Description
A traditional mole served with roasted kabocha squash and fresh corn tortillas. Mole with roasted Kabocha squash is best to make in batches as it is a labor of love. Dairy Free, Gluten Free, Vegan, Whole 30.
Ingredients
For Mole
½ C raisins
2-3 Tbsp white vinegar
12-16 corn tortillas, fresh (see below) or store bought – 1 tortilla is reserved for the mole, the rest are for serving.
1 cup blanched almonds
¼ C sesame seeds
2 Tbsp sunflower seeds
½ tsp whole allspice
¼ tsp whole cloves
¼ tsp whole coriander seeds
1 tsp cumin seeds
½ tsp anise seeds
2 oz (4-6) whole dried ancho chiles
2 oz (8-10) whole dried guajillo chiles
2 med white onions
3 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp chipotle in adobo
1 tsp oregano
½ tsp ground cinnamon
18 oz strained tomatoes
2 C broth (vegetable, or bone broth)
2.5 oz Mexican ground dark chocolate (at least 85% cacao)
For Roasted Kabocha Squash
2 2-lb Kabocha Squash
1 Pinch sea salt
½ tsp fresh ground black pepper
For Tortillas
1 C harissa cornmeal
Warm water
½ lime, juiced
Optional Garnish
Fresh Cilantro/Coriander – finely chopped with stems
Pepitas/Pumpkin Seeds (shelled)
Instructions
- Preheat Oven. 400°F
- Prepare the Tortillas. First, prep the harissa corn meal for the tortillas. Combine all tortilla ingredients in a bowl until it forms a ball. Then, divide into 18-20 equal balls and cover with a kitchen towel. You can stack them as they won’t stick to one another.
- Soak the Raisins. Place raisins into a cup. Pour 2-3 tablespoons of white vinegar over them—just enough to cover the raisins.
- Roast Kabocha Squash. Cut squash in half to clean out the pulp and seeds. If you wish to remove the skin, peel now, but I leave it on. Place cut-side down on cutting board and slice squash into 1-inch-thick pieces. Brush lightly with oil and season with salt and pepper. Place on a baking sheet and transfer to top rack of oven. Bake for 20 minutes, flip pieces, and bake for an additional 10-15 minutes or until the squash can be poked with a fork. If you would like to brown it at the end, broil for 1-2 minutes. By following this order, the mole should be ready at around the same time the squash is coming out of the oven.
- Chop and peel. Quarter the white onions and peel garlic. Place in blender.
- Toast Spices and Nuts, Separately. First, heat the skillet for 2 min on medium heat. You may choose to toast on a dry skillet (this is what I do) or add a little oil. Important! Toast like-sized spices together in order to get uniform browning and not burn anything. Start with your blanched almonds and toast until golden brown specks appear. Place toasted almonds in a bowl to cool. Next, toast sesame seeds and place in the same bowl. Again, toast sesame seeds and place in the same bowl as the nuts and seeds. Then, toast cloves, allspice, and coriander, and place in your mortar or spice grinder and grind finely. Lastly, toast cumin seeds and anise seeds and grind as before. Add all cooled ingredients to a blender.
- Fry Chiles. First, destem chiles and remove seeds. If you want a spicier dish, keep the seeds. I like to leave about ½ the chiles with seeds intact – I try the seeds first to determine how much to include based on my family’s taste. Next, heat the skillet for 2 min on medium heat. Then, add oil. Lastly, fry the ancho and guajillo peppers on both sides. Should take approximately 1 minute each side. Let cool. Place in a blender.
- Press and Cook 1 Tortilla – Heat skillet. Press tortilla ball into a flat 3-inch circle (see note above if you don’t have a tortilla press). Cook tortilla on each side approximately 90 seconds on the first side or until you notice white lines forming on the top side. Flip and cook another 45-60 seconds. Let cool. Add to blender. If using store bought tortillas, just add 1 corn tortilla to the blender at this time.
- Season and Blend. Add chipotle in adobo, cinnamon, oregano, salt and pepper to the blender. Blend until all ingredients are smooth.
- Transfer to Stove and add Liquids. Place blended ingredients into a large dutch oven, and add strained tomatoes and broth. Bring to a simmer.
- Add Chocolate and Simmer. Add chocolate and stir until melted and combined. Cook on medium-low and simmer for 20-30 minutes.
- Prepare the Remaining Tortillas. Meanwhile, follow steps above to cook the remaining tortillas.
- Serve Warm or Refrigerate 24+ Hours. Remove the mole from the stove. As mentioned above, this recipe makes 2 batches of 6-8 servings, so there will be plenty of sauce. Place 1/2 cup of sauce on a plate and top with slices of kabocha squash and any garnishes you’d like. Serve with tortillas and enjoy! Let the remaining sauce cool before placing in a freezer safe-container. Freeze for a quick meal at a later date.
- Top it Off (Optional). Add pepitas (pumpkin seeds), and cilantro as a flavorful garnish.
Notes
This recipe makes two batches of the mole sauce so you can use half now and freeze the other half for a quick meal at a later date.
Keywords: mole, mexican, kabocha squash, main course, vegetarian, gluten free
