Cheese Enchiladas with Red Mole

Makes: 8 servings

Time: About 3 hours, mostly unattended

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Mole is a group of classic slow-cooked Mexican sauces that get their rich, deep flavor from a long list of ingredients (including chocolate, nuts, seeds, herbs, chiles, and more). This mole is loaded with nuts, and I’ve purposefully kept the cheese filling to a minimum so the sauce remains the star. It isn’t time-consuming once everything is assembled, but I’d still consider this a special occasion dish. If you’re looking for everyday enchiladas, see the first variation.

Serve with sliced white or red radishes, sliced avocado, chopped fresh tomatoes or tomatillos, shredded lettuce, sour cream or crema, and/or toasted pumpkin seeds.

• 12–15 mild to medium dried chiles (like New Mexico, mulatto, pasilla, guajillo, ancho, or a combination), toasted, soaked, and cleaned (see page 226)
• 2 cups assorted nuts (like peanuts, almonds, pecans, walnuts, pine nuts, and hazelnuts)
• ¼ cup tahini (to make your own, see page 305) or sesame seeds
• ¼ cup cocoa powder or chopped unsweetened chocolate
• 1 large onion, cut into large chunks
• 1 head garlic, cloves separated and peeled
• 4 plum tomatoes (canned are fine)
• 2 thick slices white bread (stale is fine)
• 4 cups vegetable stock (pages 97–100) or water, plus more as needed
• ¼ cup good-quality vegetable oil, plus more for frying
• 3 or 4 bay leaves
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 2 tablespoons ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon ground allspice
• 2 teaspoons anise seeds
• Salt and pepper
• Brown sugar (optional)
• 24 small corn tortillas, plus more if any break
• 3 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
• ½ cup crumbled queso fresco for garnish
• ½ cup chopped red onion or scallions for garnish
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro for garnish
• Lime wedges for garnish

1. Put the chiles, nuts, tahini, cocoa, onion, garlic, tomatoes, and bread in a blender with just enough stock to get the machine running. (You may have to work in 2 batches.)
2. Put the oil in a large, deep pot over medium heat. Add the puréed mixture, bay leaves, cinnamon, cumin, allspice, and anise seeds. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring frequently and scraping the bottom of the pan, until it begins to color and become fragrant, 3 to 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is deeply colored, softened, and nearly dry, another 15 to 20 minutes.
3. Turn the heat back up to medium-high and slowly stir in the remaining stock. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat so the sauce barely bubbles. Cook, stirring occasionally and adding more liquid as needed, for an hour or so, until the sauce is thick and smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning; add a tablespoon or so brown sugar if you like. (You can make the mole in advance up to this point. Cool, cover, and refrigerate for up to 3 days. Gently reheat before proceeding.) Remove the cinnamon stick and bay leaves and keep the sauce warm.
4. Heat the oven to 350°F. Spoon a thin layer of the mole in a 9 × 12-inch baking dish. Put about ½ inch oil in a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat. When it’s hot, cook the tortillas, one at a time, until softened and pliable, about 10 seconds. Drain on paper towels. Add more oil to the pan as needed.
5. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of the Monterey Jack in the center of each tortilla, roll tightly, and put into the baking dish, seam side down. The enchiladas should be in a single layer, packed in snugly against one another. Cover the top with some more mole. Bake until the cheese is melted and hot, 25 minutes. When you take the enchiladas out of the oven, sprinkle with the queso fresco, onion, and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges on the side and pass the remaining mole at the table.

Simple Cheese Enchiladas Definitely easier: Instead of making the mole, prepare a double recipe of Red Enchilada Sauce (page 663). Proceed with the recipe from Step 4, substituting this sauce for the mole.

Cheese Enchiladas with Green Enchilada Sauce Also known as Enchiladas Suizas: Instead of making the mole sauce, prepare a double recipe of Green Enchilada Sauce (page 664). Increase the Monterey Jack to 5 cups and fill each tortilla with a heaping tablespoon. Sprinkle the remaining Monterey Jack on top of the enchiladas before baking.

Scrambled Egg and Cheese Enchiladas Great with mole or Red Enchilada Sauce (page 663): Just before you’re ready to assemble the enchiladas in Step 5, scramble 4 or 5 eggs according to the recipe on page 523. Stop cooking when the eggs are just holding together but still rather loose. Proceed with the recipe, using a spoonful of scrambled eggs along with the cheese to fill each enchilada.

Hard-Boiled Egg and Cheese Enchiladas Terrific texture: Hard-boil 6 eggs according to the recipe on page 521. When you’re ready to assemble the enchiladas in Step 5, peel the eggs and mash them roughly with a fork. Proceed with the recipe, using a sprinkle of the eggs along with the cheese to fill each enchilada.

Squash or Sweet Potato Enchiladas Instead of Monterey Jack cheese, use 4 cups cooked, mashed, and seasoned winter squash or sweet potatoes to fill the tortillas in Step 5. Omit the queso fresco garnish to make these vegan. O

Tofu Enchiladas with Red Mole Vegan and delicious: Make the sauce and tortillas as directed. Omit all the cheeses in the recipe and prepare a double recipe of Scrambled Tofu with Mushrooms (page 489). Use this to fill the enchiladas. V