Veracruz Tesmole with Chochoyones

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Heavy 6-quart clay cazuela or Dutch oven
• •Cast iron comal for toasting chiles and roasting tomatillos
• •High-powered blender
• •Fine-mesh strainer
• •Deep clay serving bowls

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the broth

   Put the chicken, water, halved onion, 2 whole garlic cloves, and salt in a heavy pot. Bring to a steady simmer over medium heat and skim the foam during the first 10 minutes. Lower the heat and cook gently for 40 to 45 minutes, until the chicken is tender but not falling apart. Bone-in chicken gives the broth body. Boneless breast gives you sadness.

2. 2

   Toast the chiles

   Heat a dry comal over medium. Toast the chile ancho and chile guajillo one at a time, about 20 to 30 seconds per side, just until the skins soften, puff slightly, and smell deep. Do not blacken them. Burned chile turns bitter and Veracruz did not ask for that.

   The ancho is thicker than the guajillo and can take a few seconds more. Watch the guajillo closely because its skin scorches fast.
3. 3

   Soak and roast

   Place the toasted chiles in a bowl and cover with hot water for 20 minutes. While they soften, roast the tomatillos, tomatoes, and 2 peeled garlic cloves on the comal until blistered in spots and softened. The tomatillos should turn dull green and collapse slightly. That tartness is what keeps the stew from becoming heavy.

4. 4

   Blend the sauce

   Drain the chiles and put them in a blender with the roasted tomatillos, tomatoes, roasted garlic, chopped hoja santa, and 1 cup of the chicken broth. Blend until completely smooth. Strain if your blender leaves chile skin behind. Tesmole should feel thick from masa, not rough from chile skins.

5. 5

   Fry the base

   Lift the cooked chicken to a plate and strain the broth. Wipe the pot clean. Melt 2 tablespoons manteca de cerdo over medium heat, then pour in the blended sauce. It will sputter. Stir for 8 to 10 minutes, until the color deepens and the fat begins to show at the edges. La manteca es el sabor. Oil will cook it, yes, but it will not give the same roundness.

6. 6

   Build the stew

   Pour 7 cups of the strained broth into the fried sauce and stir well. Add the whole hoja santa leaf, epazote, and chayote. Simmer for 18 to 20 minutes, until the chayote is almost tender. Add the calabacitas and return the chicken to the pot. Taste for salt. The broth should taste slightly stronger than you think because the masa dumplings will soften it.

7. 7

   Shape the chochoyones

   Mix the masa with 2 tablespoons manteca de cerdo and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Knead until soft and smooth, adding warm water a tablespoon at a time only if the masa cracks. Pinch off pieces the size of a walnut, roll them into balls, then press your thumb into the center of each one to make a deep dimple. That thumbprint is not decoration. It helps the chochoyon cook evenly and hold the broth.

8. 8

   Simmer the masa

   Drop the chochoyones gently into the simmering stew, one by one, without stirring hard. Shake the pot or move them with a spoon so they do not stick. Cook 18 to 22 minutes, until the dumplings float and the broth turns velvety from the masa. If the stew thickens too much, add a little reserved broth. If it is thin, simmer uncovered for a few more minutes. The pot will tell you.

9. 9

   Serve in clay

   Remove the epazote stem and the whole hoja santa leaf. Ladle the tesmole into deep clay bowls with chicken, vegetables, and several chochoyones in each serving. Put lime halves and warm corn tortillas on the table. Do not serve this with flour tortillas. Flour tortillas belong to the north. Cada estado, su propia cocina.

Chef Tips

• •Look for hoja santa at a Mexican market that sells fresh herbs for tamales and moles. If the leaves are limp and black at the edges, leave them there. Pregúntale a las señoras del mercado. They know when the good bundle arrived.
• •Fresh masa from a tortilleria is best for chochoyones. Masa harina works when you hydrate it properly, but it is a compromise, not an upgrade. Let masa harina dough rest 20 minutes before shaping so the corn absorbs the water.
• •Tesmole is not supposed to burn your mouth with chile. The ancho gives depth, the guajillo gives color, and the tomatillo gives brightness. Not all Mexican food is about heat. This is a 32-state cuisine.
• •Pork shoulder can replace the chicken in many Veracruz homes. Use 2 1/2 pounds pork shoulder cut into 2-inch pieces and simmer it until tender before adding the sauce. The dish becomes heavier, excellent for a rainy day.
• •If your broth turns too thick after sitting, add hot water or reserved broth a little at a time while reheating. Masa keeps drinking. That is its nature.

Advance Preparation

• •The chicken broth and chile-tomatillo sauce can be made one day ahead and refrigerated separately. Fry the sauce and finish the stew on the day you serve it.
• •Chochoyones can be shaped up to 4 hours ahead. Keep them covered with a damp cloth so the masa does not crack.
• •Tesmole keeps for 3 days in the refrigerator, but the chochoyones will continue to thicken the broth. Reheat gently and loosen with broth or water.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 560g)