Colorado State University is celebrating Latinx Heritage Month — Sept. 15 to Oct. 15 — and is hosting several events across the campus and Fort Collins area.
The month not only celebrates Latinx heritage, but also educates the CSU community about the culture, history and distinguishable facets of Latin culture.
One of the paramount parts of Latinx culture is the delicious food. On Sept. 27, El Centro, CSU’s diversity office for the Latinx community, hosted a virtual workshop in which participants were taught how to cook a chicken mole, or taller de cocina.
In case you missed the chance to create this exquisite and delectable dish, now you can.
Chicken Mole ingredients:
- 4 pounds chicken pieces, skin on
- Sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
- 2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted, for garnish
- White rice
Mole Poblano:
- 7 pasilla chiles
- 6 ancho chiles
- 1 cup plus 9 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 or 5 tomatillos husked and cooked until soft
- 1 tablespoon seeds from the chiles, toasted
- 1/2 teaspoon anise seeds, toasted
- 1/4 teaspoon coriander seeds, toasted
- 8 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
- 4 garlic cloves, roasted
- 3 tablespoons raisins
- 20 whole almonds, blanched
- 1/4 cup pumpkin seeds
- 2 corn tortillas, torn into pieces
- 6 to 7 cups reserved chicken broth as needed
- 1 1/2 ounces Mexican chocolate, chopped
Chicken Mole directions:
Step 1
In a large stock pot, parboil the chicken in water seasoned with salt and pepper to taste. Drain, reserve cooking broth, and refrigerate until ready to assemble the dish.
Step 2
Prepare the Mole Poblano. Clean the chiles by removing stems, veins, and seeds; reserve 1 tablespoon of the seeds. Heat 1/2 cup of the oil in a heavy skillet until it shimmers. Fry the chiles until crisp, about 10 to 15 seconds, turning once; make sure they do not burn. Drain on paper towels. Put the chiles in a nonreactive bowl, cover with hot water, and set aside for 30 minutes. Drain the chiles, reserving the soaking water. Puree the chiles in a blender with enough of the soaking water to make a smooth paste. It may be necessary to scrape down the sides and blend several times to obtain a smooth paste. In an oven heat an additional 1/2 cup oil over medium heat and add the chile puree (be careful — it will splatter). Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat and set aside.
Step 3
Puree the tomatillos in a blender. In a coffee or spice grinder, grind the cloves, peppercorns, cinnamon, and toasted seeds. Add the seed mixture and the garlic to the pureed tomatillos and blend until smooth. Set aside.
Step 4
Heat 6 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy frying pan. Fry each of the following ingredients and then remove with a slotted spoon: the raisins until they puff up; the almonds to a golden brown; the pumpkin seeds until they pop. If necessary, add enough oil to make 4 tablespoons and fry the tortilla pieces and bread slices until golden brown, about 15 seconds per side; remove from the skillet with a slotted spoon. Add raisins, almonds, pumpkins seeds, tortillas, and bread to the tomatillo puree and blend, using 1 to 2 cups of the reserved chicken broth, as needed, to make a smooth sauce. This may have to be done in batches. In an oven, heat 3 tablespoons of the oil over medium heat. Add the chile puree and the tomatillo puree (be careful — it will splatter). Cook over medium heat for about 15 minutes, stirring often. Add the remaining 5 cups of chicken broth, cook over low heat for an additional 45 minutes, stirring often enough to prevent the mixture from scorching on the bottom. During the last 15 minutes of cooking time, add the parboiled chicken and heat through. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds and serve with white rice.
For more information on the events list and Latinx Heritage Month at CSU, visit elcentro.colostate.edu.