Sweet and Savory Mole Sauce
I've been on a quest to create a mole sauce that packs a punch, but that is simple to assemble. You won't find any butter or chocolate bars in this recipe-- I'd rather save that for a yummy dessert. The sauce is great for a make ahead meal, and is so versatile that you can just add it to shredded chicken, pork, tofu or any protein you like to create tacos, lettuce wraps (my personal favorite!), sandwiches, enchiladas... you get the idea.
- 1 Tbs. olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion (or 1/2 of a large one), finely chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 1 Anaheim pepper, cleaned of seeds and diced
- 1 lime, for juice
- 1 6 oz. can of tomato paste
- 12 oz. water (fill the tomato paste can twice)
- 28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
- 3 Tbs. unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 Tbs. organic sugar
- 1 Tbs. cumin
- 1-2 Tbs. Hot Sauce (your favorite kind! heat level up to you)
- 1/2 Tbs. onion powder
- 1 tsp. salt
Directions:
1. In a sauce pot or medium Dutch oven, heat olive oil over medium heat, and sweat onion and garlic until translucent.
2. Add the Anaheim pepper and lime juice. Stir and continue to cook on medium heat for about 5 minutes.
3. Stir in tomato paste. Refill the tomato paste can with water and add to the mix, repeat (add 12 oz water total). Stir in crushed tomatoes. Mix all ingredients well.
4. Add cocoa powder, sugar, hot sauce, cumin, onion powder and salt. Stir so all ingredients are fully incorporated.
5. Allow to simmer on low heat for 20 minutes.
6. If you like a chunkier sauce, skip this step. If you like a smooth sauce, use a hand immersion blender, or transfer sauce to a food processor, or conventional blender and blend until smooth. This might take a couple of batches to complete.