EAT

Mole - the great sauce of Mexico

M ole (pronounced moh-LAY) is one of those flavors that once you've tasted you never forget. For those of us north of the U.S./Mexican border, the deep red/brown sauce is known predominately as mole poblano, which tra- ditionally hails from the Puebla region of Mexico. Known as the national dish of Mexico, this deli- cious rich sauce is historically served over roasted turkey though with variations you will also find it dressing pork, chicken, goat and even red snapper.

One of the difficulties of nailing down a good basic recipe for a "traditional" mole poblano is that every family has its own secret variations on a standard base. In my travels throughout Mexico I found one brilliant example after another - each one slightly different and sworn by the chef, usu- ally the mom or grandmother - that theirs is the perfect and traditional mole and they don't cede an inch when it comes to talking about other family's mole recipes.

Add another point of confusion about what mole is! There are many kinds of mole - the deep chili/ chocolaty brown sauces like poblano, negro and mancha manteles, the vibrant fresh green sauces like the verde and pipian, and even some pink sauces known in Oaxaca as mole rose. One thing that all moles have in common is they are intensely concentrated and complex, their blend of flavors spinning wildly from one extreme to another.

In Waitsburg at the small taqueria La Monarca on Main Street, chef and owner Jose Reyes makes two moles - a mole poblano (red) and a mole verde (green), both from scratch. It takes two full days to create his mole pastes, which he does in small batches.

When it is time to prepare a mole dish, stock is added to the paste to layer in even more flavor and body. This kind of dedication to his craft is immediately apparent when you taste the amazing layers riddling each bite. The vast majority of Mexican restaurants use pre-made moles that don't showcase what an incredible sauce this is - often making the diner walk away very dissatisfied. Not Jose! No way!

Chef Reyes' mole poblano is based on the traditional dried pasilla ancho, chili California, and negro etero chilis. Add to that onions, garlic, tomatoes, sesame, peanuts, masa, Mexican choco- late and a slew of family secrets and you have a wonderful and traditional sauce that cannot be replicated from any store-bought jar or can.

The green mole verde at La Monarca is awe- some not only for its vibrant flavors, but the fact that you can find this sauce north of the border at all is a bit of a minor miracle. Based on green tomatoes, tomatillos, spinach, cilantro and chives, al- monds, sesame seeds and again - the pesky family secrets - this sauce adorns La Monarca's signature green mole chicken. The freshness explodes on your palate with each bite.

Mole has also been adopted in an extremely thinned form as what we know today as the en- chilada sauce that is found in most American/ Mexican restaurants. In Mexico it is known as mole coloradito and when made fresh is a beautiful sauce. While not one of the deep and brooding moles, it derives its roots from the traditions of that noble sauce and can be delicious when made properly from scratch.

Just to dispel a misunderstanding that I've en- countered several times, guacamole is NOT a mole sauce though tradition in Oaxaca shows that it grew up side by side with early examples of mole verde and was served atop fresh hot masa tortillas with the sauce to lend a little acidic bite to the rich fattiness of the avocado slurry. Hence the suffix mole was added as a dish name to the term guaca - or avaocado.

Check out the mole dishes at La Monarca. You'll be glad you did. Better yet - make your order to go and have some well macerated home-made sangria with the mole poblano or an ice cold margarita fresca with the mole verde. Delicious every time!