MOLE VERDE

The lightest and freshest of Oaxaca’s seven moles, this Mexican sauce is rich with pumpkin seeds, bright with tomatillos, and fragrant with cilantro. It pairs beautifully with fish, vegetables and all the white meats.

Green mole will splatter during the initial cooking stage, so use a deep pot and consider buying a splatter screen—it comes in handy for tomato sauce, as well. Otherwise, hold a lid over the pot like a shield and protect your stovetop with baking sheets.

1 cup (250 mL) raw pumpkin seeds

¾ lb (375 g) tomatillos, husked, washed, quartered

1 small onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, chopped

2 jalapeño peppers, seeded, chopped

2½ cups (625 mL) low-sodium chicken stock, divided

1 cup (250 mL) cilantro leaves, packed

3 outer romaine lettuce leaves (or 5 inner), chopped 1 tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil

½ tsp (2 mL) ground cumin

Pinch ground cloves

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1 In a medium frying pan over medium heat, toast pumpkin seeds, stirring often, until lightly browned and starting to pop, 5 to 6 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool. 2 Place cooled pumpkin seeds in a blender and process until finely ground. Add tomatillos, onion, garlic, jalapeños and 1 cup (250 mL) chicken stock. Blend until smooth. Add cilantro and lettuce. Blend until smooth, stopping once or twice to push down greens.

3 In a large pot, combine oil, cumin, cloves and pumpkin seed mixture. Place over medium heat. When the mixture starts bubbling, cover pot with splatter screen or hold a lid over pot like a shield. Adjust heat to maintain gentle simmer. Cook, stirring often, until it’s as thick as hot cereal, 12 to 15 minutes. Stir in remaining 1½ cups (375 mL) chicken stock. Simmer, stirring occasionally, 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper. Cool completely.

4 Divide between two 3-cup (750-mL) containers. Cover and label with date. Refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 6 months. Makes 4 cups (1 L)