Mole de Olla (Kettle Stew)

Dave DeWitt Leave a Comment

Most people associate mole with the famous chocolate mole—mole poblano–but the word refers to both a mixture and a stew. No chocolate is used in this recipe, and with the exception of the potatoes and corn, this dish is quite similar to chili.

Ingredients

  • 4 ancho chiles, seeds and stems removed (or substitute dried red New Mexican pods)

  • 2 pounds sirloin steak, cut into ½ -inch cubes

  • 3 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 1 medium onion, chopped

  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped

  • 3 canned chipotle chiles

  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

  • 4 black peppercorns

  • 1 slice white bread

  • 3 cups beef broth

  • 1 cup cubed potatoes

  • 1 cup fresh corn kernels

  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

Cover the anchos with water and simmer for 15 minutes until soft. Drain. In a skillet, brown the steak in the oil, remove and drain.

Add the onion and garlic to the oil and saute until the onion is soft. Remove the onion and garlic; reserve the oil in the skillet.

Place the anchos, chipotles, onion, garlic, and spices in a blender and puree into a smooth paste. Add the bread and 1 cup of broth and blend again.

Heat the oil and fry the chile paste, stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Add the beef, potatoes, corn, and remaining broth to the chile mixture and simmer for an hour or more until the meat is tender and the potatoes are done. Add more water if necessary.

Albondigas in Sherry Pepper Sauce

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These meatballs fall into a class of tapas called “cosas de picar.” Named after the picks that the picadors use during a bull fight, the term refers to those tapas that are served with toothpicks. In Spain, they would be made with minced meat, but since ground meats are more readily available, I use a combination of ground pork and beef. Traditionally these are made with paprika, but since I like my foods a little more spicy, I also add ground cayenne.

Ingredients

For the meatballs:

  • 1 cup finely chopped onion, divided and used in the sauce

  • 1/4 cup finely chopped bell pepper

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • Olive oil for frying, virgin Spanish olive oil preferred

  • 2 slices stale bread, crusts removed

  • ½ pound ground beef

  • ½ pound ground pork

  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

  • 1 teaspoon ground paprika

  • ½ teaspoon ground cayenne

  • ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

  • 1 egg, beaten

  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

  • All-purpose flour

For the Sherry Pepper Sauce:

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, virgin Spanish olive oil preferred

  • ½ red bell pepper, thinly sliced

  • 2 garlic cloves, minced

  • 2 teaspoons ground paprika

  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne

  • 2 tablespoons all purpose flour

  • 2/3 cup dry sherry

  • 1 cup canned chicken broth

  • Garnish: chopped fresh parsley

Instructions

To Make the Meatballs:

Cover the bread with water or milk and soak until the bread is softened. Remove the bread and squeeze to remove the liquid.

In a large bowl, combine the beef and pork. Add all the meatball ingredients and mix well. Form about 1 tablespoon of the mixture into small balls and roll them in the flour.

Reheat the skillet and add additional oil if necessary. Brown the meatballs in batches over medium heat, shaking the pan frequently so that the balls retain their round shape. Remove and drain.

To Make the Sauce:

Heat the oil in a skillet and saute the onion, bell pepper, and garlic until soft. Add the paprika, cayenne, and the flour. Continue to cook for an additional minute.

Whisk in the sherry and chicken broth, bring to a boil, and reduce the heat. Add the meatballs to the sauce and simmer, turning the meatballs occasionally, for 20 to 25 minutes until they are cooked and sauce has thickened slightly.

Serve the albondigas with the sauce, garnished with the parsley and speared with a toothpick.

 

Olives, Sevilla Style (Aceitunas a la Sevillana)

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Olives, whether in the form of oil or whole black or green olives, are a very important part of Spanish cuisine. Spain was occupied by the Moors for 800 years and their influence on the architecture, culture, and food of the Iberian peninsula is very evident. And these typically Andalucian olives, because of the variety of herbs with which they are seasoned, leaves little doubt of their Arab origins. Note: This recipe requires advance preparation.

Ingredients

  • 1 7-ounce jar large green Spanish olives

  • 2 chile piquins, crushed

  • ½ teaspoon dry oregano

  • ½ teaspoon thyme

  • 2 bay leaves

  • 4 cloves garlic, minced

  • 1/4 cup vinegar

  • 1 cup dry sherry or white wine

  • 1 anchovy fillet (optional)

Instructions

Lightly crush the olives and put them in a glass jar and add the remaining ingredients. Add just enough water to cover the olives. Stir well and marinate in the refrigerator.

Occasionally open the jar and stir the ingredients. The olives will take at least a week to marinate but left longer, they will get hotter. The olives will keep for about a month in the refrigerator.

To serve, drain the olives and allow to warm to room temperature before serving.

