Dia de Los Muertos Mole de Olla con Pollo y Chorizo

Dia de los Muertos Mole de Olla con Pollo y Chorizo

Dia de los Muertos, Day of the Dead, is a uniquely Mexican holiday that celebrates the lives of the dead on the 1st and 2nd of November every year. The origins are attributed to Aztec animist beliefs combined with Catholicism, the dates coinciding with the Catholic All Saints Day and All Souls Day. Contrary to what you may think, Dia de Los Muertos is a joyous familial occasion that is celebrated with food, drink, music, and entertainment in homes and in grave yards throughout Mexico, Latin America, and in parts of North America where there are Latin American communities.

The imagery of vividly decorated skulls (calaveras) and dancing skeletons (calacas) associated with Dia de los Muertos was popularized by Mexico’s most famous graphic artist Jose Guadalupe Posada in the mid 1800’s. His work influenced a whole new generation of famous Mexican muralists and painters that followed him including Diago Rivera, Jose Clemente Orozco, and Frida Kahlo.

Popular Dia de Los Muertos foods include typical Mexican favorites that are prepared ahead of the celebrations and served throughout the day and night, and often into the wee hours of the morning. Frijoles de olla and moles de Olla, are popular clay pot meals that include various meats, vegetables, chiles, and of course beans. Typically cooked over a fire or slowly braised in the oven as I have done for the recipe that follows. The mole is then tucked into warm tortillas,  topped with picante salsas, and served with a chunky guacamole. Essentially you have a hearty meal in hand and the mole de olla will hold up until the last of the revelers eventually wend their way home as the sun rises!

For some more Dia de Los Muertos recipes, click on the following links. 

Sopa de Maize y chile Verde con Pollo (click here) 

Mexican Roasted Pumpkin Soup; sopa de Calabezza (click here)

Dia de Los Muertos   Mole de Olla con Pollo y Chorizo          Serves 6 to 8

• 2 pounds skinless chicken breasts, sliced into plump strips
• 2 pounds Mexican chorizo, divided 
• 3 tablespoons olive oil + more as needed
• 3 large onions, peeled, quartered and thinly sliced
• 2 large green bell peppers, seeded and cut into strips
• 2 red bell pepper, seeded and cut into strips
• 4 to 6 green or ripe red jalapeno chiles, seeded and cut into strips
• 8 garlic cloves, peeled and thinly sliced
• 4 ribs celery, diced 
• 1½ teaspoon toasted cumin seeds
• 1 ½ teaspoons dried Mexican oregano
• 1 teaspoon dried marjoram leaves
• 1 cup tequila
• 6 cups cooked black beans (or canned)
• 1 quart hot chicken stock
• 2 tablespoons pure ground red chile powder
• pinch of ground clove
• salt to taste
• chopped cilantro leaves
• flour tortillas, warmed
• fresh crumbled cotija cheese (or mild feta)
• fresh cilantro leaves
• chunky guacamole

Choose a large wide pan with a lid that will fit on the oven wrack set in the middle positioned of the oven.

Preheat the oven to 325 f/ 160 c

Place the pan on the stove top over medium high flame. When the pan is hot add some oil. When the oil is nearly smoking add the chicken pieces and seer until the chicken is nicely browned and releases from the pan easily. Turn the chicken and seer until nicely browned. Remove the chicken from the pan and set aside on a large platter.

Add the chorizo to the pan and seer until the skin is deeply browned and releases easily from the pan. Turn the chorizo and seer until deeply browned. Remove the chorizo from the pan and place it in the platter with the chicken.

Add a little more oil to the pan if needed. When nearly smoking add the onions and saute while deglazing the pan as the onions begin to soften. Promptly add the green and red bell pepper and saute until the onions and peppers have wilted. Add the garlic and celery and cook another two or three minutes. Then add the jalapenos and saute while tossing until the contents are evenly combined.

Pour in the tequila and stir continuously until the tequila is nearly absorbed into the vegetable mixture. Add the cumin seeds, oregano, and marjoram and toss until evenly distributed into the mixture.

At this point return the browned chicken and chorizo to the pan and add the beans. Stir to combine and then add the stock to just cover and stir. Cover the pan with the lid and place it in the center of the oven. Braise for 1 hour undisturbed.

Open the oven and transfer the pan to the stove top. Remove the lid and stir in the red chile powder, ground clove, and chopped cilanto . Stir to combine and then season with salt to taste. If the mole is looking dry add more stock as needed.

Cover the [pan and return it to the oven to keep warm while warm the flour tortillas, assemble assorted salsas, and make the chunky guacamole.

Serving:

Stack the warmed tortillas in a basket lined with a kitchen towel to keep them warm.

Place your salsas of choice on the table along with the guacamole.

Remove the pan from the oven.

Place a warm tortilla on a plate and spoon a generous portion of the mole de olla just off center. Scatter some crumbled cotija cheese, or feta, over the meats and vegetables and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves. Serve open faced so salsa can be added before folding the tortilla for eating.

The beauty of the chunky guacamole is it is easily forked and eaten along with bites of the filled tortilla.

Chunky guacamole

• 4 Haas (bumpy skinned) ripe avocados
• 1 onion, peeled and finely diced
• 2 to 4 serrano chiles, stem and seeds removed, and minced
• 1 teaspoon sea salt + more to taste
• 1/3 cup freshly chopped cilantro leaves
• fresh lime juice to taste
• olive oil for drizzling

Slice the avocados in half lengthwise and remove the pits. Crosshatch each half of the avocado and then slice the hatches in half lengthwise. Gently remove the chunks of avocado and place them in a chilled bowl.

Place the diced onions, minced serrano chiles, and sea salt in a mortar. Crush and grind the ingredients with the pestle into a moist paste.

Scrape the paste over the avocado chunks and add the chopped cilantro leaves. Spritz fresh lime juice over all and then drizzle with just a little olive oil. Toss gently until the paste is evenly spread over the avocado chunks. Taste and add more salt and lime juice to taste.

Chill the chunky guacamole until just before serving.