Chicken and Chocolate Mole

After an eventful, work and fun filled four days in Atlanta I’m back at home and back on my computer.

My brand spanking new computer. Well, not completely new. But it has a new frame and a new screen. New, clean, beautiful and not broken. All wins.

And as excited as I am to be back in action, today is a pretty sad day.

Unless you have been living under a rock today, you know about the horrifying bombings at the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

As I’m sure most of you are, I’m deeply saddened by the events today. It breaks my heart that people have enough hate and pain in them to hurt other people. You must be in a dark, black hole of a place to inflict that kind of fear in people.

I find it difficult to be faced with a problem with no obvious solution.

So I’m going to do the only thing that I think I can do to help.

Spread light.

And love, and kindness, and fun, and help, and all the other things that pull people out of the darkness and hate.

All that I can do, and probably all you can do is to spread your light.

Say please. And thank you. And open doors for one another. Offer someone else your seat. Or a snack.

It’s really difficult to be upset when everyone around you is being kind.

Part of spreading light for me is sharing. Sharing experiences and sharing food.

So here is something tasty for you to share. Share with family and friends and enjoy the good things in life.

You will need…

5 ancho chiles

3 dried New Mexico chiles

2 dried chiles negros

1/3 cup sesame seeds

5 whole star anise

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon coriander seeds

2 cloves

12 black peppercorns

12 inch cinnamon stick

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

3 tablespoons raisins

20 whole almonds

½ cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

1 corn tortilla, quartered

5 medium plum tomatoes

5 garlic cloves, unpeeled

1 small onion, quartered

5 cups chicken stock

3 ¼ ounces Mexican chocolate, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons peanut butter

2 lbs chicken breasts

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by covering all the chile peppers with hot water in a medium bowl and soak them for 30 minutes.

While the pepper are soaking, combine the sesame seeds, anise, cumin, coriander, cloves, peppercorns and cinnamon stick in a large skillet.

Toast the seeds and spices over moderate heat, stirring until fragrant. About 2 minutes.

Grind the seeds and spices until they are into a fine powder.

In the same skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the shortening.

Stir in the raisins, almonds, pumpkin seeds and tortilla.

Cook the mixture over moderate heat until the almonds are toasted and the raisins are plump. About 5 minutes.

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and set aside.

Add the tomatoes to the skillet and cook, turning until the skins are lightly blistered on all sides. About 12 minutes.

Transfer the tomatoes to the bowl with the seeds and almonds.

Add the garlic and onion to the skillet and cook, stirring, until lightly browned. About 8 minutes.

Transfer the garlic and onions to the bowl with the tomatoes.

Empty the vegetables onto a work surface. Peel the garlic cloves and coarsely chop them along with the onions and tomatoes.

Melt 1 tablespoon of the shortening in the skillet. Stir in the chopped vegetables and the spice powder and cook over moderately high heat until warmed through. About 3 minutes.

Remove the stems and seeds from the now rehydrated chiles and add them to the skillet.

Pour in the chicken stock and stir in the peanut butter.

Partially cover and simmer for 1 hour. Stirring every 10 minutes.

Remove the skillet from the heat and blend the mixture either with a hand emersion blender or in a food processor. Season the mole with salt and pepper, add in the chocolate and blend until very smooth.

Then in a second large skillet, heat the olive oil till it is very hot.

Season the chicken well with salt and pepper and brown the chicken well on both sides. About 4 minutes a side.

Don’t worry about cooking the chicken completely. Just make sure it is well browned.

Add the chicken to the pot of mole and simmer for an additional hour.

When the chicken has simmered for an hour, remove from the mole and place on a cutting board.

Depending on your textural preference either shred or chop the chicken and add it back to the mole sauce.

Serve the chicken and mole hot over rice or in a burrito.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela

Chicken and Chocolate Mole

5 ancho chiles

3 dried New Mexico chiles

2 dried chiles negros

1/3 cup sesame seeds

5 star anise

½ teaspoon ground cumin

½ teaspoon coriander seeds

2 cloves

12 black peppercorns

12 inch cinnamon stick

2 tablespoons vegetable shortening

3 tablespoons raisins

20 whole almonds

½ cup raw pumpkin seeds (pepitas)

1 corn tortilla, quartered

5 medium plum tomatoes

5 garlic cloves, unpeeled

1 small onion, quartered

5 cups chicken stock

3 ¼ ounces Mexican chocolate, coarsely chopped

2 tablespoons peanut butter

2 lbs chicken breasts

1 tablespoon olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Start by covering all the chile peppers with hot water in a medium bowl and soak them for 30 minutes.

While the pepper are soaking, combine the sesame seeds, anise, cumin, coriander, cloves, peppercorns and cinnamon stick in a large skillet.

