Showing posts with label Ancho Chilies. Show all posts
Mole Dulce is a delicious labor of love made completely from scratch with Mexican chocolate, dried ancho chiles, piloncillo, cinnamon, pumpkin seeds, and more.
Mole Dulce recipe - lacocinadeleslie.com

 Mole is one of those traditional Mexican dishes in which no two recipes are alike. Every family has their own recipe on how to make each kind of mole. Yes, there are several types of mole that range from spicy to sweet, and also vary in color from Mole Amarillo to Mole Negro. One of my favorite moles, and also the first kind of mole I learned to make, is Mole Dulce. It's a sweet, velvety smooth sauce made with Mexican chocolate and a variety of ingredients.

How to make Mole Dulce from scratch - lacocinadeleslie.com

This recipe is a great starting point for those who have never made mole from scratch. Depending on my mood I sometimes add more ingredients like raisins, almonds, peanuts, or coffee, to add even more flavor to my Mole Dulce. I cook the chicken and make the broth from scratch to use in my Mole Dulce, but you can use canned chicken stock and a rotiserrie chicken to save time in la cocina. See tip below for directions on how to cook the chicken and make homemade stock from scratch.

Easy Mole Dulce with Chicken recipe - lacocinadeleslie.com


Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Mole Dulce

prep time: 15 MINScook time: 75 MINStotal time: 90 mins
Mole Dulce is a delicious labor of love made completely from scratch with Mexican chocolate, dried ancho chiles, piloncillo, cinnamon, pumpkin seeds, and more.

INGREDIENTS:


  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil (for frying) 
  • 1 bolillo roll, cut in 1-inch slices
  • 4 dried ancho chiles
  • 3 roma tomatoes, cut in quarters
  • 6 tomatillos, husks removed
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted pumpkin seeds
  • 1 (3-inch cinnamon stick)
  • 5 peppercorns
  • 5 whole cloves
  • 1 tablet Mexican chocolate (Ibarra or Abuelita brand)
  • 5 cups hot chicken broth
  • 1/3 cup piloncillo, grated
  • 3 lbs. cooked chicken
  • Toasted sesame seeds (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:


  1. Heat 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Fry the bolillo slices in the oil until golden brown. Transfer fried bolillo slices to a large heat-proof bowl; set aside.
  2. Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to Dutch oven, if necessary. Fry the dried ancho chiles for 1 to 2 minutes, until the chiles start to plump up. Transfer chiles to heat-proof bowl with the bolillo slices.
  3. Add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the Dutch oven, if necessary. Fry the tomatoes and tomatillos until lightly charred and cooked through. Fry the garlic until light golden brown. Transfer to the heatproof bowl with the bolillo slices and ancho chiles.
  4. Toast the pumpkin seeds, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, and whole cloves for about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Transfer to heat-proof bowl with the other ingredients.
  5. Add the Mexican chocolate to the bowl with all of the fried ingredients. Pour in 4 cups of the hot chicken broth. Let soak for at least 10 minutes until the chiles have softened; remove stems from chiles.
  6. Working in batches, puree the bolillo slices, ancho chiles, tomatoes, tomatillos, garlic, pumpkin seeds, cinnamon stick, peppercorns, cloves, and Mexican chocolate with the chicken broth they were soaked in until smooth.
  7. Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in the Ductch oven over low heat. Strain the puree into the hot oil, stirring with a wire whisk to prevent lumps from forming.
  8. Stir in the the remaining 1 cup of chicken broth and the grated piloncillo. Simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the piloncillo has completely dissolved. Adjust seasoning, if necessary.
  9. Once mole sauce starts to boil, add the cooked chicken pieces and let simmer over low heat for 5 to 8 minutes until heated through. When serving, garnish mole with toasted sesame seeds, if desired. Serve with Mexican Rice and warm corn tortillas. Buen provecho!
http://www.lacocinadeleslie.com/2009/05/mole-dulce.html
La Cocina de Leslie
Created using The Recipes Generator

*To cook the chicken and broth from scratch, bring 3lbs. of bone-in skin-on chicken pieces to a boil with 16 cups of water, 1 medium onion, 3 cloves of garlic, 2 bay leaves, a handful of fresh cilantro, 1 tablespoon coarse salt, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon crushed oregano. Skim off any foam that rises to the top. Cover and reduce heat to low; let simmer for 60 to 90 minutes until chicken is tender.