Spicy Sauteed Shrimp (Gambas al Pil Pil)

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This is a classic Spanish tapa with variations in every region and no tapas bar would be complete without garlic shrimp. Shrimp are abundant off the coast of Spain and soaking them in salt water before cooking gives them a fresh, briny flavor, that is reminiscent of being just caught. Serve this tapa with lots of crusty bread to soak up the sauce.

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon coarse sea salt

  • 1 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil, virgin Spanish preferred

  • 4 whole garlic cloves plus 1 teaspoon chopped garlic

  • 2 tablespoons lime juice, fresh preferred

  • 2 tablespoons butter

  • ½ teaspoon ground paprika

  • ½ teaspoon crushed chile piquin

  • 2 tablespoons dry sherry

Instructions

In a medium bowl, stir the salt into 1 cup of water until it has dissolved. Add the shrimp and soak them for 5 minutes. Drain the shrimp and pat them dry.

Heat the oil in a heavy skillet over moderately high heat with the whole garlic until hot but not smoking. Add the shrimp and cook for a few seconds to seal in the flavor. Remove the shrimp.

Pour out all of the oil and discard the garlic. Return the shrimp to the pan and reheat over medium-high heat. Pour the lime juice over the shrimp and add the butter, minced garlic, paprika, chile piquin, and sherry. Simmer until the shrimp has turned pink, just a couple of minutes. Do not overcook.

Spanish Tortilla (Tortilla Espanola) with Salsa Romesco

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This traditional tapa is not anything like a Mexican tortilla. A Spanish tortilla is a large, thick, omelet-like cake made with potatoes and eggs and is served at room temperature. Romesco sauce is an all-purpose Spanish sauce that is served with a wide variety of dishes. From the Tarragona region, this Catalan sauce combines two of the most popular horticultural imports from the New World—chiles and tomatoes. The sauce gets its name from the romesco chiles that are used but are not readily available outside of Spain. The combination of ancho and New Mexican chiles approximates the taste.

Ingredients

Tortilla:

  • 3 pounds (approximately 10 medium-size potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1/8-inch thick slices

  • 1/3 cup olive oil, virgin Spanish olive oil, preferred

  • 1 medium-size onion, thinly sliced

  • 6 eggs, beaten

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

Romesco Sauce:

  • 1 dried ancho chile, stem and seeds removed

  • 2 dried red New Mexican chiles, stems and seeds removed

  • ½ cup blanched, silvered almonds

  • 5 large cloves garlic, unpeeled

  • 2 tomatoes, unpeeled

  • ½ cup red wine vinegar

  • 1/3 cup olive oil, virgin Spanish olive oil, preferred

  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

To Make the Sauce:

 Preheat the oven to 200°F.

Place the chiles, almonds, garlic, and tomatoes on baking pan and roast the ingredients in the oven until the nuts are toasted, the chiles are fragrant, and the skins of the tomatoes and garlic are blistered. The nuts will take about 5 minutes, the tomatoes about 20, and the chiles somewhere in between. Check frequently to be sure nothing burns.

Allow the ingredients to cool. Grind the almonds. Place the chiles in a saucepan and cover with hot water and steep for 5 to 10 minutes to soften. Drain the chiles. Remove the skins from the tomatoes and garlic.

Put the almonds, chiles, tomatoes, garlic and vinegar in a blender or food processor and puree to a smooth paste.

Transfer the paste to a bowl and slowly whisk in the oil, 1 teaspoon at a time, until half of the oil is absorbed. Gradually add the remaining oil. Season with the salt and pepper.

Allow the sauce to sit for an hour or two to blend the flavors.

To Make the Tortilla:

Increase the oven to 350°F.

In a small roasting pan, toss the potatoes with the oil, cover, and bake for 20 minutes.

Uncover the pan and spread the onion slices evenly over the potatoes. Cover and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are just done. Remove the pan and pour off the oil, reserving it. Cool the potatoes to room temperature.

Season the eggs with the salt. Gently fold the potato and onion mixture into the eggs and mix carefully.

Heat a nonstick saute pan over high heat with a few tablespoons of the reserved oil. When it’s hot, carefully add the egg mixture. Allow the eggs to set on a high heat for a minute while gently shaking the pan so they don’t stick. Reduce the heat to the lowest temperature and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the mixture is firm.

Place a plate on top (upside down as you look at it) of the saute pan and flip the tortilla onto the plate. (Do this over your sink.) Reheat the skillet over high heat and carefully slide the tortilla back into the pan. Reduce the heat to low and cook the other side until it’s done, about 8 minutes. When the tortilla feels firm to the touch, it’s done.

Cool the tortilla to room temperature, slice it into wedges. When you are ready to serve the tortilla, spoon some of the romesco sauce onto a plate and place a wedge on top.