This dish on the right was a first try at making a mole sauce for a what are calling "Mexican Lasagna." Jess and I braised off a nice pork butt in beer and chicken stock. We browned off the meat on all sides until it was very dark, pulled out the meat, added diced onions, deglazed the pan with the lager, put the pork back in with the chicken stock and simmered for 5 hours, and by that point it was falling off the bone.
Before we ever started the pork, we prepared the mole. Having never made mole before, it revealed itself as a greater challenge than first anticipated. We started by re-hydrating all the dried Mexican chillies while at the same time sweating our onions, bell peppers, habeneros, tomatoes, poblanos, dried spices, and garlic. The difficult problem is cooking this down into a paste without burning the ingredients. Throughout the cooking process begin to incorporate the chocolate, toasted pumpkin seeds, and a little water from time to time to release anything that could potentially burn. This will release everything off the bottom and the water will evaporate quickly. Once the sauces is a deep brown color and rich in flavor, remove it from the heat.
Once the pork is done braising, pull out the meat and reduce the remaining liquid until there is a about a 2 cups left. Add this stock to the mole and blend the two together in a food processor or blender. Make sure the consistency is correct, should be similar to gravy. Season with salt and pepper. Pull the pork once it is cool enough.
Time to make the lasagna. Grab a casserole dish, and ladle some mole into the bottom. Add a layer of corn tortillas. and then a layer of puller pork. You can add sliced onions, cheese, mushrooms, roasted peppers, corn, poblanos, zucchini, yellow squash, and many other ingredients insides. Keep layering until you reach the top of the casserole dish and then smoother the top with mole. Bake in the oven at 350 for 45 minutes and its ready to eat.
Before we ever started the pork, we prepared the mole. Having never made mole before, it revealed itself as a greater challenge than first anticipated. We started by re-hydrating all the dried Mexican chillies while at the same time sweating our onions, bell peppers, habeneros, tomatoes, poblanos, dried spices, and garlic. The difficult problem is cooking this down into a paste without burning the ingredients. Throughout the cooking process begin to incorporate the chocolate, toasted pumpkin seeds, and a little water from time to time to release anything that could potentially burn. This will release everything off the bottom and the water will evaporate quickly. Once the sauces is a deep brown color and rich in flavor, remove it from the heat.
Once the pork is done braising, pull out the meat and reduce the remaining liquid until there is a about a 2 cups left. Add this stock to the mole and blend the two together in a food processor or blender. Make sure the consistency is correct, should be similar to gravy. Season with salt and pepper. Pull the pork once it is cool enough.
Time to make the lasagna. Grab a casserole dish, and ladle some mole into the bottom. Add a layer of corn tortillas. and then a layer of puller pork. You can add sliced onions, cheese, mushrooms, roasted peppers, corn, poblanos, zucchini, yellow squash, and many other ingredients insides. Keep layering until you reach the top of the casserole dish and then smoother the top with mole. Bake in the oven at 350 for 45 minutes and its ready to eat.
Ingredients:
Mole-
onions
poblanos
gualijo
habeneros
jalapenos
various dried peppers
pumpkin seeds
garlic
tomatoes
chocolate
thyme
oregano (Mexican)
bay leaf
cumin
clove
nutmeg
We should apologize for leading you all on and lying, we are keeping the dog, but we still don't like him
Pork:
1 pork butt
2 onions
2 beers (for deglazing)
1 qt. chicken stock
salt and pepper
Garnishes:
salsa
guacamole
sour cream
queso fresco
chives
cilantro
shredded red cabbage
radishes
