Friday, November 13, 2009

Mole, as in chocolate


I'm trying to think about what I've been eating lately, mostly comfort type foods since the weather has gotten cooler. I created a profile on foodbuzz, which is a fun community, I feel like it's Facebook for Foodies. I've started following some great food blogs, it's amazing how many people take the time to make creative, fabulous looking food.


Last night I made Chicken Mole, which is one of the five ways that I make chicken. If you aren't familiar with it, it's a Mexican dish, with chocolate as a base, and a bunch of spices. There are several ingredients, again it's a combo of different recipes that I've tweaked to my liking. This is a great time of year for it, as it simmers away, the whole house smells like the Holiday season. I serve it over brown rice, with a side of something green, last night it was sauteed spinach, but I also like it with broccoli. You can get another meal of the leftovers by putting it in whole wheat tortillas, with a bit of sour cream and cheddar cheese. Ole!


Chicken Mole

one medium onion, chopped (I always use Vidalia's)
2 cloves garlic, minced
one bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I actually add a bit more, because I like it spicy)
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon anise seed
1 teaspoon dark brown sugar
1 cup tomato sauce
1 cup chicken broth (I like the organic kind with no sodium or MSG)
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1.5 ounces of bittersweet, dark chocolate
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
olive oil
1.5 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed
3 cups of cooked brown rice

In a large skillet, heat olive oil in a pan, and brown chicken, then set chicken aside.

In the same pan, cook the onions and garlic until soft (you may have to deglaze the pan with wine or stock before adding the onions).

Add the stock and sauce, as well as the bay leaf, pepper, cayenne, paprika, clove, cinnamon, anise, sugar, almonds, and sesame seeds.

If you like, transfer sauce to a blender and puree until a thick paste. This is the traditional method, I skip this step, because I like the consistency of the almonds and onions.

Return sauce to pan, add the chocolate and cocoa powder, along with chicken. Bring to a boil, and simmer on very low heat about 15 minutes.

Serve over rice and enjoy!


10 comments:

sissyruns said...

yummmmmm!!!!

yonca said...

Looks yummy. I've never tried chocolate and chicken-rice combination before! Love this idea!

busyrunningmama said...

I've never attempted this one, but it looks awesome - thanks for the recipe - I am always ready to try a new experiment on all my little guinea pigs at home - haha!!!

Liz Mays said...

This is quite different from anything I've had before. It looks great!

Xenia said...

There are days that you're lazy like me and just throw spaghetti in a pot, right? And sauce out of a jar?

Also, I noticed Stori Telling and Mommywood are some of the Books On My Nightstand and I had to point out that I get a kick out of her. I've read both and liked them and right now I've got her mom's and it is just plain boring. Poor writing, the stories are bland... And am I really supposed to feel sorry for you and your bazillions of dollars? Right.

Ronnie said...

Never thought about chocolate in chicken...I'll have to think about this one!!

Still waiting for my "food emulsifier" to arrive but looking foraward to drinking my raw spinach! I'll definitely let you know how that goes.

As for the Holiday Tree, I'm still waiting for it to get closer and see what happens. There have been emails circulating for weeks about this topic and I'm wanting to see what really transpires. Unfortunately, if he does do away with the Christmas tree...I won't be surprised!

Brad said...

Hi Molly. I agree, foodbuzz.com is a great place to meet other foodies and bloggers. I found your blog thru foodbuzz and continue to enjoy reading your posts.

I have only eaten mole out, never having the courage to make it myself. But you make it sound so easy. thanks for the yummy pic and recipe.

Susan Fobes said...

I have got to try this! Anything with chocolate is a go with me...

Nicole @ Chic and Cheap Nursery said...

that looks delicious and the recipe seems like something i could possibly make. I love mexican so i am definitely going to try it!

http://www.thewannabewahm.com

kristen said...

I'm glad your feeling better. Sometimes you just need to feel bad to feel good. huh?!

So that recipe looks good. I've always wanted to try it out. I'll steal your recipe. I love Top Chef!! I want Jennifer or Kevin to win althogh Jennifer needs to step up her game.