Mole Dulce

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Traditional Mexican Picadillo made with ground beef and vegetables in a ancho and guajillo chile broth.


Ground Beef Picadillo - lacocinadeleslie.com

Continuing on with the A to Z Recipe Challenge, G is for ground beef. When I think of ground beef, the first thing that pops into my head is Pappy's Picadillo. Pappy's ground beef picadillo was part of our regular weekly dinner rotation when I was growing up, although he'd switch up the ingredients every now and then.

Ground Beef Picadillo #AtoZrecipechallenge

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Homemade Chili Beans made from scratch with cooked pinto beans and five varieties of chiles.


Homemade Chili Beans - lacocinadeleslie.com

This weekend the US will be celebrating Independence Day. Now that I live in Mexico the 4th of July always makes me a little homesick for fireworks, American flags flying high, and all the yummy food being served at the cookouts. When I was younger the 4th of July always meant that Gramm was going to open a can of chili beans and ladle them over hot dogs, because for Gramm nothing was more American than hot dogs and chili beans.

Homemade Chili Beans

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Fried corn tortilla chips and shredded Carnitas baked in an ancho chile sauce topped with ooey, gooey melted cheese.

Chilaquiles con Carnitas - lacocinadeleslie.com

It's been a while since I've shared a recipe the same day I made it. Okay, if we're being completely honest, it's been a while since I've shared a recipe, period. I know. But today I'm feeling inspired.

I didn't have anything specific planned for today, as all I wanted to do was use up the last of the Carnitas (before Lent starts tomorrow) that were leftover from the birthday party we co-hosted on Saturday for Hubby's aunt. On Sunday we had Tortas Ahogadas, and yesterday I made Tacos de Carnitas. I kind of wanted to make Tacos de Barbacoa, which would help to use up the two and a half kilos of corn tortillas in my fridge (also from the party), but there weren't enough leftover Carnitas to make enough tacos for all seven of us. So it was back to square one.

Chilaquiles Rojos con Carnitas

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This month for She Made/Ella Hace my partner-in-crime girlichef and I chose Pipian as our theme, which couldn't be more perfect for me as I've had a bit of an obsession with pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds) the last couple of weeks. I can't seem to resist stirring them into everything and anything like salads, yogurt, cookies, homemade granola... The list goes on and on. But one of my favorite ways to enjoy pepitas is in Pipián.

Pipián is a traditional Mexican sauce that gets its distinct grainy texture from the pepitas. Pipián can be made in one of two ways: Pipián Verde made with tomatillos and roasted poblano peppers and Pipián Rojo made with tomatoes and dried ancho chiles. Pipián can be served over fish (girlichef made Salmon in Pipián Verde), shrimp, roasted pork, or chicken. Whether you choose to make Pipián Verde or Rojo, you'll love the nutty flavor the pepitas adds to this exquisite sauce.

Pipian Rojo Sauce made w/ Pepitas - lacocinadeleslie.com

She Made/Ella Hace: Chicken Pipián Rojo

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Leslie's Best Chili - lacocinadeleslie.com

Grab a spoon and bring your appetite, because this week we're having a Chili Cook-Off #SundaySupper style!

Growing up chili was something we always got from a can. As unappetizing and unappealing as that sounds to me now, back then I considered it a treat. I loved that canned chili. It wasn't until years later after Hubby and I got married that I tried my hand at making my own chili from scratch, in hopes of changing my Hubby's mind about chili. Thankfully it was just the canned stuff that Hubby had a problem with, and once I had my first taste of real homemade chili I never went back to the canned stuff.

Leslie's Best Chili w/ Beans #SundaySupper #ChiliCookOff

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Somebody please cue the Kool & the Gang music because there is a party going on right here. Today the awesome & incredible girlichef and I are celebrating the 2nd anniversary of our She Made/Ella Hace series.  Ya-hoo!  It's a celebration...

