Though most people think all moles are earthy, rusty red from their preponderance of dried chiles, the second most popular mole is a velvety green, more olive hued than bright lime. Green moles blend together bright flavors–tomatillos and herbs–with aromatic spices and earthy pumpkin seeds. It’s those seeds that define central-style green mole. Though pumpkin seeds have been classic since Mexico’s earliest history, some cooks use sesame seeds (this recipe combines sesame and pumpkin seeds), almonds or even macadamias.
After living in Mexico City for a couple of years–and eating mole verde week after week–I realized that the sauce’s flavor had firmly established itself in my reference bank of comforting deliciousness. From that point on, every taste of mole verde was the taste of happy memory, something I looked forward to.
To make things easy, I’ve called for cooked, coarsely shredded chicken here. But feel free to use leftover pork roast or even fish (I love grilled snapper or halibut flaked into the green mole). Here I use tomatillo-cooking water as the liquid, but you can make the mole richer with chicken stock. And if your mole looks less-than-velvety, scoop it back into the blender, loosely cover, and blend for a minute or more.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 large (about 6-ounce) fresh poblano chile
- 1 pound (about 8 medium) tomatillos, husked and cut in half
- 4 garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half
- 1 small white onion, roughly chopped
- Salt
- 1/3 cup untoasted sesame seeds
- 1/2 cup toasted pepitas
- 1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil
- 1 gently packed cup (a scant ounce) mixed fresh herbs (parsley, cilantro, epazote, radish leaves, even lettuce leaves)
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh-ground cumin seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black peppercorns
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 4 cups (about 22 ounces) cooked, coarsely shredded chicken (about what you can get from a 2-pound rotisserie chicken)
- 20 warm corn tortillas
- About 1 ¼ cups finely chopped white onion and cilantro, for serving
INSTRUCTIONS
Roast the poblano. Roast the poblano on an open flame or close up under a hot broiler, turning regularly until the skin is evenly blistered and blackened. Cool until handleable, then rub off the blackened skin, tear open, pull out the seed pod and stem, then briefly rinse the chile to remove any stray seeds or bits of skin. Roughly chop the roasted flesh and scoop into a blender jar.
Make the mole base. In a large (4-quart) saucepan, combine the tomatillos with the garlic and onion. Measure in 2 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt, then bring to a boil. Cook over medium heat until the tomatillos have almost completely lost their bright green color (flip them over halfway through for even cooking), 7 or 8 minutes total. While the tomatillos are cooking, measure the sesame seeds into a dry skillet, set over medium heat and toast, stirring very frequently, until lightly golden, about 3 minutes—don’t let them darken too much. Scrape into the blender with the poblano. Add the toasted pumpkin seeds, fresh herbs, spices and oregano. When the tomatillos are ready, tip off the liquid into a measuring cup, then scoop the vegetables into the blender jar (do this in batches if all of it won't fit into your blender).
Blend as smooth as possible.
Cook the mole. Dry the saucepan (no need to wash it) and return it to medium heat. When hot, add the oil, wait a few moments for it to start shimmering, then add the puree all at once. Stir nearly continuously as the mixture reduces and thickens, about 5 minutes—don’t cook it so long that it darkens to a drab olive color. Add 1 1/2 cups of the reserved tomatillo-cooking liquid, reduce the heat to medium-low, partially cover and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring regularly to ensure the sauce isn’t sticking on the bottom. If the mole is thicker than gravy, stir in a little water. Taste and season with salt, usually a scant 2 teaspoons.
Finish the dish. I’ve made more mole verde than we need here, so scoop out about a cup to use later (it is delicious over grilled or broiled fish). Add the chicken to the mole in the pan and let it warm through. Serve with warm tortillas and the onions and cilantro for everyone to make tacos.
