I am cooking for some close family friends this weekend and really wanted to create a special dinner for them to enjoy. I wanted to make a warm, inviting, and rich flavored meal. I figured that everybody loves chocolate, so let’s put some spices into the mix and create our very own Mole sauce.

This recipe will provide a slight kick of heat with Ancho chilies but not too much to overpower the smokey and deep spiced chocolate flavors. With a hint of sweetness, the sauce will balance out the bold flavors marinated into beef or chicken.

There are countless Mole recipes on the Internet, each with their own back story and equally distinctive flavorings. While my recipe’s ingredient list looks large, my goal was to accomplish a Mole sauce without having to spend the entire day in the kitchen. Truth be told, however, as with most mole recipes, this one will require a couple hours of simmering. But I promise you that the flavor and the texture of this mole sauce are well worth the time spent in making it (an hour or two, at most).

Yield: 6-8 adult servings. This is an entertaining/hosting recipe, so scale back if you are cooking for 3-4.

Ingredients:

4 dried Ancho Chilies/Peppers

1 1/2 cups of water

1/2 tbsp dried oregano

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp onion powder

1 tsp dried cilantro

1 1/2 tsp garlic powder

1/2 tsp paprika

3 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder

6oz tomato paste + 1 cup of hot water

1/3 cup of raisins

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp olive oil

1 cup of water

Directions:

**Standard chili warning** What you are about to encounter are chilies. While Ancho chilies are not super hot, they do have a good amount of heat to them. Especially when reconstituting the chilies, please be very aware and very careful with the chilies, their seeds, and the water they soak in; all of them can be harmful if swallowed, put into eyes, etc. So wash your hands, utensils, and surfaces often when working with chilies. Never, ever touch your face or eyes when working with chilies.

Reconstitute the Ancho Chillies by allowing them to soak in 1 1/2 cups of very hot water for about 20-30 minutes. Carefully remove the chillies from the water, remove the stems and slice them open and remove the seeds.

Carefully mix all dry spice ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Set aside.

Carefully blend the raisins and the chillies (with water chillies soaked in, minus the seeds) into a puree by using a food processor.

In a large pot on medium heat, add the tomato paste and 1 cup of hot water.

Add the Ancho chili and raisin puree to the pot.

Add 1 cup of hot water to the pot.

Add the spice mixture to the pot.

Add the maple syrup to the pot.

Slowly stir well.

Once mixture has been brought to a boil, turn down and allow to simmer, covered, for 2 hours.

Directions for use:

Lightly pan fry or roast your beef or chicken.

Add the mole sauce directly to the pan/pot for the last 15 minutes of sauteing/cooking the meat, uncovered.

Enjoy!