Mole de Xico

[kalypso]

This past February I had the opportunity to spend some time in Xico, Veracruz. It's a pretty cool little town and is famous for (among other things) it's mole which has a bigger hit on dried fruits than other moles and a good hit on the nuts as well.

I purchased 4 different mole pastes with the intent of trying them all side-by-side to see which one was the best. Needless to say, life intervened and I haven't had much chance to cook much of anything let alone do the side-by-side on the mole pastes. I did, however, try one of them last night for dinner and it was spectacular. Deep, rich and earthy it made a very satisfying meal.

Xico is an easy day trip from Xalapa. I would strongly encourage anyone that finds themselves in that area to pick up some mole (easy to bring back to the U.S.) and give it a go, I don't think you'd be disappointed.

[v. gautam]

Thanks for the information. Since these pastes are made and sold in the market presumably for use in the short term, for how long may they be stored safely and how? Frozen? How well do they preserve their flavor?

For those who may wish to make their own, would you have a guide or recipe?

Thanks much.

[kalypso]

Thanks for the information. Since these pastes are made and sold in the market presumably for use in the short term, for how long may they be stored safely and how? Frozen? How well do they preserve their flavor?

For those who may wish to make their own, would you have a guide or recipe?

Thanks much.

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There is a recipe for Mole de Xico in Zarela's Veracruz cookbook. I made it in January of this year. It was extremely good. The recipe is fairly time consuming - it took 4 1/2 hours from start to finish - but not technically difficult to execute. I still have some of that in the freezer and it's still good. It will last almost indefinitely frozen.

The mole pastes I purchased in Xico have not been refrigerated or frozen. They been on a shelf at room temp. One of the pastes was jarred. They last for a good long time. I would assume there will be some deterioration of the flavor if I don't use them shortly.