Beef Short Ribs with Mole Sauce  

Sunrise rainbow over Fiji

Sunrise rainbow over Fiji

Mole Sauce:
2 dried ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded
2 dried Anaheim chiles, stemmed and seeded
¼ c. golden raisins
Hot water
¼ c. sliced almonds
¼ c. sesame seeds
1 T. black peppercorns
1 cinnamon stick
1 T. dried oregano
4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only
1 tsp. ground chipotle pepper
3 T. olive oil
2 onions, sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 jalapeño peppers, stemmed and seeded
6 Roma tomatoes, chopped
2 oz. bittersweet chocolate
Salt
Pepper
Chicken stock

4 lbs. short ribs
Salt

Pepper

Tear the chiles into large pieces and toast in a dry skillet over medium heat until they change color a bit (about 2 minutes).  Put them into a bowl with the raisins and cover with hot water.  Soak until chiles are softened (about 30 minutes).  In the same skillet over medium heat, toast the almonds, sesame seeds, peppercorns, cinnamon stick, oregano, thyme and chipotle for 2 minutes.  Transfer spices to a grinder, grind until fine and set aside.
In the same skillet, over medium-high heat, heat olive oil.  Add onions, garlic and jalapeño.  Cook until onions are lightly browned, then add tomatoes.  Cook until the vegetables are soft, about 10 to 15 minutes.  Add the chocolate, ground spice mixture and the soaked chiles and raisins to the pot, along with some of the chile soaking liquid.  Puree in batches in a blender.

Meanwhile, heat oven to 300 degrees F.  Salt and pepper short ribs and place bone side up in a Dutch oven or roaster.  Cover with mole sauce and bake, covered, for three hours.  Let meat cool slightly, then cut or pull it off the bones and connective tissue.  Stir in enough chicken broth to thin mole to thick sauce consistency. Return meat to sauce and refrigerate overnight.  Skim fat.    Rewarm before serving.


Next recipe
Previous recipe
Return to menu