November 5

Mole, Mole, Mole!

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• Green Pumpkin Seed Mole [View Recipe]

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  Ingredients

  • 1 cup pepitas
  • 1 28-ounce can tomatillos (divided)
  • 2 small chile peppers
  • .5 medium onion
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 3 cups lettuce (loosely packed)
  • .125 teaspoon cumin
  • .75 teaspoon cinnamon
  • sprinkle cloves
  • salt & pepper
  • 1 handful cilantro
  • .75 cup stock
  • 1 tablespoon oil
  • 2 cups stock
  • .75 large chicken

  Instructions

  We start by heating our pan over medium heat for a few minutes. When hot, we lower the heat to medium-low and add the pepitas in one layer. After a couple of minutes, we hear the first "pop" of a pepita. We stir constantly for 5 minutes while the pepitas continue to pop, they become fragrant, and get nicely toasted. We pour off the seeds to a dinner plate to cool and set the pan aside for the sauce.

  We open the can of tomatillos and remove 6 of them to a freezer safe plastic bag for another use. We drain the rest of the can over the sink and pour into our food processor. We carefully split our rinsed serranos and remove the stems and most of the seeds. We add these to the processor. We peel and then coarsely chop our onion and garlic and add as well. We add the lettuce, cumin, cinnamon, and cloves, and freshly grate in some black pepper. We take a handful of cilantro from the fridge and wash it well. We add to the processor and puree until well mixed.

  Our immersion blender came with a mini-chop attachment. We use this to grind the cooled-off toasted pepitas. When finely ground, we pour into a bowl. We microwave our homemade stock until hot and pour over the ground pepitas. We stir well.

  To our pan, we add the oil and start heating over medium heat. When hot, we add the pepita-stock mixture and "fry", stirring constantly for a few minutes. The mixture gets a darker color and thickens quickly. Next, we add the contents of the food processor, some salt, and continue to cook for a few more minutes.

  We add the canned chicken stock (boxed actually), and stir well. We lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce thickens and the flavors meld. We taste for salt.

  We add the chicken when the sauce is a good consistency and heat through.

• Chile Cheese Corn Pie [View Recipe]

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  Ingredients

  • 1 can corn
  • 2 cups corn
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • .5 cup cornmeal
  • 1 container sour cream
  • 4 ounces chile peppers
  • 3 large eggs
  • salt
  • .5 teaspoon cumin
  • .5 teaspoon chili powder
  • 8 ounces cheese (grated, divided)
  • cilantro

  Instructions

  We start by preheating the oven to 350 degrees.

  In a large bowl, we start combining our ingredients. We dump in the can of cream style corn. In a large measuring cup, we put the frozen corn and microwave it for a minute to defrost. We add this to the bowl. We melt the butter in a cup in the microwave for 45 seconds and set aside to cool. We add the cornmeal, sour cream, and green chile peppers. We crack the eggs, one at a time, into the large measuring cup and add a pinch of salt. We whisk up with a fork and add to the bowl along with the cooled off butter, cumin, and chili powder. We mix well and add all but ½ cup of the cheese and mix again.

  We pour the mixture into an 8 inch square glass baking pan and sprinkle on the reserved cheese. We bake in the oven for 1 hour until set and browned.

  We remove to a cooling rack and set aside for about 5 minutes before enjoying with a cilantro garnish.

• Salad with Sherry Vinaigrette