What a good bechamel sauce is to French cuisine, a mole(moe LAY) is to the cooking of Mexico. The pinnacle of sauces - and perhaps, one of the most complicated. Some mole recipes can have over 50 ingredients. Luckily, there are a few simpler, yet still delicious, recipes for us to try.

Simple Mole Sauce - 12 servings

4 dry chili pasilla peppers, without the stem and seeds
1/4 cup shelled pumpkin seeds
2 tbsp. sesame seeds
3 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon anise seeds
1/8 teaspoon of whole cloves
1 can (14.5 ounces) whole tomatoes, undrained
2 toasted, crumbled small corn tortillas
3 tbsp. smooth peanut butter
2 teaspoonfuls raisins
4 teaspoons chicken stock (or 2 cubes)
1 1/2 tablets (90 g each) of cooking chocolate, grated

Place the dried chili peppers in a bowl and cover with hot water. Let sit about 30 minutes, to soften. Toast the pumpkin and the sesame seeds in a large, dry pan. Remove and set aside. Heat 2 tsp. of the olive oil in the pan and saute the onion and garlic, stirring occasionally, until tender. Add the oregano, anise seeds, and whole cloves cloves and cook about 1 minute. In a blender or food processor, place the chili peppers and 1 cup of their soaking liquid, the onion and cooked garlic, the tomatoes and their juice, the crumbled tortillas, the pumpkin seeds, the sesame seeds, the peanut butter, raisins, and the chicken stock. Cover the mixer and liquefy to obtain a smooth puree. Heat the remaining oil in the pan, add the purée, and the grated cooking chocolate. Cool over medium heat, stirring constantly, about 10 minutes, until purée is thick. You can strain the puree in a fine strainer, if you wish a smoother mole. Serve over cooked chicken, shrimp, enchiladas, or tacos. The mole may be frozen for up to 3 months.


Mole Sauce Using Bottled Mole - Serves 8

Even in Mexico, the most exacting cooks will still turn to a bottled mole sauce for everyday cooking. There are a number of brands available in North America - the most popular here is Dona Marie.

1 cut-up fryer chicken
2 bay leaves
1 onion, peeled and quartered
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 8 oz. jar mole sauce
4 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup sesame seeds

Rinse chicken, place in a large pot, and cover with water. Add 2 bay leaves and the quarted onion. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer until cooked through. Drain and reserve chicken, keeping warm. Heat oil in the pan and add mole, stirring to mix for about 2 minutes. Slowly stir in chicken stock, stirring to blend completely. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer, covered for 1 hour. Stir frequently. In a dry saute pan, lightly toast sesame seeds, stirring frequently so they don't burn. Remove chicken from oven and transfer to serving plate. Top with some of the mole mixture and sprinkle with the toasted sesame seeds. Serve with remaining mole mixture on the side. Traditionally served with white rice.