As one of the seven classics, mole coloradito occupies the sweet spot between the bright punch of mole amarillo and the luscious richness of the darker moles. Brick-red in color and somewhat thinner than many other moles, it is straightforward to prepare. This recipe uses only guajillo peppers, a moderately hot chile with thin walls and a smoky, fruity flavor. The sauce is fairly harsh when you first start cooking but becomes smooth and mellow somewhere around the two-hour mark. The finished mole is surprisingly fruity and pairs nicely with cold sauvignon blanc wine.

Coloradito is very versatile when it comes time to serve. Traditionally, it’s ladled over a pork roast, over roasted leg and thigh of chicken, or over enchiladas. In Oaxaca, the sauce is often served with browned cubes of beef. For a vegetarian version, substitute vegetable or mushroom stock for the chicken stock and vegetable shortening for the chicken fat or lard. Serve over steamed new potatoes.

MOLE COLORADITO

We love to simmer walnut-sized meatballs in this sauce and serve with rice grits flecked with finely diced fresh green chile peppers. We buy them from Delta Blues Rice (deltabluesrice.com) in Mississippi. If you don’t have a Mexican grocery store nearby, order avocado leaves (hojas de aguacate) from Mexgrocer.com.

Makes 6 cups

Ingredients

10 dried guajillo chiles, washed
2 pounds ripe tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
6 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon avocado leaves, ground with mortar and pestle
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup sesame seeds
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/2 cup raisins
2 tablespoons chicken fat (or lard/Crisco)
4 cups rich chicken stock

Directions

De-stem chiles and remove seed clusters. Break up the chile bodies and dry-roast in a cast-iron skillet for a few minutes, turning often to keep from burning. Place in bowl and soften covered with boiling water for at least 15 minutes.

Drain chiles and put in a pot with tomatoes, onion, garlic, oregano, avocado leaves, allspice, cinnamon, and black pepper. Add two cups water and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat and purée with stick blender until smooth.

In small cast-iron pan, toast the sesame seeds until they are golden. Stir often to keep them from burning. Set aside to cool. Add sesame oil to same pan and add raisins. Heat until puffed, then remove from heat. Using mortar and pestle, mash the sesame seeds until they are a smooth paste. Add raisins and mash to incorporate. If necessary, place mix in an electric grinder or mini food processor to purée until it becomes a smooth paste.

Combine chile-tomato purée with sesame-raisin paste. In large, heavy-bottomed pot, heat chicken fat until melted. Add combined purées to pot and cook for 10-15 minutes.

Stir in chicken stock and simmer over low heat for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally to keep from sticking. When it’s ready, the mole will have a brick red color and a moderately thick consistency.