Tagged With: tacos
Mole Ole! Sauce with Turkey
Mole is a topic that is close to my heart. As a child, my parents took my sister and I for an extended stay in Mexico, where we lived with a host family and attended school for the purpose of learning Spanish. It was there that I had my first taste of mole negro; the “mother sauce” of Mexico. I’ll never forget that first, heady taste of rich chiles with bitter chocolate, at once round and bold and assertive, yet simultaneously beautifully complex and nuanced.
Though I sometimes make a version of the sauce that I first had in the hills of Mexico as a child, the three day commitment it requires is often more than I have to give over to my food fetish! This hearty sauce, using our fantastic Mole Ole blend, incorporates everything that I love about true mole, and satisfies the craving in a way that isn’t to be believed by something this easy. The sweetness of the Ancho and Pasilla Negro chiles in Mole Ole perfectly offsets the bitter tones of the Valrhona cocoa, highlighted by the fragrant top notes of true cinnamon, and supported by nutty sesame seeds. It’s a perfect vehicle for leftover turkey in the days following Thanksgiving, either as filling for tacos, as we’ve pictured, or in enchiladas.
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Ingredients
Instructions
- Heat 2 tablespoons oil until hot but not smoking. Add almonds and toast until golden, about 4 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer them to paper towel–lined plate, reserving the oil.
- Add raisins to oil in skillet and sauté until plump, about 2 minutes. Transfer to paper towel–lined plate, again reserving oil.
- Add onion and garlic and plantain to skillet and sauté until softened, about 5 minutes.
- Add tomatoes and tomatillos to onion and garlic mixture, and simmer over medium-high heat until reduced by half, about ten minutes.
- Transfer almonds and raisins to the tomato mixture along with the Mole Ole spice blend and the challah.
- Working in batches, add mixture to blender and purée until smooth, adding the stock to thin to the desired consistency.
- Return the blended sauce to medium heat, and season to taste with salt, sugar and Chipotle Flakes.
- Simmer over low heat for ten minutes to develop flavors. Add the cooked, shredded turkey meat, and toss to coat in the sauce. Use to fill enchiladas, tacos, burritos, or to top nachos.
Yucatan Rojo Fish Tacos
I don’t know about you, but this sunshine activates my wanderlust something fierce! Long days, hot sun… I crave a remote beach and what I like to call “barefoot cuisine.” Near the top of my travel list is a combination yoga and surfing retreat on Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula… As a mum, a student, and a spice merchant, my travel budget is limited, so I have to rely on the transportive quality of food, for the time being. These tacos do just the trick! Far from the oily, breaded fish tacos you’ve had before, these are perfect summer fare, getting their flavor from beautiful swordfish, the smoke of the grill, and the tangy, complex flavor of World Spices’ Yucatan Rojo BBQ Rub. The creamy and crunchy slaw and the crisp, spicy pickled vegetables are refreshing in their acidity, and a perfect complement to the dense corn tortillas. Garnish with plenty of fresh cilantro, and if you’ve got them, slices of buttery avocado. With my eyes closed and taco in hand, the Yucatan Peninsula comes to me!
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Ingredients
Instructions
- Cut fish into 1 inch strips. Toss the fish and the rub into a Ziploc bag, making sure that the fish is covered with the spice. Refrigerate overnight.
- Combine all of the ingredients for the pickled veggies together in a covered container, and let them marinate overnight in the refrigerator.
- Combine all of the ingredients for the slaw together in a large bowl. Taste for seasoning (you might want to add more salt). Transfer into a covered container and refrigerate.
- Season the fish with salt and a squeeze of lime, and grill quickly over high heat, lightly brushing with a little oil once the pieces have been flipped.
- Heat the tortillas on both sides on the grill. Put a spoonful of slaw on the tortilla, then some grilled fish, then top with the pickled veggies, sliced avocado and tomatoes.
- Enjoy!
