Oaxaca, the State and the City
Oaxaca is one of the most visited states in Mexico. It is home to beautiful countryside, the ruins of Monte Albán, cascades of clear rivers, handmade pottery, colorful painted sculptures, and unique foods like Molé. This is the foodie capital of Mexico. The markets feature dozens of molé pastes for sale, in flavors ranging from red chile with peanuts, to cocoa flavored, to yellow pepitas ground up with dried jalapenos. If you ask, you can have a little taste on the end of a toothpick. That will give you a good idea how your molé will taste later when you've blended the paste with broth.
The history of Molé is the stuff of legend, and like legends, the truth is but a small part of the story. Molé sauce was invented by nuns who had very little food but were tasked with entertaining a powerful Bishop. They killed a turkey and baked the breast but they needed a sauce of some kind because turkey breast is so dry. They roasted and ground up leftover corn tortillas and chile with herbs, and other spices from their meager garden. They added oil and some chicken broth and stirred it down to a thick aromatic sauce. The Bishop was ecstatic. It was the best thing he'd ever eaten. The idea of molé spread from there but molés from Oaxaca are still the most famous. In some stories the nuns lived in Puebla, and they were entertaining the Pope himself. Some of the truth is that the word molé came from an Aztec word, mólli, that also meant sauce. So nuns inventing that sauce is a bit of a stretch no matter how much they had to stretch their food to accommodate a Bishop!
Though molé is usually a lot of stuff ground together, you can also make molé with just a food processor and no paste at all. Green moles have a base of tomatillos, available in most grocery stores. This is my favorite recipe, taught to me by one of the best cooks in Mexico. I use it for chicken or pork, but the sauce is also yummy on eggs and potatoes.
The history of Molé is the stuff of legend, and like legends, the truth is but a small part of the story. Molé sauce was invented by nuns who had very little food but were tasked with entertaining a powerful Bishop. They killed a turkey and baked the breast but they needed a sauce of some kind because turkey breast is so dry. They roasted and ground up leftover corn tortillas and chile with herbs, and other spices from their meager garden. They added oil and some chicken broth and stirred it down to a thick aromatic sauce. The Bishop was ecstatic. It was the best thing he'd ever eaten. The idea of molé spread from there but molés from Oaxaca are still the most famous. In some stories the nuns lived in Puebla, and they were entertaining the Pope himself. Some of the truth is that the word molé came from an Aztec word, mólli, that also meant sauce. So nuns inventing that sauce is a bit of a stretch no matter how much they had to stretch their food to accommodate a Bishop!
Though molé is usually a lot of stuff ground together, you can also make molé with just a food processor and no paste at all. Green moles have a base of tomatillos, available in most grocery stores. This is my favorite recipe, taught to me by one of the best cooks in Mexico. I use it for chicken or pork, but the sauce is also yummy on eggs and potatoes.
Malena Martinez’ Green Chicken Mole
1 kilo of chicken pieces, skin on
1 kilo of tomatillos, size doesn’t matter, peel off the light skin
Epazote, 4 stems (Mexican herb available fresh or dried in Mexican groveries)
½ normal bunch of cilantro (fresh coriander), washed
2 leaves of endive lettuce or 2 leaves of green cabbage
1 t. cumin (powdered)
Garlic, 4 cloves
Onion, ½ white, chopped
Pepitas, raw, about ½ cup (pumpkin seeds)
Salt, less than 1 T.
2 large rectangles of KNORR chicken boullion or Caldo
1 med. chile verde or a small jalapeno
Boil the tomatillos whole with the chile verde.
Separately boil the chicken pieces (with extra onion and garlic) in just enough water to cover
After 15-20 minutes…..
Put the chopped onion in a blender with garlic, lettuce, herbs, cilantro, cumin, and some of the chicken broth
Pour the blended stuff into a deep skillet with a little oil, heat to simmer
Blend the cooked tomatillos and pepitas with broth and process in the blender. Add to the herb mix in the skillet. Add the Knorr boullion and then cook about 15 minutes until it thickens. Taste and add salt if needed. Pour over the boiled chicken pieces and serve with rice and refried beans.
1 kilo of chicken pieces, skin on
1 kilo of tomatillos, size doesn’t matter, peel off the light skin
Epazote, 4 stems (Mexican herb available fresh or dried in Mexican groveries)
½ normal bunch of cilantro (fresh coriander), washed
2 leaves of endive lettuce or 2 leaves of green cabbage
1 t. cumin (powdered)
Garlic, 4 cloves
Onion, ½ white, chopped
Pepitas, raw, about ½ cup (pumpkin seeds)
Salt, less than 1 T.
2 large rectangles of KNORR chicken boullion or Caldo
1 med. chile verde or a small jalapeno
Boil the tomatillos whole with the chile verde.
Separately boil the chicken pieces (with extra onion and garlic) in just enough water to cover
After 15-20 minutes…..
Put the chopped onion in a blender with garlic, lettuce, herbs, cilantro, cumin, and some of the chicken broth
Pour the blended stuff into a deep skillet with a little oil, heat to simmer
Blend the cooked tomatillos and pepitas with broth and process in the blender. Add to the herb mix in the skillet. Add the Knorr boullion and then cook about 15 minutes until it thickens. Taste and add salt if needed. Pour over the boiled chicken pieces and serve with rice and refried beans.
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Carved and painted animals in Oaxaca
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The indigenous people of Oaxaca make beautiful pottery using the ancient coiled clay method.
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Monte Albán, the capital of the great Zapotec empire, now one of Mexico's more famous and frequently visited ancient sites.
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