A Different Kind of Hot Chocolate: Savory, Spicy Mexican Mole Sauce

Use mole in a manner analogous to BBQ sauce: as a condiment or as a medium in which to cook protein—such as store-bought rotisserie chicken. (Ari LeVaux)

Love is a glorious thing, but chocolate is my favorite part of Valentine’s Day. Public displays of romance are awkward. And chocolate is much less complicated.

South of the border, Valentine’s Day goes by the name El Dia del Amor y Amistad, which translates to “The Day of Love and Friendship.” I find this holiday a lot more palatable, as it’s based on a broader concept of love that doesn’t require having the “hots.”

Mexican culture has a more nuanced approach to chocolate as well, one that often involves savory dishes and a different kind of “hots.” We get a taste in “Like Water for Chocolate,” when the heroine Tita Garza prepares a mole of chocolate and spices that leans into the bitter side of cocoa.

Tita’s heart was built for romance, but Garza family tradition required her, as the youngest daughter, to care for her mother instead of getting married. And Tita’s mom saw to it that Pedro—whom Tita loved and who loved her back—married Tita’s sister instead. Denied the love she wanted, Tita put her passion into her cooking. After eating her mole, one of the guests pressed Tita for the recipe. “The secret is to prepare it with love,” she said.

Like chocolate and love, hot chile can really get the blood pumping. These ingredients trigger endorphins, adrenaline, and the kind of manic energy you need to melt the snows of winter, if not the prison bars around a lonely heart.

I have my own formulation of mole, which I also prepare with love, as well as some of my own proprietary ingredients, including instant coffee for extra bitterness and buzz. I got the idea from a red chile and coffee osso bucco I once ate at Casa Vieja in Corrales, New Mexico. I remembered this lovely combination while formulating my mole, and the coffee fits right in.

I also use red wine in my mole, as it too plays well with the other ingredients, and turns out to be the only sweetness that I add. After all, I think there is enough sugary chocolate in this world, and unsweetened chocolate makes pungent ingredients like chile, cumin, coriander, and garlic more vivid.

While working on this mole recipe, I came up with a dry rub along similar lines. It takes 30 seconds to mix chile powder, cocoa powder, instant coffee, salt, and garlic powder. The combination is bold, dark, and mysterious. Perfect for the hottest Valentine’s Day ever.

Mole of Love and Friendship

Use mole in a manner analogous to BBQ sauce: as a condiment or as a medium in which to cook protein. It’s most commonly prepared with chicken or turkey, but it’s also great with beef and beans.

I often use a store-bought rotisserie chicken, but any cooked chicken or parts will do. Deconstruct and cut the chicken into whatever size you wish, and add the pieces to the simmering brown brew.

Makes about 4 1/2 cups

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
• 2 tablespoons whole cumin (or powder)
• 1 tablespoon whole coriander (or powder)
• 6 tortilla chips, crumbled
• 2 tablespoons hot chile powder (or to taste, as the chile heat is very subjective)
• 5 tablespoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon instant coffee
• 2 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup red wine
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon almond butter
• Salt to taste

In a saucepan, sauté the onion and garlic in the oil and butter on medium heat until the onions are translucent. Meanwhile, set a heavy-bottomed pan onto medium heat and slowly toast the sesame, pumpkin, cumin, and coriander seeds until they are dark but not burnt. (Skip this step if using powdered spices.)

Grind the toasted spices and tortilla chips to a powder in a spice grinder or mortar. Add the ground spices to the translucent onions, along with the other spices, including the coffee and cocoa. Stir it all together, then add the stock, wine, vanilla, and almond butter. Keep it on medium heat, stirring as necessary to keep from sticking. Season to taste.

High-Octane Dry Spice Mix

Makes a little over 1/4 cup

• 1 tablespoon cocoa powder
• 2 tablespoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon instant coffee
• 2 teaspoons hot chile powder (or to taste)
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder

Mix the ingredients and use as a dry rub to season anything savory, such as roasted roots.