How much do I miss Mexico?

monte alban

I miss Mexico so much that I made manchamanteles. Usually translated as ‘tablecloth stainer’ it is one of the famous seven moles of Oaxaca, deliciously evocative of that wonderful place though something of a job to make. With onion, garlic, sesame, cloves, allspice, pecans, almonds, prunes, cinnamon, oregano, bananas, pineapple and a big pile of chilis there is a lot of flavor in this sauce. I like the version in Susanna Trilling’s “Seasons of My Heart” cookbook, a great guide to Oaxacan cooking. All the ingredients are toasted or fried and ground or blended and by the time I was done I decided it should be called ‘ensuciacocinas’ (roughly, ‘befoul kitchens). When the various components are all combined the result boils and bloops like lava sending molten blobs around the stove and cook. It was all worth it, the balance of chilis, spices and fruit making for a memorable coating for one of our fat chickens.

In Oaxaca one can buy premixed moles in the market but locals are somewhat dismissive of their quality ( so who buys them? ) and very proud of their own versions. One time I was packing to come back to the States when a knock at the door proved to be our friend Jaime with a big tupperware of his granny’s mole for me to bring home. Mmmm.

the view from Yagul, Oax.

Another visit there I was buying chilis at the market, chilcostles, amarillos, pasillas, etc., and ended up behind a local woman who was stocking up for making a mole for a family reunion at which she’d be feeding more than a hundred. The ingredients filled two large grain sacks and required the services of a porter to get to her car and that was just the spices and chilis. Her care and precision about every aspect of the ingredients was an inspiration to me and I always think of her when I make a mole.