David Lebovitz's Awesome Chocolate Mole

From David Lebovitz's The Sweet Life in Paris

Printable Recipe

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes

Makes 1 quart/litre

Ingredients:
10 dried ancho or poblano chilies ( don’t be afraid – remember the larger the chili the milder the heat. These are 2/10 hot. I used Pasilla Negre the first time and it was awesome. Just ask for mild if you can’t find these.)

¾ cup raisins
3 oz/85g unsweetened chocolate, chopped
1¼ cup water or chicken stock (I used the stock from the chicken I was cooking for the best Chicken Mole I’ve had since falling in love with it in Can Cun).
1 tbsp canola or other neutral-flavored oil
1 large onion, peeled & chopped
3 large garlic cloves, peeled & thinly sliced
3 tbsp sesame seeds (plus a few for garnish)
¾ cup sliced almonds, toasted
3 tomatoes, peeled, seeded & chopped (I used 1½ cups – 375ml - canned roasted tomatoes & the juice)
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground cloves
½ tsp dried oregano
½ tsp ground cumin
½ tsp ground coriander seeds
½ tsp ground anise seeds
1 ½ tsp coarse sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
½ - 1 tsp chili powder

Directions:
1. Remove the stems from the dried chilies. Slice them in half length-wise and scrape out most of the seeds. Put the chilies in a nonreactive pot, cover with water, set a small plate on top to keep the chilies submerged, and simmer for 10 minutes or until the peppers are tender. Remove the pot from the heat and allow to stand until cool.

2. Put the raisins and chocolate in a blender (Since I made it at my daughter’s and couldn’t find the blender, I used a food processor which worked fine). Heat the water or broth and pour into the blender mixture. Let stand for a few minutes to soften the chocolate.

3. In the meantime, heat the oil in a nonstick skillet over medium heat and sauté the onions until limp and translucent (about 5-8 minutes). Add the garlic and cook a few more minutes, stirring frequently. Don’t let the garlic turn brown or it will be bitter.

4. Drain the chillies and add them to the blender along with the onion and garlic, sesame seeds, almonds, tomatoes, all the spices, salt & pepper. Puree until smooth. Taste and add more salt, pepper and chili powder if you like.

The sauce can be stored up to 5 days in the fridge or frozen for up to three months in a freezer bag.