posted February 17, 2004 09:39 AM            

I'll have a little on Saturday...

posted February 18, 2004 09:39 AM            

So juniperb...have it handy? If not I'll post it later when I get home.

posted February 18, 2004 01:59 PM            

The Mexican / Indian culture is very big on chocolate and even use it to cook chicken, like with a Mole (pronounced Molay) sauce.

Title: Chocolate Mole
Yield: 12 Servings

Ingredients

100 g chilies anchoes
100 g chilies chipotle
100 g chilies mulato
4 tb lard
1/4 c raw sesame seeds
4 corn tortillas (6-inch
-diam); cut into 1/2-inch st
1 c finely chopped onions
1 c chopped seeded tomatoes
1/2 c chopped fresh cilantro
-(coriander)
1 bay leaf; crushed
1/2 ts ground cinnamon
1/2 ts freshly ground black pepper
1/2 ts salt
1/4 ts ground cloves
1/2 ts ground cumin
1/2 ts cayenne pepper
1/2 ts oregano
4 oz bittersweet chocolate;
-chopped
3 1/2 c chicken stock
1/2 c cashews; toasted and chopped

Instructions

Chocolate Mole, Courtesy of my wife, Sara.

Cover all the chilies and soak for 30 minutes. Reserve 1/3 cup (3 fl oz/80
ml) of the soaking water. Stem and seed the chilies

In a medium skillet, heat 1 tblspn of the lard over medium heat. Fry the
chilies for 30 seconds on each side. Remove the chilies from the skillet
and add the sesame seeds; stir until toasted lightly, about 1 minute.
Remove the sesame seeds from the skillet and set aside. Add 1 tblspn of
lard to the skillet and, when hot, add the tortilla strips; fry until soft,
about 2 minutes.

Place the chilies, sesame seeds, tortilla strips and reserved soaking water
in a blender and puree to a paste; set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the remaining 2 tblspns lard over med-high heat;
saute the onions until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and
cilantro and cook for 2 minutes. Add the bay leaf, cinnamon, pepper, salt,
cloves, cumin, cayenne and oregano and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes, or
until well blended. Add the chopped chocolate and continue cooking and
stirring until the chocolate is melted, about 2 minutes. Add the chicken
stock and cashews and bring to a boil. Add the pureed chili mixture and
stir well. Lower the heat and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, for
15-20 minutes, or until the mixture thickens and the flavors have blended.
Serve with grilled pork tenderloin, duck breasts, chicken or turkey.