OLE! MOLE! - Sunny describes the history of mole, a rich and robust Aztec sauce prepared with zippy chile and luscious Mexican chocolate.  slathered with Classic Mole Poblano, the "National Dish of Mexico."

Located in the southeastern Mexico, the state of Oaxaca (we-hä-ka) is known as the Land of the Seven Moles.  The word "mole" comes from the Aztec "molli," meaning "concoction," "stew," or "sauce."  Mole is a rich, dark, reddish-brown and smooth sauce made spicy and robust with a creative blend of seasonings that most often include dried chiles, onion, garlic, and ground seeds (such as sesame or pumpkin (pepitas). But its best-known ingredient is Mexican chocolate, which is used sparingly. The chocolate, flavored with cinnamon, almonds, and vanilla, provides richness to the sauce without adding a cloyingly sweet aftertaste.
In Mexico, mole, commonly served with poultry, is prepared in hundreds of ways and its roster of ingredients can number few as four and as many four dozen, including cloves, epazote, coconut, peppercorns, peanut butter, raisins tomatillos, bananas, and tortillas.

Diana Kennedy, author of The Art of Mexican Cooking [Bantum, 1989] describes Oaxaca's seven varieties as mole negro (black mole); mole colorado (colored mole), a deep reddish brown; amarillo (yellow); verde (green); chichilo (black); coloradito ("little colored"), a bright orangey red; and mancha manteles (tablecloth strainer), a deep brickish red

Traditionally, Oaxaca moles were made with dried, locally grown exotic chiles such as chilcostle; black, yellow, or red chilhuacle; or a "no name" thin yellow chile variety. But today these pungent pods are quite costly, as they are no longer grown in abundance. A suitable alternative on which Mexican chefs rely are the less expensive and more readily available guajillos and anchos. Guajillos are reddish-orange in color and offer a sweet heat while anchos, a dried poblano chile, is a thick fleshed, raisin-like wrinkled pod that delivers a mild fruity flavor. Together, they make an exceptional mole.

Mexican chefs formerly prepared the mole ingredients on a metate, a stone with a flat or concave surface on which grain, nuts, seeds, etc. can be ground.  But modern cooks opt to send the ingredients to a mill or they simply combine the ingredients in a blender.

The historical origins of mole are uncertain although most history buffs agree that it was invented between 1680 and 1688 in a convent in Puebla de los Angeles.  One recurrent tale suggests that Sor Andrea, sister superior of the Santa Rosa Convent, created the dish to pay tribute to the Archbishop for agreeing to construct a convent for her order. Another account says Sister Sor invented the dish when she combined ingredients of the New World with those of the old. Still another spin, offered by Internet mole chef Bob Nemo, puts the apron on Fray Pasqual who was in charge of a banquet honoring a Viceroy. The Fray was in the process of preparing a specialty dish when a gust of wind from an open window toppled a tray of loose spices that fluttered about before eventually landing into the dish.

Dave DeWitt and Nancy Gerlach, authors of The Whole Chile Pepper Book [Little, Brown & Company, 1990], say such stories make a good read but "more likely mole poblano (presumably the original recipe) was invented by the Aztecs long before the Spaniards arrived. Since chocolate was reserved for Aztec royalty, the military nobility, and religious officials, perhaps Aztec serving girls at the convent gave a royal recipe to the nuns so they could honor their royalty, the archbishop."
Whether it was the sister, the Fray, or the serving girls who created the fiery potion, today mole is the "everyday sauce" of Mexican meals.  And, just like America's annual chili cookoffs, a mole cookoff is held every year at the October National Mole Fair in San Pedro Atocpan near Mexico City. Thousands of mole aficionados sample literally hundreds of the creations of mole chefs or moleros.  Many of their top-secret recipes take up to three days to prepare.

Thumbing through several Mexican cookbooks, both online and offline, I found dozens of mole recipes before selecting one - the "National Dish of Mexico," the Classic Mole Poblano Sauce, a very rich and memorable invention descended from the Aztecs and shared by DeWitt and Gerlach in their book. Once you've tried mole sauce dabbled over turkey or chicken breast, I bet you'll kiss greasy gravy goodbye.  Ole! Mole.

CLASSIC MOLE POBLANO SAUCE
(from The Whole Chile Pepper Book)

4 dried pasilla Chiles, stems and seeds removed
4 dried red New Mexican chiles, stems and seeds removed
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 medium tomatoes, peeled and seeds removed, chopped
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1/2 cup almonds
1/2 corn tortilla, torn into pieces
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon round coriander
3 tablespoons shortening or vegetable oil
1 cup chicken broth
1 ounce bitter chocolate (or more to taste)

Combine the chiles, onion, garlic, tomatoes, 1 tablespoon of the sesame seeds, almonds, tortilla, raisins, cloves, cinnamon, and coriander. Puree small amounts of this mixture in a blender until smooth. (I added a small of amount of water each time to make it smooth.)

Melt the shortening in a skillet and sauté the puree for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the chicken broth and chocolate and cook over a very low heat for 45 minutes. The sauce should be very thick. The remaining sesame seeds are used as a garnish.

Serving suggestion: This sauce is excellent with poultry; serve it over a turkey or chicken breast. It is also excellent as a sauce over shredded chicken or over turkey enchiladas.

Grilled Chicken Breasts with Mole Sauce

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
Salt, pepper and paprika, to taste
Corn kernels
Cilantro
Tomatillo

Season chicken breasts to taste and grill over low heat for about 25 minutes or until desired doneness.  Ladle mole sauce over each breast and scatter the tops with warm corn kernels. Garnish with cilantro leaves, thin slices of tomatillo and parmesean cheese. Serve hot with buttered herb or vegetable pasta, a dinner salad and bolillos ( Mexican hard rolls).