Mole Sauce & Mole Poblano
About Mole Sauce:
Mole or mole sauce is a dark brown Mexican sauce or gravy made from dry chiles, nuts, spices, vegetables, chocolate and seasonings. It takes a great deal of time to prepare and is served as chicken mole, in beef or pork for special occasions and holidays in Mexico. Mole Poblano, Mole verde, Pipian and Adobo are some other variations such as artisan mole or artesanal moles.
THE STORY OF MOLE by Artemio del Valle Arizpe Mexico City Journalist from 1937 to 1942.
Don Artemio del Valle Arizpe, in his chronicles about the invention of MOLE, he refers to the city of Puebla, in the convent of the Dominican sisters and mothers of Santa Rosa. Viceroy's visit to the city of Puebla, had set in motion all the convents of the city, where the fervent nuns made every effort to send the Viceroy all their most varied dishes. At the convent of Santa Rosa, Sister Andrea worried about what dish was to be sent to the Viceroy, consulted with the other nuns about which delicacy should they choose. Mother Teresa of Jesus suggested that a Stewpot (Puchero) be sent, Sister Andrea of the Assumption suggested pork in granada, 8-pot refried beans, succulent pigeon a la criolla but none of this dishes inspired by those dedicated souls to the service God, pleased them, since the whole idea was to satisfy his excellency. But Sister Andrea would not give up in her effort to send his Excellency a delicious dish, which showed the spirit of Mexico beating in all its graceful figure, but she couldn't figure out, how to set up a dish that was the delight of even the more refined palate.
Suddenly, Sister Andrea started feeling a soft interior hum, the stillness that came before the great moments of life; she tried to shut that minor inner speech. On Monday she communed in the light marked polychromatic tile worked chapel. The Virgins and Saints watched from their altars at Sister Andrea softening their faces even more.
Sister Andrea quickly went into the kitchen; she had a bright idea, the cross on her chest beating fast. She entered the kitchen, the ceiling tiles, three white domes, the front ones attached to the wall, cabinets, all smiled to her with their reflections, loving, happy to have her inside each and everyone of them. Sister Andrea approached the stove top, ready to give Mexico, new and illustrious perfections.
The previous evening, Sister Andrea had the turkey they have been fattening with nuts, chestnuts and walnuts; killed. In a tray were laid the pieces that were cut. Inspired, Sister Andrea put various chiles in a pot, chile ancho, chile mulato, she then got chile chipotle from a box from Michoacan and from another she chose the rabid chile pasilla. In a pan she put lard and when it started squeaking she fried the chiles in it and in a comal she toasted sesame seeds. Sister Andrea then began to grind cloves, peppers, peanuts, cinnamon, almonds, anise and cumin and from the white and blue Chinese ceramic jar were the nun chocolate was kept, she took two tablets and put them together into the freshly ingredients she had previously grounded. In a pestle she grounded tomatoes, onions, and toasted garlic; she then mixed together all the spices she had previously grounded with this garlic, onions and tomatoes. She then mixed all of that with hard tortillas she got from a tall pot; she kneeled in front of the black grinding stone where it seemed like she was going to ask a favor to the Virgin. She stared grinding all of those things; she was busy doing that, when Sister Martha, with a smiling admiration and clasping her hands said:
! Oh Mother of Mine, and how well you MOLE (she said instead of Muele (grind)) your reverence! A candid jingle of happy laughter escaped the mouths of the other nuns, due to the mistake of the sweet Christian nun. ! Mother, grind (muele), grind (muele), not MOLE, for God sakes! They all repeated in a festive choir.
Sister Martha, your Reverence with your funny Slip of the tongue, you have given name to this dish I am making with divine favor, it shall be named MOLE even though I know the word MOLE in Nahuatl or Mexican means Sauce or stew.
Then in a clay pot, it had to be clay so its pure perfume will be joined delicately to the food. In that clay pot a bast amount of lard was melted, in which sage and thyme were previously burned to ward off evil spirits. Sister Andrea poured in that mixture, that made the lard squeeck and hiss for a long time and all the convent was embalmed in a new fragance.
In the pot where the turkey was cooked, Sister Andrea took out various gourds of thick broth and while pouring them into the pot with the mole, she stirred and with every purring sound, the admiration of every single one of the nuns praising heaven for that dish was heard. One even said that the dish had more spirit than most of the books they had in their library. After giving various tastings to the sisters, Sister Andrea put the four pieces of Turkey into the sauce, when they were very well soaked and they had absorbed all the flavor from the sauce, she then placed them on a flowered talavera dish and still the polished hand of the nun fluttered on top of the talavera sprinkling sesame seeds.
The Viceroy and all of his guests reached ecstasy easily with this wonderful dish. Never had the mouth of his excellency tasted anything so unique and wonderful. The spiciness enflamed his tongue and eagerly pushed him to take more and more with warm, fluffy and soft tortillas.
That day and the next and every day that the Viceroy stayed in the City of Puebla de los Angeles, he asked to be sent from the Convent of Santa Rosa that eminent dish, the genuine turkey Mole that bathed his heart in enormous delight. Why isn't Sister Andrea of the Assumption on the altars of Christianity Oh Lord what a great injustice!
LA HISTORIA DEL MOLE por Artemio del Valle Arizpe Cronista de la Ciudad de Mexico de 1937 a 1942.
