Recipe: Mole Amarillo

A traditional Mexican sauce from chef Hugo Ortega, owner of the Houston hotspot Hugo's. 

       
Mole Amarillo
Yield: 10 qt.
Shelf life: 5 days

Ingredients:

44 gr. seeded dried yellow chilhuacle peppers
40 gr. seeded yellow costeño pepper
400 gr. vegetable oil, divided
900 gr. white onion, chopped
90 gr. whole garlic cloves
850 gr. carrot, thinly sliced
2 gr. allspice berries
1 gr. whole cloves
1 gr. whole cumin seeds
2 gr. dried oregano
200 gr. sesame seeds
1,000 gr. tomatillos criollo
2,500 gr. yellow tomatoes
100 gr. hoja santa leaves, chopped
2,000 gr. water
100 gr. vegetable base
70 gr. Oaxacan sea salt
300 gr. unsalted butter
7.5 kg seeded yellow bell peppers

Directions:

Pre-heat oven to 300°F with fan on.  Lay chilhuacle and costeño peppers on sheet pans in a single layer, place in oven and cook for 5 minutes or until nicely toasted but not burned. Place in a container and cover with hot water to soak for 30 minutes.

Preheat a skillet over medium heat, add 200 grams oil and heat. Add onion and garlic and cook for 2 minutes or until onion is translucent. Add carrots and cook for 2 minutes. Add spices and cook for 30 seconds. Add tomatillos and tomatoes, cook for 3 minutes or until tomatillos start changing in color. Allow to cool down. Blend with roasted chilhuacle and costeño peppers until smooth consistency adding water as needed. Set aside until needed.

Place yellow bell peppers in a clean blender and puree to smooth consistency.  Set aside.

Heat a large casserole over medium heat, add remaining oil and heat. Add all blended ingredients and mix well.  Lower the heat and cook for 20 minutes on low heat, stirring constantly to avoid sticking on the bottom of the pot. Add vegetable base and mix well. Add hoja santa, mix well and cook for 5 minutes.  

Once mole is ready, allow to cool down a little bit. Blend mole again in a few batches while still hot-warm. Add butter to each batch and blend until smooth consistency. Mole will change to a brighter color. Place in a container and cool properly.

To reheat mole:

Place in a sauce pot over low heat and then keep hot in a bain marie. If mole breaks, reincorporate with hand blender. Do not microwave. 

    
For more info:

• Hugo's, Houston

         
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