Have a Brainy Good Cinco de Mayo...

 

Make a trip over to your favorite cantina... Momma's

 

A recipe by the book - you will need to buy: 1 boneless pork loin, chipotles in adobo, (3 tbsp. adobo sauce reserved) olive oil, apple cider vinegar, ancho chile powder, oregano, honey and garlic cloves. For the mole sauce, you will need to buy: 1 large tomatillo, stemmed, rinsed, and quartered, 1 small tomato, cored and halved, 1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped, olive oil, dried pasilla chiles, half a banana, peanuts and or sesame seeds, raisins, chocolate, oregano, and cinnamon. 

To begin, marinate the pork. In a blender, purée the chipotles with their reserved sauce, oil, vinegar, chile powder, oregano, honey, and garlic until smooth and season with salt and pepper. Put pork into a 1-gallon resealable plastic bag and pour sauce over pork. Refrigerate overnight.

 

To make the mole: Heat oven to broil and position a rack 10" from the heating element. Toss tomatillos, tomatoes, and onions with 2 tbsp. oil in a bowl and transfer to an aluminum foil–lined baking sheet; broil, turning once with tongs, until soft and well browned, about 15 minutes. 

 

Transfer charred vegetables to a large bowl; set aside. Heat oven to 400˚. Transfer chiles to the aluminum foil–lined baking sheet and toast, turning once, until dark and fragrant, about 3 minutes. Transfer toasted chiles to large bowl and cover with 3 cups boiling water; set aside to let soften for 15 minutes. Drain chiles, reserving 1⁄2 cup soaking liquid; set aside.

Heat 3⁄4 cup oil in a 3-qt. high-sided skillet over medium-high heat. Add plantains (or bananas) and cook, stirring frequently, until browned, 2 minutes. Add peanuts and sesame seeds and cook, stirring frequently, until browned, 3 minutes. 

 

Add the raisins, the tomatillo mixture, and the chiles with the reserved soaking liquid, along with the chicken broth, dark chocolate, 1 tbs espresso coffee (optional) oregano, canela, and bread; bring the mixture to a boil and remove from heat. Working in batches, purée the chile mixture in a blender to make a smooth mole.

Heat remaining oil in a 4-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Add mole and cook, whisking frequently, until it thickens slightly, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and piloncillo; set mole aside and keep warm.

 

*There is a brainy way to make this dish without exotic ingredients. Marinate the pork in lime juice, honey and Worcestershire sauce, sprinkling in some oregano. As for the mole sauce, you can use chopped onion, chicken broth, honey, cinnamon, dark chocolate and canned tomatillo with bread crumbs on the end for a smooth blend.