¡Holy Mole mi Amor!

Love is a glorious thing, but chocolate is my favorite part of Valentine’s Day. Public displays of romance are awkward. And chocolate is much less complicated.

South of the border, Valentine’s Day goes by the name El Dia del Amor y Amistad, which translates to “The Day of Love and Friendship.” This holiday, based on a broader concept of love that doesn’t fixate on romance, is a lot more palatable.

Mexican culture also has a more nuanced approach to chocolate, which is often used in savory dishes. In the movie Like Water for Chocolate, the heroine Tita Garza prepares a mole of chocolate and spices that seduces the guests by leaning into the bitter side of cocoa.

Tita’s heart was built for romance, but Garza family tradition required her, as the youngest daughter, to care for her mother instead of getting married. And Tita’s mom saw to it that Pedro, who Tita loved and who loved her back, married her sister instead. Denied the love she wanted, Tita put her passion into her cooking and made love to whomever ate her food.

After eating her mole, one of the guests pressed Tita for the recipe. “The secret is to prepare it with love,” she said.

Like chocolate and love, hot chile can really get the blood pumping. All of these ingredients trigger endorphins, adrenaline and the kind of manic energy you need to melt the snows of winter, if not the prison bars around a lonely heart.

I have my own formulation of mole, which I also prepare with love. And to give it even more of an extra push, I add instant coffee as well. I got the idea from a coffee and red chile osso bucco I once ate at Casa Vieja in Corrales, NM. I remembered this lovely combination when I was formulating my mole, and it fits right in.

I also use red wine in my mole, as it also plays well with the other ingredients, and turns out to be the only sweetness that I add. After all, I think there is enough sugary chocolate in this world, and unsweetened chocolate goes perfectly and pungently with the chile, cumin, coriander, garlic and coffee. It all comes together in my spicy chocolate love paste.

As I developed this mole recipe I came up with a dry rub along similar lines. It takes 30 seconds to mix chile powder, chocolate powder, instant coffee, salt and garlic powder. The combination is pungent and bold and dark and mysterious.

Mole of Love and Friendship

Valentine’s Day is not a religious holiday, but this high-octane mole will make it holy. Use mole in a manner analogous to BBQ sauce — as a condiment or as a medium in which to cook protein. It’s most commonly prepared with chicken or turkey, but it’s also great with beef and beans.

I often use a store-bought rotisserie chicken, but any cooked chicken or parts will do. Deconstruct and cut the chicken into whatever size you wish, and add them to the simmering brown brew so the mole can impregnate the meat.

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 medium sized onion, minced

1 tablespoon sesame seeds

2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds

2 tablespoons whole cumin (or powder)

1 tablespoon whole coriander (or powder)

6 tortilla chips, crumbled

2 tablespoons hot chile powder or to taste, as the chile heat is very subjective

5 tablespoons paprika

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 quart stock

1 tablespoon instant coffee

2 tablespoon cocoa powder

4 cups chicken stock

½ cup red wine

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon almond butter

Salt to taste

In a saucepan, sauté the onion and garlic in the oil and butter on medium heat until the onions are translucent. Meanwhile, set a heavy bottomed pan onto medium heat and slowly toast the sesame, coriander, cumin and pumpkin seeds until they are dark but not burnt. (Skip this step if using powdered spices)

Grind the toasted spices and corn chips to a powder in a spice grinder or mortar. Add the ground spices to the translucent onions, along with the other spices, including the coffee and chocolate. Stir it all together, then add the stock, wine, vanilla and almond butter. Keep it on medium heat, stirring as necessary to keep from sticking. Season to taste.

High Octane Dry Spice Mix

1 tablespoon cocoa powder

2 tablespoons paprika

1 teaspoon instant coffee

2 teaspoons hot chile powder (or to taste)

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Mix the ingredients and use as a dry rub to season anything savory, like roasted roots.