For those of you that might be new to my Cocina and/or the She Made/Ella Hace series, Heather (girlichef) came up with the idea for SM/EH because we are both fabulous American women married to hunky Mexican men.  We both love to cook, and we actually cook a lot of the same dishes.  The only difference is that Heather lives in the US, and I live in Mexico.  Every month we get "together" to cook our version of the same dish or we choose to cook with a certain ingredient.  The real fun is seeing what we come up with and seeing how different, or similar, our dishes/recipes are.



This month we decided to do things a little differently.  Instead of choosing a dish, theme, or ingredient to cook with, we decided to make something from each other's blogs.  I cooked up something from Heather's blog, and she cooked something from mine (Ejotes con Huevo).

Heather has a ton of delicious recipes on her blog to choose from.  I have a list that is a couple of pages long with just recipes from her blog that I want to try.  Everything from Soft Pretzels w/ Spicy Beer Cheese Sauce to Golden Garlic Soup w/ Fideo to White Hot Chocolate w/ Orange to Sangrita Paletas (with tequila) to Shrunken Heads in Spiced Cider (which is already on my Halloween menu for this year).  Like I said, she has a ton of fabulous recipes to choose from.

One of Heather's recipes that has been at the top of my list is her Mandarin Orange Jam.  I dream of one day spreading some of that jam on a buttery slice of toast while I enjoy my morning cup of coffee.  And since I'm not as nervous about canning anymore I am definitely going to cook up a batch just as soon as mandarin season rolls around.  Also at the top of my list is her Coconut Tres Leches Cake, but I'm saving that for my birthday next month.  I ended up making her Tortas con Chile Colorado, because I love sandwiches, I love Chile Colorado, and because Hubby started drooling over my shoulder while I tried to decide which of Heather's recipes to make.

These Tortas de Chile Colorado were so easy to make, and my family absolutely loved them!  These sandwiches will be regular guests at our table from now on.

To Heather, I just want to say thank you for letting me cook alongside you every month.  It is always a joy and a pleasure to cook with you.  Happy Anniversary, amiga!  (((Hugs!)))

http://www.lacocinadeleslie.com

Tortas de Chile Colorado de Res (Chile Colorado Beef Sandwiches)
(Recipe adapted from girlichef and Rick Bayless)

For the chile colorado filling:
  • 3 dried ancho chilies
  • 2 dried guajillo chilies
  • 2 cups water
  • 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 lbs. steak, thinly sliced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 pinch dried oregano

For the sandwiches:
  • Bolillo rolls
  • Mexican crema
  • Shredded lettuce
  • Avocado, thinly sliced
  • Red onion, thinly sliced
  • Fresh cilantro 

Directions:
Bring the dried ancho and guajillo chilies to a boil over medium-high heat in the 2 cups of water, reduce heat and let simmer until the chilies have softened.  Let cool slightly.  Remove stems and seeds from the chilies.  In a blender puree the chilies and the water they were cooked in until smooth; set aside.

In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and saute for 1 minute.  Add the sliced steak and minced garlic; season with salt and black pepper.  Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is no longer pink.  Pour the chile puree over the meat.  Season with the ground cumin and dried oregano, adding more salt, if necessary.  Once the chile colorado starts to boil reduce heat to low.  Cover and simmer over low heat for 30 to 40 minutes or until most of the liquid has disappeared.

To serve the sandwiches, split open the bolillo rolls in half lengthwise.  Toast lightly on a comal or griddle.  Spread the cut sides of the boillo rolls with Mexican crema.  Serve desired amount of the beef chile colorado inside each bolillo roll.  Top with shredded lettuce, sliced avocado and onion, and fresh cilantro leaves.  Enjoy!!!


Now click on over to girlichef's blog to wish her a Happy 2nd Anniversary and to see her recipe for Ejotes con Huevo (Green Bean Scramble).


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Chile Colorado Beef Sandwiches for She Made/Ella Hace 2nd Anniversary

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lacocinadeleslie.com

Dried chilies are a permanent fixture in my cocina.  The world famous Chile de arbol my small town is known for, smoky chipotles, and the guajillos that add vibrant color to every dish, are just a few of the chilies I keep in my pantry, along with my faves, ancho chilies.

