Roasted Tomatillo Salsa and Quick Mole

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We just got back in town after a week of spring break on a cruise. Shockingly, we didn’t have much food in our house, but that didn’t stop my family from wanting to chill out watching the college basketball tournament.

And of course that means feeding my family while they chill. Fortunately, I had a brilliant idea, and the roasted tomatillo salsa and quick mole I whipped up to go with taquitos and tamales had everyone happy.

Of course, I did have to pick up ingredients to make our dinner first, but since no food in the house means I’m heading to the store anyway to stock up on some essentials, that was a perfect excuse.

Now, I’ve made mole before (pronounced moe-lay with the emphasis on lay), and it is an all day endeavor. That part of the reason I only make it once a year.

The ingredient list is about three pages long, and it has a ton of steps with simmering and waiting between many of them. The flavor is so worth it – to the point that I don’t order mole in restaurants because mine is inevitably better – but I wanted something quick and easy, so I adapted my recipe to give me a similar flavor but in a fraction of the time.

It was perfect.

I didn’t make as much mole as my typical recipe, but that’s exactly what I was looking for. This recipe made about three cups of mole, perfect to take with you to a party.

Just grab some taquitos, tamales, and other Mexican appetizers and put your mole in a pint jar, and you’re good to go.

How to Make Quick and Easy Mole

As I mentioned, I make a mean chicken en mole. It is one of my all time favorite dishes, but it is a long Sunday afternoon project, so I don’t make it often.

Fortunately, it makes a ton, and I freeze it in batches to pull out when I want some, but of course I was out since I haven’t made it in far too long.

That didn’t stop me, and I came up with this simplified recipe for mole that still incorporates many of the important flavors while taking far less time to make. I prefer my “real” mole because anything simmered hour after hour is going to have so much more in depth of taste, but this mole was pretty darn good.

For this, I heat up my pan with a bit of oil and chop onions to saute. While they’re sauteeing, remove the stems from your dried peppers.

The ancho chile is larger and can be broken into chunks to get the seeds out for you to discard. The chipotle peppers are much smaller, so chop off the top with the stem and simply shake out most of the seeds. The remainder you’ll add to your mole.

Once the peppers are ready, add them to your onion to let them soften. Smash your garlic and add this, as well.

Add the cinnamon and cumin, and stir to incorporate. Let the mixture cook for two or three minutes until your onions are completely soft – because of the spices added, they won’t be translucent.

Add the can of diced tomatoes, peanut butter, and the chicken stock and stir again.

Go ahead and toast your corn tortillas. And yes, I do truly use my toaster. Just pop them in and when they come up, flip them over and toast what was the top side.

They don’t turn as dark as toast, but they get nice and crispy and the toasting adds a flavor your want.

While they’re toasting, chop your Mexican chocolate tablet. If you can’t find Mexican chocolate, use bittersweet chocolate instead, but the Mexican chocolate is perfect – and it’s a great addition to your hot chocolate in the winter, as well.

As soon as the tortillas are toasted, add them and your chopped Mexican chocolate to your pan and stir just a bit to ensure they are covered. Let this simmer for ten or so minutes, adding a touch more chicken stock if it gets too dry.

Add the mixture to your blender along with the sugar, being sure to only fill it a bit of the way up since adding too much hot material like this can really cause problems with the heat creating pressure that will blow off the top of your blender.

Again, always remember to use a folded kitchen towel to hold down the blender top while you’re blending hot ingredients. Blend until completely smooth.

Serve immediately. This can also be stored in your fridge for two to three weeks in a tightly sealed container. Or take it to your next party and wow your friends.

This was so good slathered on my tamales. I may or may not have hidden a small jar in the back of my fridge so I can enjoy more tamales with the mole without anyone knowing!

Have you ever tried to make a homemade mole?

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