Vegetables in Modern Yellow Mole

From Truly Mexican, Roberto Santibañez, John Wiley & Sons, 2011.

This recipe was really for lamb to be cooked in the mole but I thought I could readily make the mole separately and serve it with vegetables for myself and with the lamb for my partner. This is the method I followed for my vegetable dish.

I took 2 guajillo chillies, sliced them in half and took out the seeds and veins. They were then put in a bowl and covered with water to soak for about half an hour.

In the meantime I took 2 dried arbol chillies and toasted them in a hot pan until they had changed colour and developed the odd black spot.

The guajillos and the arbols them went into the blender with 3 tomatillos (I used tinned as fresh were unobtainable), a good half cup of chopped coriander, ¼ cup masa harina, 2 garlic cloves, ½ teaspoon aniseed, ½ teaspoon cumin seeds, 6 black peppercorns, 2 cloves and ½ teaspoon salt. A cup of vegetable stock was added (the recipe called for the liquid from the braising lamb but I used stock instead). The mixture was churned until it was smooth and then put through a sieve.

I used half of this sauce in the lamb that was braising but the other half was for my vegetable dish. I added a carrot cut into pieces and a medium-sized potato peeled and cut into pieces. The mixture was brought to a simmer and let cook for 10 minutes. I now added a zucchini cut into pieces and ½ cup peas to cook for another 10 minutes. I checked for seasoning and added a little salt.

I found this was a very acceptable vegetable dish. The rich velvety sauce of a mixture of spices and chillies served the vegetables really well. I had it with warmed tortillas rolled up and dipped into the sauce. There was enough left for the next evening when it was eaten with Mexican white rice. Now that I have tried this easier mole I’m ready to try some more involved ones and see where it leads me.

Taste: ✔✔✔✔

Ease of cooking: ✔✔✔