Mole Poblano

This makes enough mole for about a 10-12 pound turkey, or two chickens. It's a great use of leftover thanksgiving turkey. Play around with the chilies and the spices until you find something you like. The mole can be made ahead and frozen or stored in the fridge.

Serving: You can slice up cooked turkey/chicken and ladle the mole over it, or cut turkey/chicken into pieces and submerge it directly in the mole – whatever works best for how you’re serving it. Mole poblano is traditionally served with tamales on the side, but we did little corn tortillas and rice and beans.

Dried chilies:
6 New Mexican Chilies, or pasillas or guajillos (New Mexican are a little hotter)
8 Ancho Chilis
3 Chipotle Chilies
2 Tblsp corn oil

Spices:
¼ tsp Coriander Seed
¼ tsp Anise Seed
1 Tblsp Chili Seeds
7 Tblsp Sesame Seeds
4 Whole Cloves
10 Peppercorns
½ inch Cinnamon Stick (or ½ tsp ground cinnamon)

2 Tblsp corn oil
2 Tblsp raisins
20 raw almonds
¼ cup shelled Pumpkin Seeds
1 corn tortilla or a handful of tortilla chips, shredded coarsely
1 slice stale bread, shredded coarsely

6 tomatillos, de-husked and minced coarsely
3 cloves of garlic
2 Tblsp corn oil
1.5 oz Mexican chocolate
5-6 cups of chicken or turkey broth

One cooked 10-12 pound turkey or 2 chickens

1. Break the chilies into large flat pieces and shake out the stems and seeds. Keep the seeds but discard cores and stems. Heat oil fairly hot and fry the chilies a few pieces at a time on both sides until aromatic. This should take about 30 seconds – don’t overcook or the chilies will get bitter. Soak in about a cup or two of water to cover for at least 3 hours, or overnight. Drain and puree in a blender with as little of the soaking water as you can get away with. Pour from blender into a bowl or other container and reserve.

2. Dry toast coriander, anise, chili seeds, and sesame seeds in a large heavy pot until they become aromatic and darken just slightly, as you would to make curry. Cool them and grind them all together in a spice mill or blender along with cloves, peppercorns, and cinnamon stick. Leave in the blender.

3. Heat 2 Tblsp of oil in your large heavy pot and sauté raisins, almonds, pumpkin seeds, tortilla, and bread until raisins puff up a little and the almonds and bread brown – about 3 minutes. Add this mixture to the spice mixture in the blender, add the tomatillos and garlic, and blend until smooth.

4. Heat 2 Tblsp of oil in your large heavy pot. Add chili mixture and spice/seed/bread mixture, and sauté gently for about 5 minutes. Add the chocolate and stir in until it melts. Stir in broth until it gets to the consistency you want – I like it sort of porridge-like. Continue to cook gently until it bubbles (it's more like a burp).

Turkey Baste A La Lefty

Combine:
1 stick of butter, melted
1/2 cup of orange juice
1/4 cup of maple syrup
1/4 cup of bourbon

Makes a very dark skin and tasty gravy.