Frida Kahlo's Mole recipe has been popularized by visits to her kitchen in Mexico City (La Casa Azul) where her recipe can be found displayed on the wall.
250g1/2 lb. mulato chilies (remove veins and seeds)
350g3/4 lb. pasilla chilies (remove veins and seeds)
350g3/4 lb. ancho chilies (remove veins and seeds)
250g1/2 lb. lard
3medium-sized cloves of garlic peeled
2medium-sized onions diced2 hard tortillas broken into pieces
½dried bolillo like a French bread roll
60g2 oz. raisins
125g1/4 lb. almonds
6tablespoonsof pepitas de calabaza pumpkin seeds
125g1/4 lb. sesame seeds
1teaspoonof anise
2cloves
1stick of cinnamon
1teaspoonof black pepper
3tablets of Mexican chocolate or to taste
150g1/3 lb. tomatoes (peeled and diced)
Salt and sugar to taste
1large turkey cut into pieces and cooked in a soup made with carrots leek, onion, a stick of celery, parsley, a clove of garlic (turkey can be substituted with four chickens)
Instructions
Heat 150 grams (1/3 lb.) of the lard and quickly sauté the chiles. Transfer them to a ceramic pot with boiling water to soften them.
In the same lard, sauté the garlic and onion until golden brown. Add the tortillas, bread, raisins, almonds, pumpkin seeds, and half the sesame seeds, the anise, cloves, cinnamon, black pepper, chocolate, and tomatoes and sauté them well. Add the drained chilies and sauté a few more seconds. Put the entire mixture in a blender with the turkey broth and strain it.
In a large ceramic pot, heat the rest of the lard. Add the sauce and allow the mole sauce to boil for 5 minutes, season with salt and sugar (it should be a little sweet). Add more broth if necessary, it should be a thick sauce. Let it boil for 20 to 25 minutes over a low flame. Add the cooked turkey pieces and let it boil for five minutes more.
Serve it in the same pot with the rest of the sesame seeds toasted and sprinkled on top.
Notes
This recipe may take 6 hours to a full day the first time you make it. It's a great weekend cooking project. With time, as you learn the techniques, you'll probably get it down to a few hours.