Olé Mole!

 "Mole" is one of most representative dishes of Mexico.  The name comes from the Aztec word "molli" meaning "sauce".  There is a wide variety of  "moles", but they all contain chile peppers and a large number of different spices.  The best known is "mole poblano" which originated in the city of Puebla.  It contains about 20 ingredients including chocolate.  It is usually served over turkey or chicken.

Making "mole" is a laborious process in which all the ingredients are ground into a paste.  In most modern Mexican households "mole" is not generally made at home from scratch.  In the marketplaces you will find large clay pots filled with different kinds of home-style mole paste.  You can purchase a quantity of paste, take it home, dilute it with broth, heat it up, and have a tasty "mole" without going through the day-long task of preparation.  Nowadays you can also find jars of commercially mass-produced paste on the supermarket shelves.  Obviously it's not as good as what you will find in the marketplace.

Here in Ohio, I can't go to the market and buy "mole" paste from a big clay pot, but the Mexican supermarket which I visited earlier this week has commercial "mole" in jars.  They had two different brands of "mole poblano".  They had "Doña María", which I have tried before.  They also had "La Costeña", a well-known name in Mexico, where you will find their canned goods in every grocery store.  I decided to try "La Costeña". 

 The direction said to dilute one part of paste to four parts liquid, and to dissolve the paste on low heat on the stove.  I found that the sauce was too watery however, so I added a bit more paste. 

Meanwhile, I sautéed chopped onion and "poblano" pepper and added a can of chicken breast.  I mixed that with some brown rice, and stirred in the "mole" sauce.

In my travels in Mexico I have had some excellent "mole", but I must say that this was not bad at all.  I think I prefer "La Costeña" brand to "Doña María".  The next time I go to the Mexican supermarket I will definitely buy another jar of "mole".