onion cut in half, one peeled garlic head, two tomatoes cut in half, and salt. Simmer gently for around 25 minutes. Separate chicken from broth

Prepare the chilies and nuts: In a griddle or medium pan at medium heat, toast the chilies a few at a time – turning once until toasted, place in a small stock pot with some of the chicken stock. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes. Toast nuts and place in a bowl.

Build the mole’s flavor: Add ½ cup canola oil to a pan and heat to high. Add the cinnamon stick, peppercorns, bread, chocolate, and onion. After you fry these ingredients add the tomatoes.

Emulsify: In a blender, process the mixture of fried ingredients and the nuts a little at a time with chicken stock (about 6 cups) until smooth and place in large bowl.

Thicken sauce: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan, add the processed mole sauce, bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes. Adjust salt and cook for an additional 10 minutes. If too thick, add more chicken stock and cook for five more minutes. Stir while simmering.