Shredded Pork & Mole Enchiladas

For Mole Sauce:
5 cups water and/or de-fatted chicken stock, divided into 4 1/2 cups and 1/2 cup
½ cup unbleached white or whole wheat flour
2 tablespoons chicken soup base or bouillon, reduce if using stock
1 large yellow onion
2 to 3 cloves fresh garlic cloves, peeled
3 to 5 tablespoons of chile powder, preferably fresh ground from a combination of at least two of the following dried chiles; New Mexico, ancho, mulato and pasilla
¼ cup raisins
1-tablespoon best quality peanut or almond butter
2 ½ to 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon cumin
¼ teaspoon oregano
¼ teaspoon ground anise seeds
¼ teaspoon ground coriander seeds
¼ teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon cardamom – optional
¼ to ½ teaspoon salt

1. Pour 4 ½ cups cool or warm liquid (stock or water) into a 4-quart saucepan. Adding about a third of the flour at a time, rapidly whisk flour into liquid until smooth; whisk in chicken base or bouillon and set aside.

2. Using a blender or food processor, combine onion with garlic and raisins and process until fine. Add all remaining ingredients to onion raisin mixture and process 2 to 3 minutes into a smooth paste.

3. Whisk paste into liquid/flour mixture. Add ½ cup stock or water to processor or blender and process to remove remaining ingredients from container; add to sauce.

4. Cook sauce over medium heat, whisking frequently until sauce comes to a low boil and begins to thicken. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook for 10 minutes, whisking occasionally.

5. Adjust seasonings, adding more salt, chile powder or cocoa if necessary and remove from heat. Cover sauce and set aside until ready to use. As sauce cools, it has a tendency to thicken. If necessary, add a little water to thin it down. If sauce is being made in advance, cover surface with plastic wrap or wax paper to prevent skin from forming; cool to room temperature and refrigerate up to 5 days.

Note: Use a coffee grinder to grind dried whole chilies. By grinding your own chile powder, not only will it be fresher and more flavorful, but you can control how spicy it is by the kind of chiles used and the amount of chile seeds and veins ground into the mixture. The dried chiles called for in this recipe range in flavor from the mild New Mexico chile, to the mild to medium hot ancho and mulato chiles to the very hot pasilla chile.

Yield: 8 cups or 16 1/2-cup servings at approximately 45 calories each; 0.8 gram total fat; 0.2 saturated fat; 0 cholesterol; 9 grams carbohydrate; 1 gram dietary fiber; 1.5 grams protein; 305 milligrams sodium.

The high fat version compares at 160 calories per ½ cup serving and 11 grams fat vs. 0.8 gram total fat.

Pork Mole