Tamales With Yellow Mole Tamales De Amarillo Mole Recipes

MOLE AMARILLO

Steps:

• Clean the chicken pieces and place them in a stockpot with boiling water, onion, garlic, and salt, reduce the heat and poach the chicken until tender about 30 minutes. Remove chicken and reserve broth.
• Heat 2 pots of water to boiling. Add salt. Add chayote to 1 pot and green beans to the other. Cook each to al dente. Drain. Slice chayote and set both aside.
• For the Mole: Clean the anchos and guajillos with a damp cloth, cut them open, remove the seeds and stems, and spread them flat. Roast them on a hot comal or thin skillet. Remove from the skillet and place in a bowl of hot water and soak for 20 minutes.
• On the same comal or skillet dry-roast the tomatillos, tomato, onion, and unpeeled garlic, remove the garlic when black spots appear and peel it, and leave the vegetables until blistered and soft.
• In a small skillet, lightly roast the black peppercorns, cloves, and cumin until the aroma is released.
• Transfer the reconstituted chiles to the blender with enough water to process. Meanwhile, heat 3 tablespoons oil in large pan and pour the chile mixture through a sieve into the hot pan, it is important that all the pieces of chile skin are blended or removed so the sauce will be smooth. Reduce the heat and let it simmer for 8 minutes.
• While frying the chile mixture, blend all the roasted vegetables and roasted spices with enough water to puree. Add this mixture to the frying chile paste, let it simmer for about 20 minutes or until it is reduced. Add reserved chicken broth and simmer for 5 minutes. Dilute masa harina in 1 cup water and add to mixture. Let it cook 10 minutes, check for salt. Add the cooked chicken, peeled and sliced chayote and green beans and cook until heated through. Add hoja santa or cilantro.
• For the rajas de chile: Make a small slit in each of the chiles, fry them in hot oil, until all sides are blistered. Remove from oil. Let them cool down and remove the skin, discard it along with seed and stems, tear in pieces, and place the strips in a serving bowl, quarter the pearl onions, and add to the chiles along with lime juice, oregano, and salt.
• Serve with white rice and hot tortillas along with the rajas de chile.

TAMALES DE MOLE POBLANO

Steps:

• Thoroughly thaw the banana leaves, taking care not to break the leaves when unfolding them. Place the leaves on a cutting board and use a sharp knife to remove the hard center rib. Using a moist towel, clean the leaves. Reserve a few leaves and cut the rest crosswise into 10-by-12-inch rectangles.
• Place the masa in a bowl. Spoon some of the residual oil from the mole that separated while frying into the masa-just enough to slightly color the masa. Mix in the lard and knead for about 10 minutes, adding enough chicken broth to form a soft dough. Continue kneading for an additional 10 to 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt.
• Arrange a banana leaf rectangle, smooth side down, on a work surface and top with a large spoonful of masa. Spread the masa to cover the entire leaf with a thin, even layer. Place three pieces of chicken in the center of the leaf and cover with two tablespoons of mole. Fold in thirds, as if folding a letter, then tuck the ends under. Repeat with remaining banana leaves, chicken, and mole.
• Fill a large steamer or tamalera with salted water to just below the steamer rack and bring to a boil. Arrange the tamales in a crisscross pattern on the rack, leaving enough space between them to allow steam to circulate. Cover the tamales with the reserved banana leaves and cover the pot with a lid. Steam the tamales at a full boil for about 1 hour and serve.

MOLE AMARILLO -- MEXICAN YELLOW SAUCE -- YELLOW MOLE SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring 2 cups of water to a boil.
• In a dry cast-iron skillet or comal, toast the guajillo and ancho chiles over medium-low heat for 2 minutes, until fragrant; turn them and shake the pan so they don't scorch.
• Put the toasted chiles in a bowl, cover with the boiling water, and let soak until softened and reconstituted, about 20 minutes.
• Return the skillet to medium-high heat to get quite hot.
• Rub the onion, garlic, tomatillos, and tomato with the oil.
• Lay the vegetables in the hot pan and roast, turning occasionally, until soft and well charred on all sides, about 10 minutes.
• Put the vegetables in a bowl to let them cool a bit.
• Meanwhile, grind the peppercorns and cloves in a coffee grinder or spice mill.
• Put everything together in a blender or food processor and puree in batches until completely smooth.
• Melt the lard in a skillet over medium heat and pour in the puree.
• Cook and stir for 5 minutes, until the mole deepens in color.
• In a small bowl, mix the masa harina with 1/4 cup of warm water until smooth and lump-free.
• Whisk into the sauce and continue to simmer for 5 more minutes until the sauce is slightly thickened and able to coat the back of a spoon.

TURKEY TAMALES WITH MOLE NEGRO

Steps:

• Have ready a steamer arrangement.
• Remove the banana leaves from the package; gently unfold and wipe clean with a clean damp cloth. With kitchen scissors, cut out eight 12 X 10-inch rectangles. Tear off long thin strips from the remaining leaves to serve as "string" ties for the packets. Set aside.
• Place the turkey pieces in a medium-size saucepan with the onion, garlic, peppercorns, and 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste). Add enough water to cover (about 4 cups) and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, partly covered, until the meat is falling off the bones, about 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the turkey pieces from the broth (which can be strained and saved for another purpose); when cool enough to handle, remove the skin and tear the meat into long shreds. You should have about 2 cups. Set aside.
• In a small saucepan, heat the mole to a boil over medium heat, reduce the heat to low, and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the shredded turkey. Set aside.
• Place the lard in a mixing bowl or the large bowl of an electric mixer set at medium speed. With a wooden spoon or the mixer blades, beat for 1 to 2 minutes, until somewhat aerated. Begin beating in the masa a handful at a time, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. At this point you must make a judgment call - whether or not to add a little liquid. The consistency should be that of a very thick, pasty porridge. When working with masa made from masa harina I sometimes find that I need to add 5 to 6 tablespoons of water or chicken stock to achieve this consistency. With other batches, I don't need to add any liquid. When the desired consistency is reached, beat in the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons salt.
• Prepare the banana-leaf packets. Briefly hold each of the cut rectangles over an open flame to make them more pliable, or place for a few seconds on a hot griddle. Stack them by the work surface. Place a heaping 1/2-cup dollop of the masa mixture on each. With the back of a spoon, flatten out the masa slightly into an oval shape. Spoon about 1/4 cup of the turkey mole-filling over the masa.
• Fold over the right and left edges of one rectangle toward each other, overlapping slightly. Fold the top and bottom edges toward each other. You should have a neat flat packet (usually about 5 X 4 inches if you start with a 14 X 11-inch rectangle). Tie securely with leaf "string" ties.
• Place in the steamer. Banana-leaf tamales should lie on a flat platform such as a wire rack raised well above the level of the boiling water. Arrange them in layers as necessary, seam side up. Place some extra banana-leaf pieces on top to help absorb steam. Pour boiling water into the bottom of the pan to a depth of 1 to 2 inches, cover tightly, and steam over medium heat for 1 hour. Keep a kettle of water hot on another burner; occasionally check the water level in the steamer and replenish as necessary, always shielding your face from the steam. When they are done, remove the lid and let the tamales stand for 10 minutes before serving. Each guest unwraps his own.