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Prep Time: 45 Minutes Cook Time: 30 Minutes |
Ready In: 75 Minutes Servings: 6 |
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Chicken may be used in place of the turkey in this dish. This has a lot of steps, but the mole sauce is mild and flavorful. I used canned, diced tomatoes when I made this. The recipe makes enough sauce for an extra batch of enchiladas. Ingredients:
12 ounces whole dried red chilies (preferably a mix of ancho and pasilla) |
1 -2 dried chipotle chile |
water |
6 tablespoons sesame seeds |
1 teaspoon anise seed |
1/2 teaspoon cumin seed |
4 tablespoons peanut oil |
3/4 cup chopped pecans (or walnuts) |
6 garlic cloves, unpeeled |
6 small tomatoes, unpeeled |
4 cups chicken stock |
1 medium onion, chopped |
1 corn tortilla (day-old, torn into quarters) |
2 ounces unsweetened chocolate |
1 1/2 ounces mexican chocolate (or bittersweet chocolate with a pinch of cinnamon) |
1 teaspoon cinnamon |
1/2 teaspoon salt |
6 whole cloves |
3 cups shredded cooked turkey |
vegetable oil (for frying) |
18 corn tortillas |
3/4 cup minced onion |
3 ounces crumbled queso fresco (or grated asadero or monterey jack) |
creme fraiche (or crema - 1 cup whipping cream plus 2 t buttermilk) |
cilantro, minced |
sesame seeds, toasted |
Directions:
1. break the stems off the chiles and remove the seeds. rinse the chiles.
2. toast the chiles until fragrant in a large, heavy skillet, turning them frequently. transfer the chiles to a large saucepan and cover with water.
3. simmer over medium heat for about 30 minutes, till softened.
4. while the chiles simmer, toast and roast the other ingredients. toast the sesame seeds over medium heat in the skillet. watch them carefully as they begin to release their fragrance, browning lightly and dancing in the pan. don't let them burn. spoon seeds into a blender.
5. toast the anise and cumin seeds in the skillet until fragrant and add them to the blender.
6. pour 1 T of the oil into the warm skillet and str in the nuts.
7. saute until lightly colored and fragrant. Transfer nuts to the blender.
8. wipe out the skillet and increase the heat to medium high. scatter the garlic cloves in teh skillet, turning the cloves occasionally so that they soften and darken on all sides, which takes a few minutes.
9. remove all garlic from the skillet and set it aside until cool enough to handle.
10. add the tomatoes to the skillet, turning occasionally as they soften and darken. the skins will split a bit during the process.
11. remove the tomatoes and set them aside till cool enough to handle.
12. remove the skins from the garlic and tomatoes and add both to the blender.
13. pour about 1 cup of the stock into the blender. puree the mixture 2 minutes.
14. the sauce will become smooth but a little grainy.
15. pour the sauce into a large bowl.
16. drain the chiles lightly from their cooking liquid, reserving 1 cup of the liquid. place the chiles and about 1/2 cup of the reserved liquid in the blender and puree. Pour the chiles in the bowl with the tomato sauce.
17. Add one more cup of stock to the blender with the remaining sauce ingredients and puree for 2 minutes. this mixture too will become smooth but a little grainy. pour it into the bowl and stir together.
18. wipe out any tomato residue from the skillet and add the remaining oil. warm the oil over medium heat. spoon in the sauce and fry it for about 10 minutes, stirring up from the bottom constantly.
19. mix in the remaining stock and reserved chile cooking liquid, reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes (the sauce can be made ahead and refriegerated for 1 or 2 days or frozen for several months. rewarm before proceeding).
20. reserve half of the sauce for another batch of enchiladas or for another use.
21. add the turkey to the remaining sauce and simmer together for 15 minutes.
22. heat 1 inch of oil in a small skillet till the oil ripples. with tongs, dunk a tortilla in oil long enough for it to go limp, a matter of seconds. don't let the tortilla turn crisp. repeat with remaining tortillas and drain them.
23. heat oven to 350. grease a 9 by 13 inch baking dish.
24. dip a tortilla into the sauce. top it with about 1/3 cup of turkey drained from the sauce with a slotted spoon, and a couple of teaspoons each of onion and cheese. roll up the tortillas snug but not tight. transfer the enchilada to the baking dish.
25. repeat with the rest of the tortillas and filling. top the enchiladas with any remaining onion and pour the remaining sauce evenly over them. scatter the rest of the cheese over the sauce.
26. bake for 15-18 minutes till the enchiladas are heated through and the sauce is bubbly.
27. serve immediately, with spoonfuls of crema drizzled over and a scattering of cilantro and sesame seeds.
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