Toast the seeds and spices over moderate heat, stirring until fragrant. About 2 minutes.

Grind the seeds and spices until they are into a fine powder.

In the same skillet, melt 1 tablespoon of the shortening.

Stir in the raisins, almonds, pumpkin seeds and tortilla.

Cook the mixture over moderate heat until the almonds are toasted and the raisins are plump. About 5 minutes.

Transfer the mixture to a large bowl and set aside.

Add the tomatoes to the skillet and cook, turning until the skins are lightly blistered on all sides. About 12 minutes.

Transfer the tomatoes to the bowl with the seeds and almonds.

Add the garlic and onion to the skillet and cook, stirring, until lightly browned. About 8 minutes.

Transfer the garlic and onions to the bowl with the tomatoes.

Empty the vegetables onto a work surface. Peel the garlic cloves and coarsely chop them along with the onions and tomatoes.

Melt 1 tablespoon of the shortening in the skillet. Stir in the chopped vegetables and the spice powder and cook over moderately high heat until warmed through. About 3 minutes.

Remove the stems and seeds from the now rehydrated chiles and add them to the skillet.

Pour in the chicken stock and stir in the peanut butter.

Partially cover and simmer for 1 hour. Stirring every 10 minutes.

Remove the skillet from the heat and blend the mixture either with a hand emersion blender or in a food processor. Season the mole with salt and pepper, add in the chocolate and blend until very smooth.

Then in a second large skillet, heat the olive oil till it is very hot.

Season the chicken well with salt and pepper and brown the chicken well on both sides. About 4 minutes a side.

Don’t worry about cooking the chicken completely. Just make sure it is well browned.

Add the chicken to the pot of mole and simmer for an additional hour.

When the chicken has simmered for an hour, remove from the mole and place on a cutting board.

Depending on your textural preference either shred or chop the chicken and add it back to the mole sauce.

Serve the chicken and mole hot over rice or in a burrito.

Beef Bourguignonne Stew

 There are just a little over two days left in this year and I am about to bubble over with excitement.

Even though 2011 was a dynamite year, I am over the moon to ring in the New Year with one of my BEST friends Jeanelle
 and our loves.

Tomorrow morning, Wesley and I are hopping in my Prius and heading north to Sacramento to spend two days relaxing and catching up with Jeanelle and her beau Steven. To welcome 2012, we will spend the evening in. Eating, drinking and being very merry.

I highly recommend spending the last hours of the year in with friends or family. It’s fun, it’s affordable, it can be delicious and it’s SAFE.

Lucky for you, I have the perfect easy entertaining dish for you.

You will need…

1 (3-pound) filet of beef, trimmed

3 to 4 tablespoons olive oil

¼ pound bacon, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 ½ cups good dry red wine, such as Burgundy or Chianti

2 cups beef stock

1 tablespoon tomato paste

1 sprig fresh thyme (or 1 tablespoon dry thyme)

½ pound pearl onions, peeled

8 to 10 carrots, cut diagonally into 1-inch-thick slices

3 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

½ pound mushrooms, sliced 1/4-inch thick

1 lb russet potatoes, chopped

Kosher salt and Pepper

Start by preheating your oven to 350 degrees F.

With a sharp knife, but the fillet crosswise into 1-inch thick chunks (or by it pre-cut). Salt and pepper the fillets on both sides.

In a large, heavy-bottomed pot that you can put in the oven, over medium-high heat, sauté the slices of beef in batches with 2 to 3 tablespoons oil until browned on the outside and very rare inside, about 2 to 3 minutes on each side.

Remove the fillets from the pan and set aside on a platter.

In the same pan, sauté the bacon on medium-low heat for 5 minutes, until browned and crisp.

Remove the bacon and set it aside.

Drain all the fat, except 2 tablespoons from the pan. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.

Deglaze the pan with the red wine and cook on high heat for 1 minute, scraping the bottom of the pan.

Add the beef stock, tomato paste, thyme, 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook uncovered on medium-high heat for 10 minutes.

Add the onions and carrots and simmer uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes, until the sauce is reduced and the vegetables are cooked.

With a fork, mash 2 tablespoons butter and the flour into a paste and whisk it gently into the sauce.

Simmer for 2 minutes to thicken.

Meanwhile, sauté the mushrooms separately in 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon oil for about 10 minutes, until browned and tender.

Add the beef, the mushrooms, the bacon and the potatoes to the pan with the vegetables and sauce.

Put the pot in the preheated oven and cook for at least 3 hours. When the potato is cooked and the meat is crazy, it’s done.

Enjoy while the ball drops.

And wish me and Wes luck on our first road trip. Danger zone.

Love and Beer Floats

Angela