It's pronounced Moh-lay

A mole is the little vermin digging a tunnel through your back yard that causes your dog to begin excavating cubic yards of material in a futile attempt to remove that scourge from the face of the earth. Mole (pronounced moh-lay) is a central Mexican sauce that is a mixture (in the local language mole translates as "mixture") of various types of ingredients.

Several years back, I took Ms Cocktail on a surprise trip to 10,000 Waves, a truly wonderful Japanese resort/spa nestled in the hills outside Sante Fe, New Mexico. It is the kind of place that one goes to unplug from the world and do a complete reset of your nervous system. However, one of my co-worker's daughter's roomate (how do ya like that for several steps removed) was the maitre d' of a little restaurant in the historic section of Sante Fe named Cafe Pasqual's. I was told that it would be worth visiting this restaurant and was I ever not disappointed. It was here that Ms Cocktail and I were first introduced to the gastronomic delight that is mole.

I've since done a fair bit of research and concluded that the mole we had while excellent, was only one of many types that are made. This one included chocolate and let's face it, who doesn't like chocolate? It may seem a bit weird that a red mole like this one is traditionally served over turkey but one you get past that, it is a terrific sauce for this bird. At Cafe Pasqual's I had the mole served over a chicken enchilada which was another great way to use this sauce. In any case, this is a very unique way of mixing peppers and chocolate for a complex and tasty treat.

Did I mention the peppers? That's right, there are three different types of dried peppers used in this sauce. While not complicated, there are a lot of steps in making this sauce, including roasting and rehydrating the dried peppers. It takes me about three hours to make this sauce and finish cleanup but the effort is well rewarded. By the way, this is very similar to the Mole Negro Oaxaqueño Chef Rick Bayless used in the winning dish in this year's Top Chef Masters.

Mole Rojo  

To prepare the chiles: Stem and seed the chiles then place them in a skillet or in a 250 degree oven for three to four minutes shaking them once or twice. Add the chiles to the 2 quarts of water that has been heated to just below the boiling point. Let sit for 20 minutes or until they are soft. If the water is not bitter it may be used in the recipe.

To prepare the tomatillos: Husk and wash the tomatillos under hot water. Grill over direct high heat for five minutes until well marked and softened.

To prepare the raisins: Soak the raisins in warm water for 20 minutes. Drain and discard the water.

To prepare the sesame seeds: In a sauté pan, dry roast the sesame seeds for about 5 minutes. Do not allow to burn.

To prepare the garlic: In a sauté pan, place the unpeeled garlic cloves in the pan over medium heat for about 10 minutes shaking occasionally. Let cool then peel.

To prepare the almonds: Sauté the almonds in the peanut oil over low to medium heat until browned.

To prepare the corn tortillas: Place tortillas on a middle rack of a 250 degree oven until dry (about a minute). Remove and cool, then chop into pieces.

Purée the tomatillos, tomatoes, sesame seeds, almonds and tortillas using a blender or food processor (I prefer a hand blender). Add the chiles, raisins, garlic, stock, spices, and salt and puree again. Melt the chocolate and blend into the mixture. Add the duck fat to a high sided pan and heat until almost smoking. Refry sauce over medium heat for 10 minutes stirring constantly. Do not allow to get too thick, add additional stock if necessary.