Mole Verde Veracruzano

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •12-inch glazed clay cazuela or heavy Dutch oven
• •Cast iron comal
• •High-powered blender
• •Molcajete or spice grinder
• •Wooden paddle or sturdy wooden spoon

Instructions

1. 1

   Cook the pork

   Put the pork shoulder in a heavy pot with the onion, 2 garlic cloves, bay leaf, salt, and enough cold water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a gentle simmer and skim the foam during the first 15 minutes. Cook until the pork is tender but not falling apart, about 1 hour and 20 minutes. Strain and save the broth. Keep the pork warm.

2. 2

   Toast the seeds

   Heat a dry comal over medium. Toast the pumpkin seeds, stirring constantly, until they puff, turn dull green-gold, and smell nutty, 3 to 5 minutes. Toast the sesame seeds separately until pale gold. Do not walk away. Burned pumpkin seed makes the mole bitter, and no amount of tomatillo will forgive you.

   Pumpkin seed is the body of this Veracruz mole. It thickens the sauce and gives it that quiet richness without chocolate. Mole is not chocolate sauce. Learn that once and keep it.
3. 3

   Char the vegetables

   On the same comal, roast the tomatillos, jalapenos, serrano, and remaining 2 garlic cloves until the tomatillos soften and show blackened spots, about 8 to 10 minutes. The chiles should blister, not collapse into mush. Veracruz green mole needs brightness, not a dead boiled salsa.

4. 4

   Toast the tortilla

   Toast the torn tortilla pieces on the comal until dry, spotted, and crisp at the edges. This is not garnish. It gives the mole structure and keeps the sauce from tasting thin.

5. 5

   Grind the spices

   Grind the cumin seeds, peppercorns, and cloves in a molcajete or spice grinder until fine. Use a light hand with the clove. Veracruz cooks know restraint here. You want warmth under the green herbs, not a Christmas sweet shop.

6. 6

   Blend the mole base

   Blend the toasted pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, tortilla, roasted tomatillos, roasted chiles, roasted garlic, ground spices, cilantro, epazote, hierba santa, parsley, and 1 cup reserved pork broth until very smooth. Blend longer than you think. The pumpkin seed must disappear into the sauce. If the blender struggles, add broth by the tablespoon.

7. 7

   Fry the mole

   Melt the manteca de cerdo in a 12-inch cazuela over medium heat. Pour in the green puree carefully. It will sputter. Stir with a wooden paddle for 8 to 10 minutes, scraping the bottom, until the sauce darkens slightly, thickens, and the fat begins to shine at the edges. La manteca es el sabor. This frying step is what turns a blender sauce into mole.

8. 8

   Simmer and adjust

   Add the remaining 1/2 cup pork broth and simmer gently for 15 to 20 minutes. The mole should coat the spoon but still move like a sauce, not a paste. Taste for salt. If it tightens too much, loosen it with more pork broth. If it tastes raw, keep simmering. Green does not mean unfinished.

9. 9

   Serve over pork

   Nestle the cooked pork pieces into the mole and warm them through for 5 minutes. Serve family-style in the cazuela with warm corn tortillas. No flour tortillas here. Flour tortillas are a northern tradition, and this pot belongs to the Veracruz highlands. Cada estado, su propia cocina.

Chef Tips

• •Buy raw hulled pumpkin seeds, not salted snack pepitas. If they smell stale, your mole will taste stale. Si no conoces el mercado, no conoces la cocina.
• •Hierba santa is not optional if you want the Veracruz character. If you cannot find it, make the mole another day or accept that you are making a compromise. A few extra epazote leaves will not become hierba santa by force.
• •Use jalapeno, not poblano. Jalapeno belongs naturally to Veracruz cooking and gives a clean green chile flavor without turning this into a poblano cream sauce. Not all Mexican food is about heat.
• •The pork broth matters. Water makes the mole flat. Chicken broth changes the direction. Pork is what the women in the highland kitchens use for this pot, and the sauce knows the difference.
• •If tomatillos are pale, dry, or tired, do not make this mole that day. Cook what the mercado is selling well. My mother used to say the pot only obeys the market.

Advance Preparation

• •The pork can be cooked one day ahead. Refrigerate the meat in its strained broth so it stays moist.
• •The mole can be made up to 3 days ahead and refrigerated. Reheat gently in a cazuela, loosening with pork broth until it moves like a sauce again.
• •Do not freeze this mole. Pumpkin seed sauces can turn grainy after thawing, and the fresh herb flavor dulls.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 350g)