Mellow Mole’

I have a confession… I am a wuss. I am not into melt your face off spicy food, I can’t handle wings, Sriracha and I will never be friends (unless he brings his friend mayo to play bouncer between us). I tend not to go towards anything with jalapenos in them. It’s just how I am. That being said I have broadened my tastes buds while working in kitchens over the years: I found that spice and heat in food are 2 different things, and that with the proper know-how I can lower the heat while keeping great flavor in Cajun, Mexican, and Asian cooking. One of my favorite concoctions is my Mellow Mole’.

What you need!

1 onion, cut in halves
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
2 roma tomatoes
1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
2 teaspoons chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1 teaspoon smoked paperkia
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon oil or lard
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder or a 2 cloves of fresh garlic
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup coco powder
1 tablespoon “better then bullion”
2 cups of water or stock
1 can chickpeas
1 pound of pork or chicken
2-3 tablespoons honey (optional)

In a dry skillet place the peppers, split onion, and tomatoes. If I had fresh garlic for this recipe I would have put it in the pan too.

Char the out side well. It will develop a lot of flavor. Let them sit off the heat for 5 minutes to cool.

Once they have cooled a bit, take off as much of the skin from the pepper and tomatoes as you have patience for it. Then chop them into small pieces.

Once chopped, cook or fry for 4 minutes.

Place all of them in a food processor and blend until there are no big chunks. Warm up the lard in a skillet on medium heat, then pour the blended veggie mixture  into the skillet.

Next add in the water and Better then Bouillon. Cook for 2 minutes then add in the spices, coco powder, and chocolate. Stir well and cook for 3 minutes on medium heat.

Add in your can of chickpeas and 1 pound of any meat or meat substitute. Cook for 10 minutes. This dish is surprising in a good way! The coco adds a richness not found anywhere else. Serve with rice, in a tortilla, or on a baked sweet potato. It is great with sour cream! Enjoy!