Mexico's regal sauce

Sunset, March, 1992 by Betsy Reynolds Bateson

MOLE POBLANO MAY BELONG TO PUEBLA, but all of Mexico honors it as one of the nation's finest dishes. This rich, thick sauce of chilies and other indigenous ingredients also contains chocolate--to the uninitiated, a rash choice; to the knowing, an inspiration.

The word mole actually has broader meaning. It comes from mulli in the language of the pre-Colombian Nahuatl Indians in Mexico, and loosely translates as sauce. An example of an everyday encounter is in guacamole, Mexico's ubiquitous avocado sauce.

The Pueblans named their mole for themselves; poblano means the people of Puebla. In addition to mole poblano, the area is known for several other moles with chocolate, all characteristically thick and complex.

Moles, however, are not exclusive to Puebla. The Mexican state of Oaxaca is famous for moles of a distinctly different kind, including seven moles often called the Seven Sisters.

Mole poblano has a precise birthplace and exceptionally detailed, though contradictory, dates of origin. Usually, the inventor is a 17th-century nun, Sister Andrea de la Asuncion, at the Santa Rosa Convent. The Mother Superior called upon her to create a special dish for visiting dignitaries expected on a Sunday sometime between 1657 and 1688, or later, depending on the source. Legend has it that the request came on short notice, and Sister Andrea had to scramble to come up with something new from her existing supplies of ingredients. It seems fairly obvious that she, or more likely the native women helping in the kitchen, started with mixtures they all knew well, like local chili paste blends, herbs, seeds, and vegetables. But the big leap from standard mole to mole poblano was the chocolate that Sister Andrea or one of her assistants added, which gave the mixture a uniquely mellow, sophisticated complexity. It's not surprising that a native woman would find chocolate to be a perfect ingredient in a dish for regal gentlemen: in Aztec culture, chocolate was reserved for royal males.

Turkey, a native bird, was used in the first mole poblano; chicken and other meats and even vegetables are commonly used now. But the mole takes no back seat to the meat. First-time tasters of mole poblano (or any kind of mole) may be daunted by foods swimming in sauce. But Mexicans view the sauce to be as important as the meat and scoop the abundance freely onto tortillas or ladle it over rice tasty combinations, we agree.

Sister Andrea is, no doubt, still savoring her success in Heaven. But the guests bestowed upon the convent a lasting material award. They had the kitchen refurbished with magnificent tiles. This tiled kitchen was a first in the New World.

You can still visit it in the former convent, now the Museo de Artesanias, at 12 Poniente and Calle 3 Norte; it's open 10 to 5 daily except Mondays.

One wonders if it was pride in these tiles that spurred the development of Puebla's renowned ceramics.

Among moles, mole poblano is usually quite mellow, slightly sweet, and certainly regal. Each Pueblan cook personalizes the balance of flavors, and our own version captures the essence of various interpretations.

Blends of chilies bring warmth; assorted vegetables, including corn in tortillas, give volume and flavor; fruits and aromatic spices sweeten, perfume, and soften the impact of the chilies; nuts and seeds add not only nuances of taste, but also thickness and body.

Finally, all the potions are poured into one large pan and simmered to unite the flavors. Then comes the magic ingredient, chocolate, adding its elusive presence to the sauce.

Traditional moles of Puebla often include volumes of lard. To accommodate today's tastes, we opted to dry-roast rather than fry components; the results are comparable in flavor and significantly lighter in calories.

Mexican chocolate (sweetened and flavored with cinnamon) and dried chilies for mole are available where Mexican foods are sold; many chilies are found in supermarkets.

One mail-order source for a wide selection of chilies is Coyote Cafe General Store, 132 W. Water St., First Floor, Santa Fe 87501; for costs, call (505) 982-2454 between 11 and 7 mountain time. You may need to order the green tomatillos at a produce market.

MOLE: POBLANO

Four steps create the sauce; each element can be made a day or so ahead. A fifth tells you how to use the sauce.

Finally, we offer a simple but traditional menu featuring mole poblano.

1. Roasting the Chilies

1/2 pound (about 16) dried mulato

chilies 1/4 pound (about 8) dried ancho

chilies

2 ounces (about 3) dried pasilla

chilies

1 dried chipotle chili (or 2

teaspoons minced canned

chipotle chilies)

Lay dried mulato, ancho, pasilla, and chipotle chilies in a single layer in 10by 15-inch pans (add canned chipotle later). Bake in a 300 oven until chilies smell lightly toasted and are flexible, 5 to 8 minutes. While they are still warm, discard stems and shake out seeds.

Rinse chilies and put in a large bowl; add 8 cups boiling water. Let stand until soft, 20 to 30 minutes. Drain; save liquid. Smoothly puree chilies (and canned chipotle), a portion at a time, in food processor or blender. Add a total of 2 cups reserved liquid. (In processor, use a little liquid to get mixture moving; add rest when pureed.) Rub firmly through fine strainer into a bowl; discard residue. Use, or chill airtight up to 1 day.