Well, who doesn’t love a bit of chocolate? But are chocky lovers missing a trick by only eating it as a sweet treat? (Or not even a treat in our case, more a way of life.) Visits to Mexico have shown us there is more to this wonder substance than imagined. Made in to a delicious sauce and served with chicken it’s wonderful indeed. This is an easy recipe but has all the taste and authenticity of the real thing.Mexican Mole:
- 1 corn-fed chicken jointed into small portions (or buy it ready jointed)
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- 1 large onion, roughly sliced
- 2-3 sprigs fresh mint
- Salt and pepper
- The sauce
- 25g dark, bitter chocolate
- 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
- 1 clove of garlic, crushed
- 500g plum tomatoes, skinned and chopped (or tinned)
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 4 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds (or peanut butter)
- 1 heaped tablespoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 3-4 dried chillies, de-seeded and torn (or 1 teaspoon of powdered chilli)
- To finish
- Chopped coriander
- Put the chicken pieces into a casserole that will just about accommodate them, cover with water and add the garlic, onion and mint. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, skimming off any grey foam that rises, then turn down the heat, put the lid on and simmer gently for 30 minutes or so, by which time the chicken should be perfectly tender. Strain, reserving the broth.
- Put all the sauce ingredients except the oil and chocolate into a liquidiser and process to a purée. Heat the oil in a wide, heavy frying pan, add the purée, bubble up and cook for about 20 minutes, until the sauce is rich and thick. Stir in the chocolate, add the reserved chicken pieces and bubble up again. Add enough broth to submerge the chicken, bring back to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for another ten minutes, adding more broth if necessary. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the chicken. Finish with a sprinkle of chopped coriander.
- Serve with hot cornmeal tortillas, and diced avocado dressed with sea salt, lime juice, chopped green chilli, a little garlic and plenty of chopped, fresh coriander.
