The Chicken Clemole from Morelia (clemole Morelense de gallina)
The clemole is mexican recipe for a spicy chile sauce (see Mole) that is served to cover some kind of meat or chicken, with bones. The word by itself used to designate only the chile sauce but nowadays it is also sometimes used to designate the whole dish made with it.
Recipe for Chicken in Clemole
Ingredients for 4 guests:
* 1 whole chicken
* 1 lb. Bone marrow
* 15 chiles cascabel, washed
* 5 ancho chiles, washed
* 1 red ripe tomato, coarsely chopped
* 1/2 lb. green string beans
* 2 zucchinis
* 1/2 lb. canned yellow corn
* 10 grs. thin pepper
* 1 large onion, cut in quarters
* 3 cloves of garlic
* 4 cloves
* Pork or vegetable lard
* Salt and pepper
Preparation:
1) Cut up the chicken in 4 quarters with a sharp knife, and put it to boil in a pot with just enough water. Add two quarters of the onion, 1 clove crushed garlic, salt, peppercorns and cloves.
2) When the chicken is cooked, add the string beans, corn, chopped zucchini, cooking them only a few minutes so you do not overcook these vegetables.
3) While the chicken is boiling we can prepare the clemole itself: Roast the cascabel chiles and the ancho chiles, soak them in hot water until they become tender. Once the chiles are ready then blend them in the blender with the tomato, 2 garlic cloves, cloves and pepper. Simmer this salsa with the bone marrow, lard and the onion you have left, sliced; simmer uncovered for 30 minutes or until the clemole reduces to a thicker consistency.
4) When the sauce is cooked add to it the chicken and vegetables, being careful not to damage the zucchini and vegetables. The sauce should not be too thick.
Serve your chicken clemole from Morelia...