Ancho chilies are dried poblano peppers.  Poblanos are my favorite fresh chile pepper, so it's makes sense that anchos would be my favorite dried chile.

I use ancho chilies to make salsas, moles, and as the base for many a soup where they play a supporting role to an ensemble cast of ingredients.  But sometimes I just want the chilies to shine all on their own like in this Cream of Ancho Chile Soup.  It's smooth, vibrant, and spicy!

If you like Tortilla Soup, then you're going to love this Cream of Ancho Chile Soup!  You get the same flavorful broth without all those extra add-ins to distract you from the flavor of the ancho chilies.  Actually this soup makes an excellent base for a spicy tortilla soup.  Just add some chicken, cheese, and avocado, and you're all set.  

lacocinadeleslie.com

Cream of Ancho Chile Soup

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 medium onion, roughly chopped
  • 4 dried ancho chilies
  • 2 dried guajillo chilies
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 4 cups chicken broth 
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 cup Mexican crema or sour cream

 Directions:
Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat.  Saute the chopped onion for about 1 to 2 minutes, until it turns translucent.  Add the dried chilies and minced garlic and saute for another 30 seconds.


Pour in 3 cups of the chicken broth and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat to low and let simmer for about 10 minutes; let cool slightly.


Remove stems and seeds from the chilies.  In a blender or food processor, puree the chilies with the onion, garlic, and chicken broth they were cooked in.


Strain the chile puree into the same saucepan they chilies were cooked in, along with the remaining cup of chicken broth.  Season with the ground cumin and a little salt.  Bring to a boil over medium-low heat.


Reduce heat to low and stir in the Mexican crema.  Let simmer for about 5 minutes.


lacocinadeleslie.comLadle soup into bowls.  Garnish with fried tortillas strips or croutons.  Enjoy!!!


For more super soup recipes, check out all of these wonderful soup recipes my #SundaySupper friends have cooked up for you this week.


Do The Chicken Dance (chicken {or other poultry} soups)


Where’s The Beef (Beef Soups)


Pass The Pork. Please (Pork or Sausage Soups)


Under The Sea (Seafood Soups)


Eat Your Veggies (Chock Full o’ Vegetables Soups)


Some Don’t Like It Hot (Chilled Soups)


Join the #SundaySupper conversation on Twitter on Sunday, February 24th to share your favorite soup, stew, chowder or bisque recipes with us! We’ll tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world.  Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET and you do not want to miss out on the fun.  Follow the#SundaySupper hashtag, and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat.  Check out our#SundaySupper Pinterest board for more fabulous recipes and food photos!


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Cream of Ancho Chile Soup for Souper #SundaySupper

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When coming up with a list of all the soups I wanted to make for January's Food of the Month Club, on the top of my list was something thick, hearty and spicy...Chili!  The fact that it's a Chili Borracho (Drunken Chili) made with a bottle of beer in the mix makes it even better.  3-Bean Chili Borracho is a great meatless alternative to beef or pork chili.

I really love the rich and robust sauce for this chili.  With the combination of the dried chilies, cinnamon and unsweetened cocoa powder it reminds me a little of Mole Dulce.  And the beer just kicks it up a notch because it enhances all of the earthy flavors in this chili.

I'll be cooking up a big batch of this for our Super Bowl party to serve over hot dogs and french fries to make chili dogs and chili cheese fries.

I cooked my own beans, but for those of you looking for something quick and easy for a #weekdaysupper, you can use canned beans.  



3-Bean Chili Borracho 
(Recipe slightly adapted from Herbivoracious by Michael Natkin)

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup dried black beans, picked over and rinsed (or 2 cups canned black beans)
  • 1 cup dried pinto beans, picked over and rinsed (or 2 cups canned pinto beans)
  • 1 cup dried red beans, picked over and rinsed (or 2 cups canned red beans) 
  • 2 dried ancho chilies
  • 2 dried guajillo chilies
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 serrano chile, finely chopped (optional) 
  • 3 roma tomatoes, chopped (or 1-14oz. can diced tomatoes)
  • 1 (12 oz.) bottle beer (light or dark) 
  • 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1 Lime
  • 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
Garnishes:
  • Mexican crema or sour cream
  • Shredded Manchego or cheddar cheese
  • Chopped onion
  • Chopped cilantro 


Directions:
Bring 8 to 10 cups of water to a boil over high heat in a 4-quart (or larger) stockpot.  Add the dried black, pinto, and red beans.  Cover and let cook over high heat for about 15 minutes.  Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer for about 2 hours, adding more water if necessary, until the beans are tender; season with salt.



