Warm Your Winter Days with Mexican Mole

It's cold out there, and it's supposed to get even colder this weekend -- single digits! Hot chocolate is one of my favorite winter drinks, but even better than that is a savory chocolate sauce you can EAT. Is there anything better, I ask you? I think not.

Mole (moe-LAY) is a rich Mexican sauce, usually served on chicken over rice. The chocolate flavor is very subtle in this dish, but it does the trick: warm, comforting, nutty, with a sweet chocolate finish.


The timing on this dish is very important. I recommend having all your ingredients chopped and laid out beforehand to add to the pan as needed. I usually freeze the leftovers in an ice cube tray to use for single servings later.

Mole Enchiladas at South Restaurant in Leavenworth. 

Photo by Richard Uhlhorn

Mole de Oaxaca

Contributed to Savoring Leavenworth: Pairing Local Wines with Regional Recipes for Leavenworth, Peshastin and Cashmere (available for purchase on Nov. 25!) by Cappy Bond & Price Gledhill, South Restaurant

Prep time: 30 minutes
Cook time: 45 minutes
Serves: 6-8

5 ancho chilies (dried)
10 pasilla chilies (dried)
15 guajillo chilies (dried)
1/2 cup olive oil, divided
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup almonds
1/4 cup sesame seeds
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 stick cinnamon
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 piece Mexican egg bread, torn into pieces
1 plantain, or banana, sliced
2 tomatoes, cut in half
4-1/4 cups chicken broth, divided
1/2 cup Mexican chocolate, chopped
1 lb. boneless chicken breasts, grilled or broiled

Clean the outside of the chilies with a damp cloth. Use scissors to cut off the stems and cut up the side of the chilies to remove the seeds and veins.

Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a pan and fry the chilies until they begin to darken and become crispy. Place them in a bowl lined with paper towels.

In the same pan, heat the raisins until they puff up and start to brown. Remove them from the pan. Add the almonds and fry until they start to brown. Add the sesame seeds, ground clove, cinnamon, and garlic and cook until the almonds are a dark brown. Remove from the pan. Add the bread and fry until the remaining oil has been absorbed; remove from pan. Add 1/4 cup more oil and fry the plantain until golden brown.

In a separate dry pan, roast the tomato halves on medium heat until they start to brown. Combine the raisins, almond mixture, bread, plantain and tomatoes in a blender with 1 cup chicken broth and blend until smooth. Transfer to a bowl.

Puree the fried chilies in the blender with 1-1/2 cups chicken broth until smooth.
Pour any remaining oil from the pan into a deep pot and add the chili paste. Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes. Add the nut and spice mixture and stir for 3 more minutes. Add chocolate and stir until melted, about 5 minutes. Add additional chicken broth and cook for another 5 minutes or until the mole starts to bubble. Season with salt to taste and serve over chicken.

Wine Pairing Suggestions:
‘37 Cellars Pepper Bridge Merlot
Eagle Creek Winery Merlot

Long Beach Clam Chowder

It's about that time...time to start eating warm, filling soups that will help sustain you through the winter months. This recipe was contributed to Savoring Chelan by Jean Haskell of Antoine Creek Vineyards in Chelan and will do just that. 

This is a clam chowder recipe that we made with Razor clams from the Washington Coast when we had John and Jan Little of Rio Vista Wines for dinner. It goes well with their white wines that use our grapes.

Prep time: 45 minutes
Cook time: 20 minutes
Serves 10-12

1/2 pound diced slab bacon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 large onions, peeled and diced
1/4 cup flour
2 cups clam broth, or 2 jars (2 cups) clam nectar
4 pounds diced potatoes
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
Ground pepper
24-32 cleaned Razor clams, coarsely chopped
2 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream or whipping cream
3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley

Cook bacon in soup pot over low heat until wilted and slightly browned. Add butter and onions; cook until onions turn clear. Add flour and cook another 5 minutes. Add the broth, potatoes, thyme, and pepper. Simmer until potatoes can be easily pierced with fork but are still firm, adding more water as needed for preferred consistency (up to 2 cups).
Add the clams and bring the mixture back to a simmer. Add the milk and cream. Stir constantly over very low heat until the soup is hot but not boiling; if it boils the soup will curdle. Serve immediately, topped with fresh parsley.

Local wine pairing suggestions:
Rio Vista Viognier (Antoine Creek Vineyards)*
Hard Row to Hoe Primitivo
Tsillan Cellars Estate Pinot Grigio