Goat Cheese Enchiladas with Homemade Red Mole

Myriad flavors mingle and dance in this delightful remake on a classic Mexican favorite. Chocolate mingles with the smoky tang of ancho chiles, while roasted tomatillos play off of the flavors of anise, cinnamon, and oregano. Both sweet and spicy, this mole is the perfect foil for a filling of tangy goat cheese, corn, pine nuts, and cilantro.


Goat Cheese Enchiladas with Homemade Red Mole
Serves 6

Filling:
11 oz soft fresh goat cheese
1 medium sweet onion, diced into 1/4 inch dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup corn, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup raisins
12 corn tortillas
cooking spray (we use coconut oil)
1 cup Chihuahua cheese
2 cups mole sauce (recipe below)

Preheat the oven to 300ºF
Saute onion in oil over medium heat until transluscent. Add garlic and saute for one minute more, just until softened. Add corn and raisins. Stir until heated through.

Stir onion mixture into goat cheese along with pine nuts and a small handful of the Chihuahua cheese. Add cilantro and mix well.

Rewarm mole sauce over medium to medium-low heat.

Spray each corn tortilla with a coating of oil (alternatively, brush each tortilla lightly with oil), and place on a baking sheet.  Bake at 300º for 4-5 minutes, or until soft and pliable.

Increase heat of oven to 375ºF

Fill each tortilla with 1/4 cup of goat cheese filling.  Roll each enchilada up and place, seam-side down into a 9"x13" baking pan.  Continue filling tortillas until all have been used (or until filling runs out).  Spoon mole sauce atop the tortillas, being sure to cover the edges.  Top with remaining Chihuahua cheese.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until enchiladas are heated through and cheese is melted.

Homemade Red Mole
5 dried ancho dried chiles
1/4 cup raisins
1 T olive oil
1 sweet onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
½ tsp each: cinnamon, ground cloves, ground black pepper, cracked anise seeds, ground chipotle powder
1 tsp dried Mexican oregano
3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
6 large tomatillos, peeled and washed
8 grape tomatoes (or 1 roma tomato, halved)
2 T toasted sesame seeds
1/3 cup toasted pepitas (hulled pumpkin seeds)
1 cup chicken broth
2 T rendered bacon fat
1.5 oz Mexican chocolate, finely chopped

Remove stems and seeds from chiles. Cover in very hot water and soak for approximately 30 minutes or until very soft.  Tip: set a lightweight plate or bowl on top of the chiles to keep them submerged in the water.

While the chiles are softening, preheat your oven’s broiler.
Place tomatillos and grape tomatoes on a baking sheet. Broil for 4-5 minutes until the fruits are blackened.

Flip each fruit over and broil for an additional 3-4 minutes to blacken the other side.Set tomatillos and tomatoes aside.

In a small skillet, sauté onion in olive oil until soft and translucent. Add garlic and sauté for one more minute. Add herbs and spices and cook, stirring constantly, for about 30 seconds.

In a blender, puree tomatillos, grape tomatoes, and onion mixture until very smooth. Scrape mixture out of blender and set aside in a small bowl.

In the same blender jar, place toasted sesame seeds, toasted pepitas, and about half of the chicken broth.Blend mixture until a smooth paste forms, scraping the sides of the jar as needed.Add remainder of chicken broth and puree until well amalgamated.Scrape mixture out of blender and into the bowl with the tomatillo mixture.

Add chiles, soaking liquid, and raisins to the blender jar.Blend until very smooth, scraping the sides down as needed.

Heat bacon fat in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add the tomatillo mixture.Take care, since the mixture will bubble and sputter when added to the hot oil.Allow the mixture to simmer and reduce for 10-15 minutes – or until the mixture darkens and grows thicker. At that point, add the pureed chiles and chocolate to the pan. Continue to cook for an additional 10-15 minutes to blend the flavors. Check for seasonings, adding salt if needed. You may also add a pinch or two of sugar if the sauce needs a bit of balance.

Remove mole from heat. Mole can be used immediately, though the flavors will improve somewhat over time. If not using immediately, the mixture can be stored in a glass container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

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1 comment:

Monet said...

I'm salivating! Goat cheese enchiladas? Delicious. Thanks for sharing!