Toast the dried ancho and guajillo chilies in a medium skillet over medium-high heat for about 30 seconds on each side.  Cover the chilies with 2 cups of water and let simmer until the chilies are soft.  Remove the stems and seeds from the chilies.  Puree the chilies and the cooking water in a blender until smooth; set aside.


In a large saucepan or dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium high heat.  Add the onion and garlic and saute for about 2 minutes.


Add the serrano chile, chopped tomatoes, beer, cocoa powder, cumin, and cinnamon, along with the pureed chilies and the cooked beans and about 2 cups of the water they were cooked in.  Stir gently to combine; season with salt. (*If using canned beans, you will need 2 cups of each bean.) 


Cover and simmer over medium heat for about 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Using a potato masher, gently mash some of the beans to thicken the chili.  Finally, stir in the cilantro and the juice of 1 lime.  Remove from heat.


Ladle into bowls and garnish with Mexican crema, shredded cheese, chopped onion and cilantro.  Serve with corn bread or tortilla chips.  Enjoy!!!



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3-Bean Chili Borracho #WeekdaySupper

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Over the years I've mentioned how much I love September.  First of all, it's my birth month, making this the most awesome month of all.  When I was a little kid, September also meant apple season and time to go back to school.  And now that I live in Mexico, September is all about the fair, parades, and celebrating Mexican Independence Day.

But there is another reason I love September...it's football season!  It's also futbol (soccer) season, but I still love American football a little more.  When we're lucky enough to find a game being televised, you can find me and Hubby camped out in front of the TV with an ice cold glass bottle of Mexican Coca-Cola and one of our favorite football foods: Pollo Adobado.  It's a little bit spicy, more than a little saucy, and if you're like my kids who love to eat this with their hands, it can be a little bit messy.  But it is a whole lot of deliciousness.  Sure to score a touchdown with your family!

I usually bake my Pollo Adobado at home, but we've also baked it in the big clay oven at the ranch.  And if you don't feel like turning on the oven at all, you can make it in your crockpot.




Pollo Adobado con Papas
(Adobo Chicken with Potatoes)

Ingredients: 
  • 3 dried ancho chilies
  • 1 medium onion, cut in quarters
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 pounds chicken, cut up
  • 6 medium potatoes, cut in wedges
  • 4 to 6 oranges, cut in half  (or 1 cup of orange juice)

Directions: 
On a griddle or comal, heat 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil over medium-high heat.  Toast the onion on the comal until it softens and the skins has charred slightly; set aside.  Toast the dried chilies and garlic for a few seconds on each side, remove from heat.  Transfer the dried chilies to a small saucepan and bring to a boil in 2 cups of water to soften the chilies.  Let cool slightly.  Remove the stems and seeds from the chilies, then puree the chilies in a blender with the toasted onion and garlic and the water the chilies were cooked in.  Season with 1 teaspoon of salt, and the ground cumin.



In a large baking pan, combine the chicken and potatoes; season with salt and pepper.  Pour the adobo sauce over the chicken and potatoes, making sure each piece is covered with adobo.  Squeeze the oranges over the chicken, removing any seeds.  If you don't have fresh oranges on hand, you can use 1 cup of orange juice.  Again, mix well to combine the adobo with the orange juice.



Bake in a preheated oven at 350F for 45 minutes to an hour or until the chicken starts to pull away from the bones.


Enjoy!!!



This week's #SundaySupper theme, hosted by Supper for a Steal, is a Tailgate party!  For more tantalizing tailgating treats, check out this week's #SundaySupper line-up:


Pre Game Warm-ups:
Don't forget to join us later today as we share our favorite tailgate recipes and tips.  Hop on twitter at 7pm EST for the live #SundaySupper chat.

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Pollo Adobado con Papas #SundaySupper {Adobo Chicken & Potatoes}

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