Goat and vegetable mole: Mole de caderas

Every year pamphlets explaining the origins of this dish, along with a list of ingredients, are distributed in Tehuacan’s restaurants by the city’s Gastronomic Council, an association of restaurant owners formed to promote local cuisine. If you live in a place where goat meat is available, this is worth trying. The proportions come from La Cocina […]

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Puebla-style turkey in mole: Mole poblano de guajolote

There are probably as many recipes for turkey in mole as there are cooks in Puebla, where it is indispensable at wedding fiestas. During Puebla’s Festival de Mole Poblano, which is held for three consecutive Sundays in July, mole poblano recipes and traditional poblano table settings are judged. Ingredients For the turkey: 1 8-pound turkey or 2 large chickens, cut in serving […]

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Xalapa-style green mole: Mole verde de Xalapa

Puebla and Oaxaca both have their own distinctive versions of green mole, but none is as laden with fresh vegetables as Xalapa’s mole verde. Although I have prepared several meatless pipians and red moles for my vegetarian children, I always make a batch with poultry or meat for the rest of us. Although most people prefer mole with chicken […]

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Oaxacan black mole: Mole negro oaxaqueño

The most famous of Oaxaca’s many moles, this sauce can be served with turkey, chicken, or pork; however, turkey is the meat of choice for festive occasions. In Mexico, the ingredients for large batches of mole are usually taken to a molino – mill – to eliminate the laborious process of grinding on the metate. The following recipe is quite manageable using a […]

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October in Actopan: Mexico’s National Mole Festival

One of the most popular of Mexico’s many fairs and festivals is the Festival del Mole, the National Mole Fair, held each October in the village of San Pedro Actópan, in the Milpa Alta delegation of the Federal District. This part of the D.F. is unlike any other, a mostly indigenous area with landscapes of rustic beauty which include […]

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Chicken in green mole: Pollo en mole verde

A mole is a stew which incorprates ground chiles, seeds, and sometimes nuts. The basis of a mole verde is the tomate verde, called a “tomatillo” north of the border. In Mexico, it is the opinion of many cooks that the smaller the tomate verde, the tastier. Sometimes called tomate de cascara, they must be removed from their sticky husk before cooking. Their slightly […]

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