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     Title: About Mole
Categories: Help, Mexican
     Yield: 1 Text file

 Mole (pron. mole-a) is a series of Mexican sauces that
 contain ground chiles, spices, nuts, often chocolate,
 sometimes raisins, ground seeds, etc.

 There are three basic types of moles:

 1.  Mole Poblano (the most famous type, and the one
 that ALWAYS contains chocolate) was originated in
 Pueblo during Colonial times (Mexican colonial, not
 ours) by the nuns who wanted to make a special dish
 for a visiting Archbishop.  The sauce contains ground
 dried chile peppers, ground nuts, ground raisins,
 broth, chocolate, sometimes ground corn tortillas, a
 small amount of sugar, and various spices. It is
 traditionally served over turkey, with a side dish of
 unfilled tamales (just the cornmeal masa steamed in
 corn shucks.) It's one of those dishes that rarely
 finds its way out of the country of origin, and you
 either passionately love or passionately hate. I'd
 post a recipe if I could find one (Have recipes for
 all three versions floating around SOMEWHERE, but
 never got the time to enter 'em into the computer, so
 they're a little tough to find). It may also be
 purchased pre-made (something I recommend, as the
 bottled version is excellent, and this is NOT
 something you'd want to attack from scratch on even a
 semi-regular basis). If Shirley is interested, I'll
 pick up a jar and ship it your way.

 2.  Mole Verde (green mole) contains green chiles,
 broth, ground pumpkin seeds, various herbs and spices.
 It's usually served over chicken or pork. Nice stuff,
 and much easier for the beginner to like than the Mole
 Poblano.

 3.  Mole Roja (red mole) is a sauce that contains red
 chiles, herbs and spices, ground nuts or seeds, ground
 corn tortillas, usually no chocolate. I THINK it comes
 from the region around Oxaca.  Again, it's marginally
 easier to like than the more well-known version. It's
 usually served over chicken or pork.

 All of these dishes are virtual throwbacks to the
 complex (and to our palates unusual) combinations of
 ingredients that were common in that part of the
 country before the arrival of the Spaniards.  None of
 the dishes is particularly hot, they have a complex,
 haunting flavor that speaks of cultures long gone, but
 not entirely forgotten.

 Don't know if you'd like 'em or not, Unka Burt (I do),
 but if you want just a hint of what I'm talking about,
 throw a square of unsweetened chocolate in your next
 batch of Left-Handed Chili, and let us know what you
 think.

 From: Kathy Pitts, Bryan, TX

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