I knew the finale of my Mexican theme run had to be a mole dish. Since I was cooking for a crowd (the Friday dinner group) this Coloradito mole seemed a good fit since it is one of the less spicy ones. It is considered one of the "classic Oaxacan 7". The recipe comes from "Authentic Mexican" by Bayless -- originally published some 20 years ago.I was a little bit disappointed that this version does not include any ground nuts or seeds like many of the other complex moles do, but it certainly made it a bit easier. For comparison/verification purposes, I also looked at Diana Kennedy's version of the Coloradito mole in "The art of Mexican cooking", which is a fairly intense and authentic cookbook. Her version is similar but also includes sesame seeds and a little bit of chocolate. Also, instead of using "ancho" chilies, she uses "guajillos", which are a little bit spicier.
A new technique I learned during this dish was the boiling of stewing pork (pork shoulder) and getting a nice broth as a result. After removing the pork, the cooking liquid was strained to remove the big chunks and then after sitting for 30 minutes or so, the excess fat was skimmed off the top. I took a sip of the broth as is, and it was delicious. (Is it weird that I think pork water is tasty?)
After finishing just the mole sauce part of the dish, I must admit that I thought (and my friend thought) it was very intensely bitter flavored (despite several tablespoons of sugar been added). However, once combined with the mild filling (which contained some sweet plaintain) and the comforting corn tortillas, the balance of flavors was near perfect in my opinion.
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