Mole Tatemado con Becerro de Boda

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Dry comal, preferably used over leña or a heavy cast iron comal
• •8-quart heavy stockpot for the becerro broth
• •Black-clay cazuela from Patamban or heavy Dutch oven
• •High-powered blender
• •Fine or medium-fine mesh strainer
• •Molcajete or spice mill
• •Wooden spoon for stirring the mole

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the becerro

   Put the calf or young beef pieces in a heavy stockpot with the halved onion, halved head of garlic, bay leaves, salt, and enough water to cover by two inches. Bring to a gentle simmer and skim the gray foam during the first 20 minutes. Lower the heat, cover partly, and cook 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until the meat is tender but not falling apart into threads. The broth is part of the mole, so keep it clean. A violent boil gives you cloudy broth and tired meat.

2. 2

   Strain the broth

   Lift the meat into a large bowl and cover it so it does not dry out. Strain the broth through a fine sieve and reserve at least 8 cups. Discard the spent onion, garlic, and bay leaves. Taste the broth. It should taste like meat and salt, not like dishwater. If it is weak, simmer it uncovered until it has body.

3. 3

   Tatemar the chiles

   Heat a dry comal over medium heat. Toast the chile ancho, chile guajillo, and chile pasilla mexicano separately, a few seconds per side, pressing them flat with tongs until the skin blisters and the color deepens. The ancho smells sweet, like dried fruit. The guajillo goes sharp and red. The pasilla is thin and burns fast, so watch it. Tatemado is controlled char, not carelessness. If a chile turns black all over, throw it away.

   Do not rinse dried chiles after toasting. Dust them with a dry towel before they hit the comal. Water on the chile makes it steam and toughen instead of blister.
4. 4

   Soak the chiles

   Put the toasted chiles in a bowl and cover them with hot water, not boiling water. Let them soften for 25 minutes. Drain them and discard the soaking water. That water can carry bitterness from the skins and seeds. Use the becerro broth for blending. That is where the flavor belongs.

5. 5

   Char the vegetables

   On the same comal, tatemar the tomatoes, quartered onion, and unpeeled garlic cloves until the tomatoes collapse in spots, the onion edges blacken, and the garlic skins are toasted. Peel the garlic. This is the flavor of leña translated to a home stove. If you have a fogón, use it. If not, use the comal properly and do not apologize.

6. 6

   Toast the thickeners

   Toast the stale tortilla until dark brown in places but not burned to ash. Toast the bolillo slices until dry and golden. In a dry skillet, toast the sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, and almonds separately until fragrant, moving each constantly so they brown evenly. Pumpkin seed comes from the milpa and gives body. Sesame came later, but Michoacán's cooks made it their own. That is how cuisine survives.

7. 7

   Fry the sweet pieces

   Melt 1 tablespoon of the manteca in a small skillet. Fry the raisins until they puff, then remove them. Fry the plantain slices until browned on both sides. Keep the fat. These sweet pieces do not make the mole dessert. They round the bitterness of the tatemado chiles. Mole is not chocolate sauce. Learn that once and stop repeating nonsense.

8. 8

   Toast the spices

   Toast the cinnamon, cloves, black peppercorns, cumin seeds, and dried Mexican oregano on the warm comal for 30 to 45 seconds, just until fragrant. Spices burn faster than chiles. The smell should open, not turn harsh. Grind them in a molcajete or spice mill.

9. 9

   Blend the mole

   In batches, blend the softened chiles, charred tomatoes, onion, garlic, toasted tortilla, bolillo, sesame seeds, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, almonds, raisins, plantain, ground spices, and 4 to 5 cups of warm becerro broth. Blend longer than you think. The sauce should look smooth and heavy, not sandy. Strain through a medium-fine sieve, pressing with a spoon. This is work. La cocina no es decoración, es trabajo.

10. 10

    Fry the sauce

    Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons manteca de cerdo in a large black-clay cazuela or heavy Dutch oven over medium heat. Pour in the strained mole carefully because it will sputter. Stir with a wooden spoon for 12 to 15 minutes, until the sauce darkens, thickens, and the fat begins to shine at the edges. La manteca es el sabor. Oil gives you a flat sauce. Manteca gives you the wedding mole.

11. 11

    Simmer with becerro

    Add 3 cups of reserved broth, the chopped Mexican chocolate, piloncillo, and 2 teaspoons salt. Stir until the chocolate dissolves. Return the becerro pieces to the cazuela and simmer gently for 45 to 60 minutes, adding more broth as needed. The mole should coat the meat in a dark, glossy layer and pool slowly at the bottom of the spoon. If it runs like soup, keep cooking. If it sits like paste, add broth.

12. 12

    Rest and serve

    Turn off the heat and let the mole rest 20 minutes before serving. Toast the reserved sesame seeds and scatter them over the cazuela. Serve family-style in barro de Capula or Tzintzuntzan, with warm corn tortillas and corundas on the side. Diced raw white onion can sit at the table, but do not bury the mole under garnish. This is Zacán's dish. Let it speak.

Chef Tips

• •Ask for calf shoulder, young beef shank, or a mix of shank and chuck with bone. The bone gives the broth its weight. Boneless stew meat is a supermarket shortcut and it tastes like one.
• •The chiles should be flexible, shiny, and fragrant. If the chile ancho cracks like old paper or smells dusty, walk away. Pregúntale a las señoras del mercado. They know which vendor has the good sacks.
• •Tatemado does not mean scorched. You want blistered chile skins, charred tomato spots, toasted seeds, and browned bread. Black bitterness takes over a mole and no amount of chocolate will save it.
• •Use manteca de cerdo. Not olive oil. Not butter. Not vegetable shortening. This is a ceremonial Michoacán mole and the fat carries the flavor.
• •If you cannot find calf, use young bone-in beef shank and chuck. That is a compromise, not an upgrade, but it respects the structure of the dish better than using lean beef cubes.
• •Corundas belong on this table more than rice. Rice appears in many Mexican meals, yes, but this Meseta table recognizes corn masa first. Cada estado, su propia cocina.
• •This mole improves overnight. Wedding moles are built for time, not for people who start cooking an hour before guests arrive. No me vengas con atajos.

Advance Preparation

• •Cook the becerro and strain the broth one day ahead. Refrigerate the meat in a little broth so it stays moist.
• •The mole base can be made up to 3 days ahead before adding the meat. Refrigerate it in a covered container. The flavor deepens and the chile bitterness softens.
• •For a celebration, make the full mole the day before, then reheat it slowly with extra broth until glossy and loose enough to coat the meat. Do not scorch the bottom. Stir like someone taught you to respect the pot.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 445g)