holy mole

Yesterday when I said that I hadn’t cooked for 11 days, I wasn’t including cooking classes into the mix – a girl’s gotta work! So, I not only assisted Barb with a class, but I also taught a private cooking class to a group of wonderful women. Thankfully I had the help of two of my generous friends both times. I could not yet drive when I was working at a class at Les Gourmettes, so my friend, Lori, drove me there and also helped serve and clear, keeping me from having to overwork my foot. Thanks Lori! xoxo

The private class was in one of the participants’ homes, so Peggy helped me schlep all the food, machines, pan, and other various supplies up to her 19th-floor penthouse and set up all the workstations. When the ladies arrived, Peggy worked right alongside me to help the pairs with their recipes, serve, and worst of all… clean it all up and schlep it back home.  The schlepping is, by far, the nastiest part of this job! So, thank you, Peggy! xoxo

The private class was a southwest menu consisting of Mixed Chile & Berry Quesadilla with Jalapeno Crème Fraiche, Pork Tenderloin with Yellow Pepper Mole Sauce, Cheddar-Buttermilk Corn Bread Pudding, Green Beans with Pepitas, Zucchini Con Queso, and Crepes with Caramel Sauce and Toasted Pecans. Yes, we were busy!

There was a boatload of extra mole sauce and also one whole tenderloin left. I froze 2 cups of the mole and used the rest to make these delicious enchiladas. I’m giving you a reduced-size recipe for the sauce. Use any leftover meat you’d like for the filling, or use no meat and use leftover chopped vegetables (such as zucchini, tomatoes, corn, etc.) instead.

Shredded Pork Tenderloin Enchiladas with Yellow Pepper Mole Sauce

8 corn tortillas
Leftover shredded pork tenderloin
Yellow Pepper Mole Sauce (recipe below)
Black beans
Shredded cheese of your choice (I used a mix of Pepper Jack, sharp cheddar, and queso cotija)
Sour cream and cilantro, garnish

Preheat oven to  350 degrees. Wrap the tortillas in damp paper towels and microwave on high for one minute to soften.

Place the shredded pork in a bowl and toss with enough mole sauce to coat.  Place the remaining mole sauce in a bowl large enough to fit a corn tortilla in for dipping.

Dip one tortilla at a time into the bowl of sauce, and place the coated tortilla on a plate. Place a small pile of pork down the center, and top with beans and cheese. Roll and place into a greased 8×8-inch baking dish, seam-side down.

Repeat with remaining tortillas and filling. Pour remaining sauce over tortillas; sprinkle with cheese.

Spray a sheet of foil with Pam and cover the pan, greased side down. (This will prevent the cheese from being pulled off the enchiladas when the foil is removed.) Bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until hot and bubbly.  Remove foil and serve immediately. Garnish with sour cream and cilantro, if desired.

Makes 8

The mole sauce is wonderful with everything from pork to fish and freezes beautifully.

Yellow Pepper Mole Sauce

2 tablespoons canola oil
2 (6-inch) yellow corn tortillas, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup pepitas (shelled raw pumpkin seeds)
1 small red onion, peeled and diced
3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
3 cups chicken broth
3 yellow bell peppers; roasted, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 ripe mango; peeled, pitted, and chopped
2 tomatillos; husked, scrubbed, and chopped
2 tablespoons golden raisins

Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over high heat until smoking. Add the tortillas and fry until crisp, about 1 minute. Remove to paper towels to drain.  When cool enough, crush roughly.

Add the pumpkin seeds to the pan and cook until golden, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove to paper towels to drain.

Add the onion to the pan and cook until soft, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the stock, yellow peppers, mango, tomatillos, and raisins and boil, stirring occasionally, until reduced by half, 25 to 30 minutes.

Transfer the yellow pepper mixture, the crushed tortillas, and the pumpkin seeds to a food processor or blender and process until smooth. Strain the sauce into a clean large saucepan and simmer over medium heat until it reaches a sauce consistency, 15 to 20 minutes.

Makes about 5 cups