Category: Beverages

Holy Mole

I haven’t been a good participant in the weekly challenges of
Chou over at Balance announced the final week 3 super food and it was Cocoa. Not necessarily meant to be used in a dessert. Check out all the nutrition facts on cocoa on her site, who would have guessed. No wonder people feel so good after having chocolate. I immediately thought of a mole sauce. I have never made mole but decided to do some research. None of my cookbooks had a recipe, so I improvised.And that’s the beauty of Mole, there are so many variations.I used a combination of chilies, spices,chicken broth,and cocoa powder . I read ground peanuts or almonds are also added but I passed on that.Hey its Coco’s Mole so I can do what I want.In shopping for my Chilies I noticed some Corn Husks, and decided to attempt some tamales too. A chicken poblano tamale drizzled with Coco’s Mole. Yummm. Certain Someone the other night asked what a tamale was when we were bowling. ‘The Tamale Man’ came into the place selling his wares from a cooler type device .Seems hes legend around Chicago at after hours spots. Me, I have never heard of him , but though it was a good business idea.

Just so you see I really made my own Tamales! This dough batter is Masa (tamale dough), a combo of shortening or lard,with Masa, baking powder,salt,and water. Seemed simple enough.
Here is my Chicken breast cooked down with some Mole, poblanos, and onions.A
And here is the star , the Mole. I cooked this for about a hour, but it could have simmered down even longer.
And here are my tamales steaming in my homemade contraption. I took a baking cooling rack and placed it a long roasting pan with water. I covered it too.
All in all a long labor that Certain Someone seemed to enjoy. He ate four. I explained how its not really a entree and felt bad after all that effort he didn’t have more to eat.But he liked it and the Mole of which he spooned more unto his tamales.

Coco’s Mole ( adjust spices to your taste)

3 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon sugar
6 cups chicken broth
2 oz dried chilies( ancho, California chili pods,etc)
1 large onion
minced garlic
olive oil

Bring your dried chilies and broth to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer until pods soften, take pods and slice open to remove seeds. Reserve liquid, but strain to remove any excess seeds. Saute the sliced onion , cumin,and garlic in olive oil until soft. Using your blender, in batches pulse chilies ,reserved broth, and onions.Once all has been processed put in heavy sauce pan and simmer . Add your cocoa powder and sugar and stir constantly until incorporated. Simmer stirring occasionally for at least 1 hour. Be sure to taste to adjust seasonings to your taste.

Cream Limoncello

A few weeks back my blogging pal over at Proud Italian Cook suggested in the comment box for me to use my Meyer Lemon Syrup in making Limoncello. I decided in talking to my good friend Gabi that this would be perfect for her in our belated Christmas gift exchange. She loves it and mentioned a cream limoncello she had in Capri once. So with some Internet research I found the recipe.Can I just say this is some yummy brew. Limomoncello is relatively simple and the Cream version just takes some added steps. The debates out on the length of time required for it brew. All in all I steeped my lemon zest over 1 and half weeks. Added the cream sugar mixture and let it sit for another 1 and half weeks. Tonight I finally decided to bottle it up. Be careful with the straining as the use of milk or cream causes some curdling action. I used Everclear which has a very high proof, but the taste and smell are nonexistent which makes this perfect to showcase the lemons and not mention give you a good buzz!


When Life Hands You Lemons…You Make A Martini

Today mine, along with all the other Account Executives,clerical staff, etc., positions were eliminated. My company is under a reorganization under a new regime and we have been told we are free to reapply to a few new positions being created, and essentially let the chips fall where there may. I have anticipated this for a while, and the whole retail sector is rocky. Oddly I feel OK. I will reapply there, and else where.When one door closes another opens, and this is my wake up call to do what I love perhaps. I have been dabbling in PT food and wine jobs over the years to help make ends meet, and you know what ‘I LOVE IT!”. I’m grateful for my past opportunities, being hired directly by a legendary minority history maker,who has since departed this earth , but have always felt it was time to move on. I was stagnating in a place with no room for growth.I have amazing support from Certain Someone and my friends and family, who have all assured me I will be OK. So tonight I raise a rosy glass( Skane Aquavit and X Rated Fusion Liqueur) to my rosy future. I know I’m not alone in that these are hard times all over. The other day I visited the neighborhood supermarket that was in the process of closing. It was weird seeing the stores shelves half empty for quick clearance. I thought about the people who worked there, those who relied on this neighborhood store because no where else was close by, etc. Its all a domino effect. So I will chill this evening and wake up hungry and ambitious ready to start a new day, and a new life.

The Brews Now Ready

In late October I posted about some spirits I was making for event. It takes three months to ‘take’. Well today I strained them and bottled them(I still had technically had about 10 more days ).I made two brews. One Prickly Pear and one Plum.I opened the Prickly Pear first, I had cut the skins to release the rich fuchsia color. The liquid was bright and syrupy. And the taste fantastic! I loved it. Sweet and fruity. I can envision many a martini made with this as a base.I then opened the plum, which was lighter in color and not as syrupy. For some reason there was a fizziness which surprised me. The flavor was lighter and less intense, but still good. I can’t decide which was my favorite( OK maybe the Prickly Pear). I even mixed the remnants of both in a larger bottle to even flavors out. I love making my own liquors. Next is a Cream Limoncello for my good friend. I came about this from a suggestion from a fellow blogger about my Meyer lemon syrup. In talking to my friend she mentioned she loved Cream Limoncello. So stay tuned.

New Year Traditions…Akkra,Greens,and Champagne


Happy New Year!

The other day I asked my friend Gabs what are the traditional good luck foods that they eat in Australia. She said they are not into to that as we Americans are. I got to thinking what can I do besides the normal southern style Black Eye Peas ,that we of Southern descent eat on New Years Day. I started thinking of my parents and in particular a dish my Nigerian father made at times. Akkra would be my new twist and variation of the routine Black Eye Peas . I never really got into all the Nigerian food growing up. It wasn’t that it was not good , I just got tired of my father eating the same things all the time( ‘soup’ , fufu,and rice in all there different ways). I remember he brought these black eye pea fritters called Akkra to a school “Show and Tell”, once on Nigeria. He added shrimp to them and they were a hit.I decided to add some other spices and green peppers to it. Dried shrimp,if you have it adds a great touch. My mother long since divorced from him made these from time to time as well.They are popular in Brazil and the parts of the Caribbean as well in slight variations. For New Years she was the traditional Southerner and made her Black Eye Peas and Collard Greens with lots of smoked meats. Don’t forget the Champagne for good luck! Certain Someone and I picked up these deliciously gaudy glasses in Germany. See the dollar signs? They really should be Euro signs in todays economy.They are RITZENHOFF.And what appropriate glasses to ask for prosperity in the New Year!

So here’s to a wonderful ,healthful,and prosperous New Year!