Conference turris::cooks

  I don't mean to laugh at you, but I find your description of
  "imprecise" to be funny -- sort of like finding an instruction like
  "boil egg" to be imprecise. Having no idea what your mole paste is
  like, but a guess that it's just concentrated ready-to-use mole sauce,
  here's an improvised recipe:

  1 cup mole paste
  1/4 cup chicken broth

  Combine ingredients and heat in a small saucepan over low heat but
  don't boil. Pour over prepared chicken.

  If it comes out too thick, next time use more chicken broth. If it
  comes out too thin, next time use less chicken broth.

  Somehow, I don't think this was the answer you wanted. Or was it?

    Regarding (.-1), the store is located next to and is associated with
    Hermano's Mexican restaurant in Concord, N.H. The restaurant, by the
    way, is very good for this area. The store next door isn't very big,
    but they had quite a few things I haven't been able to find elsewhere.
    
    Regarding (.-2), don't worry about it. It's a common problem...And
    you're right, that wasn't the answer I was looking for. You basically
    restated the instructions on the jar of mole paste. The recipes I have
    all cook the chicken IN the mole sauce. I guess I could take some
    cut-up chicken breast, fry it in the wok, and then dump the sauce over
    it. It doesn't sound very interesting that way since the recipes seem
    to have veggies and other stuff too.

Does this store have any produce (chiles, epazote, cactus, etc.) ?

Any fresh masa (especially for tamales)?
Queso blanco?

Tomatillos, jalapenos, serranos, and dried chiles are becoming common in stores,
but fresh poblano chiles are hard to find and fresh masa is impossible (as far
as I know) here in the Beantown area. Many stores are starting to get the
Anaheim chiles (lighter green than poblano, longer and thinner) but availability
is still spotty. They're not a great substitute for the poblanos, in my 
estimation.

BTW, when I had a jar of that mole I simmered pieces of pork (not traditional,
I know) in water, cubed the pork, and boiled down the stock to add to the paste.
I then added the pork and simmered the whole shebang for a while. I had to add a 
lot more stock than I thought - the sauce kept thickening on me. Turned out more
like chili than anything else.

    The basic mole you bought is intended more for a sauce than as a base
    for cooking -- i.e., to be poured over enchiladas, grilled chicken or
    fish, etc.
    
    The store-bought concoction is not without merit.  One way of jazzing
    it up a bit without a lot of bother is to use the following:
    
    2 cloves garlic, finely minced
    4 tablespoons oil
    3 tablespoons peanut butter
    1 (3-oz.) can mole poblano (powder) or an equivalent
      amount of moist mole sauce
    3 cups chicken broth
    
    Simmer garlic in oil for a few seconds.  Add peanut butter and stir
    until well-mixed.  Add the mole powder or sauce and continue stirring
    over a low flame until blended.  Slowly add the broth and keep stirring
    until sauce is the consistency of a puree.  Sauce can be thinned with
    more broth or thickened with 2 tablespoons of flour or masa in 1/2 
    cup of cold water.
    

	Thanks for the suggestions. I'm ready to experiment. Regarding (.4)...

>Does this store have any produce (chiles, epazote, cactus, etc.) ?

No, I didn't see any fresh produce. However, if I remember correctly, they
did stock cans/jars of cactus, something of a rarity for this area. I don't
care so much about the fresh chiles and epazote (or cilantro) because I grow
my own...although I don't have anything this time of year that isn't frozen
or dried.

>Any fresh masa (especially for tamales)?
>Queso blanco?

That had big bags of masa, but I'm not sure if it was "fresh masa." I didn't
know there was any distinction.

>Tomatillos, jalapenos, serranos, and dried chiles are becoming common in stores,
>but fresh poblano chiles are hard to find and fresh masa is impossible (as far
>as I know) here in the Beantown area. Many stores are starting to get the
>Anaheim chiles (lighter green than poblano, longer and thinner) but availability
>is still spotty. They're not a great substitute for the poblanos, in my 
>estimation.

Yup, I just bought some fresh Anaheims at Shaws in Milford. I like them because
they're a good general-purpose chile...But for relenos, I prefer the poblanos..
and as I mentioned, I didn't see any fresh produce.

>BTW, when I had a jar of that mole I simmered pieces of pork (not traditional,
>I know) in water, cubed the pork, and boiled down the stock to add to the paste.
>I then added the pork and simmered the whole shebang for a while. I had to add a 
>lot more stock than I thought - the sauce kept thickening on me. Turned out more
>like chili than anything else.

Sounds good to me. I'll give it a try...with chicken. Actually, goat might be
more traditional! Thanks.

 Re .4:

    Does Quaker's masa harina count as "fresh masa"?

Re: .7  Nope.  That is 'masa mix.'  Masa is made by soaking big tough kernels of
corn (not your butter-and-sugar variety) in lime water overnight.  This 
dissolves the tough husks and the hard point at the end of the germ. You then
essentially have hominy (not grits.) They are then rinsed a bit and ground into
a stiff dough. Dried and processed, it becomes masa mix. The
flavor of lime remains, echoing the Native Americans' ancient method of pounding
corn on a limestone pestle (which released lime into the masa.) The fineness of 
grind, I believe, determines whether you'll have tortilla or tamale masa.  In
the southwest, it's sold in bags in the refrigerator section. Masa mix
is a pale imitation if you're making your own tortillas (I gave up on it a
while ago - the store-bought ones taste better to me.)

>Sounds good to me. I'll give it a try...with chicken. Actually, goat might be
>more traditional! 

According to Diana Kennedy, (rather fanatical cookbook author) the traditional
meat for mole is turkey. I'll bet goat would be good, though.

Canned cactus, tomatillos, etc. are available mail order from Dean & DeLuca in
NYC. Somehow, though, paying a fortune for Mexican food ingredients seems a bit
antithetical.

John

    One of my favorite things to do with mole sauce is to make ecnhillidas
    and use mole for the sauce. I often make this with left over DEC
    turkey.
    
    Linda
    
    

WHAT IS MOLE SAUCE????

Surely not "Take one mole, put in blender ...."

Please edjicate me!!

Thanks,
Sheridan
:^)

    Sheridan, the word Mole' is pronounced "Mo" as in MORE only without the
    re, and "Le" as in LEAD only without the ad on the end
    
    It has Hot chile and unsweetened chocolate as its primary ingredients.
    
    Mo Le' or Mole' is explained in topic 219 in this conference..
    Hope this helps.
                   
    Ben