Cheese Enchiladas with Red Mole

Adapted from "How to Cook Everything Vegetarian."

Guess who's back with a brand new wrap? It's the season, and I decided to devote a bit of my summer to my dear readers (and cooking).

I got a great amount of help from my house mates for this one, in fact they did most of the cooking, while I stood there taking pictures.

This is quite the meal, it will take a little while in preparation, but it is most certainly worth every minute you put into it. Also, note if you can get a helping hand for this, I recommend asking anybody for a little side-kicking, (what I was doing) while the maitre-d does her or his magic. Have some coffee at hand.

Judging by the cocoa powder and different kinds of chilies, it's quite the authentic Mexican dish. It has great flavour, quite unique, and the nuts give it a peanut-butter like consistency that goes really well with fresh herb garnishes and lime.

What you need for 8 servings:

For the red mole

• 12 to 15 mild chilies - anything goes (New Mexico, mulatto, pasilla, guajillo, ancho)
• 2 cups of nuts (peanuts, almonds, pecans, walnuts, pine nuts, hazelnuts - I used peanuts and it worked great)
• 1/4 cup of tahini
• 1/4 cup cocoa powder or unsweetened chocolate
• 1 large onion
• 1 head garlic
• 4 plum tomatoes (you can use cans)
• 2 thick slices of white bread (use that rock solid loaf in the pantry)
• 1 quart vegetable stock or water
• 1/4 cup of vegetable oil

Spices for the mole

• 3 or 4 bay leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground allspice (Jamaican works)
• 2 teaspoons anise seeds
• Generous portion of salt and pepper

For the enchiladas

• 20 tortillas (small)
• 3 cups shredded cheese (cheddar, monterey jack or other)
• 1 can of dark red kidney beans (optional)
• Creme freche, cilantro, lime for garnish
• Scrambled egg (optional)
• Guacamole (optional)
• Tofu (optional)

Preparation

The red mole

1.Soak the chilies in hot water

2. Add chilies, nuts, tahini, cocoa, onion, garlic, tomatoes and bread in a food processor, with enough stock to get things going.

3.Heat oil in a big, deep pot over medium heat. Add pureed mixture and spices.

4. Stir for 5 minutes on medium.

5.When steaming, put on low, and stir for 20 minutes.

6. Put back on medium, at rest of stock. Stir until thick and smooth (and shiny)

Enchiladas

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Spread thin layer of mole on bottom of casserole dish. (about 9 by 12 inch)

3. Wrap cheese and beans in tortillas, and tightly pack them together in dish

4. Cover in the rest of the mole, sprinkle cheese on top.

5. Bake for 25 minutes at 350F.

NB

-With this recipe you end up with a lot of mole, but you can pretty much add it to anything, and keep it in the fridge for a couple of days.

-Of course you can also half this recipe. It is meant for 8 servings after all.

-The optional fillings for the enchiladas are recommended, although kidney beans and a bit of creme freche can do wonders.