Holy mole…

When my boys were small, I made a real Sunday dinner every week like I had growing up. Our family ate my Mema’s, their friend’s house, or restaurants. Remember, my mother didn’t like to cook. I didn’t mind because the food was always traditional and good.

I still make Sunday dinners; this week, we invited Noah over. He looks forward to it because he knows I always make something they like or know. Noah & Sam’s palates have grown in the past few years, so I can introduce new flavors or cuisines.

It’s so different and enjoyable having Sunday dinner as all adults compared to when they were small. Those dinners always ended with crying, complaining, arguing, negotiating, and stress.

One of our favorite Sunday dinners is pork, potatoes, and corn. I decided to make that but turn it on its head; I made an Oaxacan Sunday pork dinner.

We watch cooking travel shows. I love Somebody Feed Phil and Rick Stein’s different travel adventures. I learn a lot in each episode, not only about the food but about the people, their culture, and their history.

Last week it just so happened that the episodes of both shows had Phil and Rick in Oaxaca, Mexico. I recognized different places of interest and attractions in each other’s shows.

When I think of Mexican food, I never think of Oaxacan cuisine or other parts of Mexico. Mexicans use what they have available, and recipes have been handed down for centuries. Mexican people are proud of their culture and their cuisine. I am sure most don’t even know what Tex-Mex is.

I made Rick Stein’s dark, thick Carne Con Chile a couple of weeks ago. I had to make some substitutions for the guajillo peppers I couldn’t find, but it still came out delicious. It doesn’t need too many tweaks, just a few little ones the next time I make it.

The week before, we were in one of our wholesale customers, Honest Weight Food Co-op, in Albany, NY, and I found dried guajillo chilies! I was so excited I practically skipped to the register. They were sold as a portion of bulk food, so I bought 8 of them. The guajillos were still soft and had almost a floral smell; I couldn’t wait to cook with them.

Both of the shows I watched on Oaxacan cuisine included mole sauces. This region of Mexico is known for several different types of mole sauces. Mexicans think about their mole sauces the way the French think about their mother sauces.

Mole sauces come from the Aztec and Puebla people of Mexico. There is a wide variety of moles, and each cook has its own variations. Even though moles can be so different from each other, most contain nuts or seeds, chili peppers, and dried spices.

Some moles use fresh or dried fruits or vegetables. The mixture gets ground or puréed together, making a thick but pourable sauce.

Mole sauces are divided into different types: hot chili-based, sour tomatillo-based, sweet fruit and sugar enhanced, spiced moles, and thick moles.

Mole Poblano is the famous mole that comes to people’s minds when they think of mole sauces. It is a chocolate mole that gets a gorgeous dark color and rich flavor from sugar and cacao, plus other ingredients I mentioned.

Other moles include Mole Negro, Mole Colorado, Mole Verde, and Mole Almendrado. These moles range in color from light brown to black, red, and green. Typical spices used in moles are cumin, cinnamon, cloves, and allspice.

We have never had a mole sauce before, so after watching the two programs and having dried guajillos in hand, I decided it was time to make one. The only thing I didn’t have Mexican chocolate; however, I researched and found a substitute which was 1 Tbsp of cocoa powder + 1/4 tsp of cinnamon for each ounce of Mexican chocolate.

I found a mole sauce recipe for beginners. Mole sauces usually have between 20-25 ingredients; the one I made had 12. The recipe also included pork tenderloin, which I was planning on making.

The recipe was straightforward to follow, and the flavors developed quickly. I took a step or two I had learned when making Rick Stein’s Carne Con Chile. For instance, I toasted the guajillo chilis when I toasted the almonds, even though the recipe didn’t call for it.

The spice rub for the pork tenderloin was easy, and the meat cooked in less than 40-minutes. I made a sweet potato purée with cinnamon and buttered corn, both Mexican ingredients that mimicked my original pork dinner.

My family enjoyed the new flavors; the whole meal was delicious. They were disappointed I didn’t make anything for dessert, but you can’t have everything, can you?

Here is the recipe for Pork Tenderloin with Mole I used. I will be making this again and can’t wait to try making other types of mole sauces.