South of the Border (Washington Times Rips AMLO)

The Washington Times ^ | August 23, 2006 | Washington Times

[StJacques]

"It is REALLY irritating that there is so little English language news out there on Mexico."

Don't worry, I've got your back BunnySlippers. :-)

[BunnySlippers]

Just as soon as I put something in my anxious and empty stomach that is.

Why don't you whip up some of that Mole de Guajolote! That should take you about half a day. Haha!

That was the first mole I ever made but have made mole on many occasions since ... just not for turkey again.

GOBBLE GOBBLE ...

[StJacques]

"Why don't you whip up some of that Mole de Guajolote! That should take you about half a day. Haha!"

It takes me a minimum of ten hours from start to finish to prepare a true Mole, a dish I consider to be an art form more than I do a recipe.

I just cannot get the selection of fresh chili peppers I need to make a good Mole here in Lafayette, Louisiana nor can I get the kind of unsweetened chocolate I prefer to use as well. The last couple of times I have made a true Mole have been when I returned from visiting my brother and sister, both of whom live in Houston, when I had the opportunity to go to a couple of Mexican markets. I really like having at least six kinds of peppers, both fully ripened and still green -- which really means "12 kinds of peppers," and the list must include hard-to-find AND high quality chili arbol and poblanos (both red and green), as well as the "hot" versions of the Santa Fe chilis (the ones I see around here are too sweet with no kick), and at least a couple others for variety beyond the jalapeños and serranos I can get here. The real trick is knowing how to select those chilis which are both "hot and sweet" (esp. the Santa Fe and green chili arbol) and frying them in oil to boost their kick, while taking those that are the hottest and steaming or using them fresh to moderate their impact. As it was explained to me in Puebla you take the hottest and tone them down, you take the mildest and beef them up. And you must start out with fresh uncooked sesame seeds. But the really big secret is knowing how to remove the seeds without removing the "seed pulp" on the interior of the pepper (this "tones it down" and permits you to use more peppers for a full-bodied flavor) and using South American unsweetened chocolate, like the Colombian "Luker" or "La Rosa" varieties that really are superb.

And if you don't have really good beer on hand it's not even worth the trouble to start.

[rhinohunter]

Do you remember the names of the markets in Houston where you obtained your ingredients?

BTW...many thanks for the ongoing Obragore news. I've gotten to where I search your posts everyday to get the latest news. MSM is worthless.

[BunnySlippers]

You will find my name in this cookbook and a couple of others:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/000215949X/sr=8-1/qid=1156480453/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-3372779-6732818?ie=UTF8

What I am doing in Mexico if often cooking ... often in small Indian towns.

[VeniVidiVici]

In the more than three weeks since the firebrand populist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador began his protests in Mexico City

Geez, if one more reporter calls these Latin American communists "firebrand" one more time, I'm going to puke.