Recipe of the week: Pistachio green mole
Mole comes from the Nahuatl word mol-li, which means salsa or sauce. Many think of mole poblano (or "the chocolate sauce") as the only kind of mole, but there are hundreds of moles that vary widely in style.
Saying mole is like saying curry, it depends where you are, the local ingredients of that place, and the specific time of year. What all moles have in common is their celebratory connotation. There are moles made for the weekly family lunch, while others are for special events. For example, when someone gets married, the entire family comes together to make the mole days prior to the wedding.
Serves 4-6
For the squash 6-8 courgettes or any variety of summer squashes, cut into wedges
Extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Salt and black pepper
For the mole 4tbs grapeseed oil
1 small garlic clove, sliced
¼ small white onion, roughly chopped
1 poblano chile, sliced
1 fresh güero chile (or other yellow chile, such as banana pepper or New Mexico yellow), sliced
150g finely diced tomatillos
150ml water
125g roasted pistachios
15g fresh coriander leaves
2 hoja santa leaves
½ cup baby spinach leaves
Salt
For serving 20g assorted greens, such as coriander leaves, cilantro blossoms, amaranth leaves, or purslane
320g white rice
Fresh tortillas
Cook the squashes
Preheat the oven to 180°C. Arrange the squashes on a baking sheet. Drizzle with the olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast until lightly browned, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the mole
In a medium pot, heat the grapeseed oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook until translucent, about five minutes. Add the chiles and cook until soft, about five minutes. Add the tomatillos and cook until soft, 5-8 minutes. Add the water and the pistachios and simmer for five minutes. Remove from the heat and transfer to a blender along with the coriander, hoja santa, and spinach. Blend until smooth, about three minutes. Season with salt to taste. Refrigerate leftover mole in an airtight container for up to one week. To reheat, add a bit of water and warm in a pot over medium heat.
To serve
Serve the mole warm with the roasted squashes and topped with the fresh greens. Serve with rice and tortillas.
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