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Thursday, November 27, 2008

Holy Mole! I am stuffed...

We decided early this week that we would like to deviate a bit from the traditional midwestern style (bland) turkey dinner. David has been asking for turkey mole for a while and so we decided that would be our starting point for the meal. Our final menu looked like this:
Turkey Mole from Cook's Illustrated
Creamy Corn Pudding from Cook's Illustrated
Pumpkin Pie from Cook's Illustrated
Despite a slow start (it was nearly 3pm before we put our turkey in the oven), our dinner turned out  how I had hoped. Things were rushed in the end and I ended up cutting some corners, but all turned out well. Magically all the different flavors and spices complemented each other nicely and gave the meal a nice twist. David was a little nervous about the mole, he stirred the pot as I added the ingredients. He was wondering if we had any of the jar stuff as back up, but luckily we didn't need it. I would imagine this mole to be pretty simple when you are not trying to make four other things at the same time! I'm sure I won't be able to get away with the jar stuff ever again...

Mole Sauce 
adapted from Cook's Illustrated
INGREDIENTS
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion , minced
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
3 medium garlic cloves , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1 tablespoon)
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth , plus more if needed
1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes , drained
1/4 cup raisins
2 tablespoons peanut butter
Table salt and ground black pepper
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until just shimmering. Add the onion, chili powder, cocoa powder, cinnamon, and cloves and cook until the onion is softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

2. Stir in the broth, tomatoes, raisins, and peanut butter and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 20 minutes.

3. Puree the sauce in a blender (or food processor) until smooth. (I used an immersion blender) Return the sauce to the skillet and simmer until heated through, about 5 minutes.  Add additional broth as needed to thin the sauce. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately over turkey and sprinkle with cilantro.

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