Enmoladas de Queso

This time of year, I often find myself craving the warm smell of a bubbling pot of homemade mole. A quintessential part of Mexican cuisine with pre-Columbian roots, mole is made in a spectrum of different colors, from black to bright green, with the most famous varieties coming from the states of Oaxaca and Puebla. In this recipe dried chilies are blended with sweet pumpkin and roasted peanuts to create a velvety rich sauce which is then smothered over tortillas rolled with melty cheese.

Ingredients:

6 dried ancho chiles, stems and seeds removed

1 white onion, quartered

4 garlic cloves, whole

5 whole allspice berries

3 whole cloves

¼ cup roasted peanuts

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree, (see notes)

3 to 4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

2 tablespoons raw or demerara sugar

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Salt

Avocado oil or canola oil

12 corn tortillas

10 to 12 ounces queso Oaxaca, (see notes)

¼ cotija cheese, crumbled

Pepitas

Fresh cilantro

Directions:

Heat a cast-iron skillet or comal over medium heat. Place the chilies in the dry skillet and toast for about 1 minute per side, being careful not to burn. Transfer toasted chiles to a bowl and cover with boiling water, keeping submerged until soft, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, add the onion wedges and the whole garlic cloves to the skillet. Cook, turning occasionally, until lightly charred on all sides. Be extra careful not to burn the garlic cloves. Place charred onions and garlic in a blender and set aside. Next, place the whole allspice berries and cloves in the skillet. Toast spices until fragrant, about 1 minute, then add to the blender with the onions. Drain the chiles, reserving the liquid. Add the chiles to the blender along with the peanuts, cinnamon, pumpkin puree, 1 cup of the chicken stock, and a ½ cup of the chili soaking water. Blend on high, or in pulses, until mixture is a smooth puree.

Pour the mole base into a large pot and mix in 2 more cups of the chicken stock. Set pot over medium-high heat and bring to a boil then reduce the heat to maintain a steady simmer. Add the sugar, apple cider vinegar, and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, to allow the flavors to meld together. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding more salt or sugar as needed. If your mole gets too thick add more chicken stock as needed. Take off heat and set aside while preparing to assemble the enmoladas.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a skillet, heat a couple tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, quickly fry the tortillas, one at a time, until soft, about 10 to 15 seconds per side. Add more oil to the pan as needed. Use tongs to remove fried tortillas, stacking them on a paper towel lined plate. Be careful not to tear the tortillas. Set aside. Next, use your fingers to shred the queso Oaxaca into long strips.

Spread a generous ladle of the mole in the bottom of a 9- by 13-inch baking dish. Working one at a time, place several strips of the queso Oaxaca down the center of a tortilla. Carefully, roll from the side closest to you, tightly packing the filling to make a cigar shape. Place the enmolada seam side down in the pan and then repeat with the remaining tortillas to fill the pan. Ladle another cup of the mole, or more over the top, making sure the sauce gets in between and all around each enmolada. You will likely have leftover sauce. Sprinkle the cotija and a handful of the pepitas over the top of the sauce. Cover pan with foil and bake in heated oven for 20 minutes. Remove the foil and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes until bubbling. Sprinkle top with fresh cilantro and serve with favorite toppings such as sour cream, pickled red onions, or sliced radishes.

Notes:

Instead of canned pumpkin puree you could make your own. Toss about 6 cups of peeled and cubed pumpkin and roast at 375 degrees on a parchment lined sheet pan until tender. Cool slightly then pulse in a food processor until smooth, adding a splash of water if needed. Use 2 cups of the puree for the recipe.

Queso Oaxaca is a semi-hard cows-milk cheese that pulls into stingy strips and melts beautifully. You can often find it sold in round packages at larger groceries in the same section as other Mexican style cheeses. If you cannot find it you can substitute with another melty cheese such as part-skim mozzarella cheese, or even Monterey Jack. In place of the cotija you could substitute grated Parmesan.

Enjoy!