Don Artemio del Valle Arizpe, en sus cronicas acerca de la invencion del MOLE, se remite a la ciudad de Puebla, en el convento de las hermanas o madres Dominicas de Santa Rosa. La visita del Virrey a la ciudad de Puebla, habia puesto en movimiento a todos los conventos de la ciudad, donde las fervientes monjas se estimulaban por enviar al Virrey sus mas variados platillos. En el Convento de Santa Rosa, Sor Andrea, preocupada por el platillo que deberia de ser enviado al Virrey, consultaba con las demas monjas acerca del manjar que deberian de elegir. La madre Teresa de Jesus sugeria que se le enviara un puchero, Sor Andrea de la Asuncion, sugirio aquella fragante carne de puerco en granadino, los frijoles refritos de 8 cazuelas, los suculentos pichones a la criolla, pero ninguno de estos guisos inspirados por aquellas almas dedicadas al servicio de dios, quedaban conformes, ya que realmente se trataba de alagar a Su Excelencia. Pero sor Andrea no cejaba en su empeno de mandar a su Excelencia un platillo delicioso, en el que estuviera el espiritu de Mexico palpitando en toda su figura graciosa, pero no hallaba como poner un plato para que fuera encantada delicia del paladar mas refinado.
De pronto, empezo a sentir Sor Andrea un suave zumbido interior, esa quietud que procedia a los grandes momentos de la vida, queriendo fijar aquellas leves hablas interiores. El lunes comulgo en la creticula marcada en policromada y luminosa azulejeria. Las Virgenes y Santos miraban desde sus altares a Sor Andrea dulcificando mas sus rostros.
Sor Andrea se fue rapido hacia la cocina, llevaba encendida una gran idea, le palpitaba la cruz del pecho. Entro a la cocina, los azulejos del techo, de tres bovedas blancos, los de la fuente adosada al muro, alacenas, le sonreian con sus reflejos, el carino, felices de tenerla dentro de cada uno. Sor Andrea se acerco al fogon, ya iba a dar al arte culinario de Mexico, nuevas e insignes perfecciones.
La tarde anterior habia mandado matar Sor Andrea un guajolote que engordaron en el convento con nueces, castanas y avellanas, en una bandeja estaban cortadas las piezas. Inspirada copio Sor Andrea de un pote variado, chile ancho, chile mulato y de una caja michoacana saco chile chipotle y de otro hizo una seleccion del rabioso chile pasilla. En una cazuela echo manteca y cuando empezo a chirriar los tosto en ella y en un comal tosto ajonjoli, enseguida Sor Andrea comenzo a moler clavos, pimientos, cacahuates, canela, almendras, anis y cominos, y del tibor chino azul y blanco en que se guardaba chocolate monjil, tomo dos tablillas y las junto a los ingredientes que acababa de moler. En otro almirez machaco tomates, cebollas, ajos asados, luego todas las especias las junto con este ajo y estas cebollas y tomates, mezclo todo ello con el chile y con unas tortillas duras que saco d una olla alta, se arrodillo ante el negro metate de piedra donde parecia que iba a pedirle una merced a la Virgen. Empezo a moler todas aquellas cosas, en ese menester estaba, cuando la Hermana Sor Marta, con sonriente admiracion y juntando las manos dijo:
! Ay Madre Mia, y que bien MOLE su reverencia! Un candido alborozo de risas tintineo lozano en las bocas de las otras monjas, por la equivocacion de la dulce cristiana. Madre, muele, muele, no mole madre por Dios! Repitieron todas en coro festivo.
Hermana Sor Marta, con su gracioso lapsus linguae, le ha dado vuestra reverencia nombre a este guiso que compongo con el favor divino, MOLE se ha de llamar aunque tambien se que la palabra MOLE significa en Nahuatl o Mexicano Salsa o Guisado.
Enseguida en una cazuela de barro, de barro habia de ser para que su perfume castizo se uniese delicadamente al de las viandas, en esa cazuela de barro se habia derretido bastante manteca, en la que previamente se quemo salvia y tomillo para alejar a los malos espiritus, Sor Andrea echo aquella mixtura bermeja, que hizo chirriar y reir largamente a la manteca y todo el convento estaba embalsamado en una fragancia nueva.
De la olla en que se cocio el guajolote, saco Sor Andrea varias jicaras de caldo espeso y colocandolas en la cazuela del mole, lo movio y cada ronroneo, la admiracion de cada una de las monjas alababan al cielo por ese guiso que mas espiritu que todos los libros que habia en su biblioteca. Sor Andrea despues de repartir leves pruebas, puso en la Salsa las piezas de guajolote, las acomodo en una fuente de Talavera y todavia la pulida mano de la monja revoloteo sobre la fuente espolvoreando ajonjoli.
El Virrey y todos sus comensales llegaron con felicidad al arrobamiento con aquel guiso estupendo. Jamas la boca de su Excelencia habia probado nada tan singular y magnifico. El picor le enardecia la lengua y lo empujaba con avidez a que tomara mas y mas con tortillas calientes, esponjosas y suavecitas.
Ese dia y otro dia y todos los dias que estuvo el Virrey en la ciudad de Puebla de los angeles, pidio que le enviasen del Convento de Santa Rosa esa vianda eminente, el castizo mole de guajolote que le bano de enormes deleites el corazon, Por que Sor Andrea de la Asuncion no estar en los altares de la cristiandad? Ay Senor que gran injusticia!
Video Historia del Mole simbolo de Mexicanidad a partir del siglo XIX hasta la Receta Dona Maria por Fundacion Herdez
Video Sorprasing facts about MEXICAN MOLE by Mexgrocer
