Love chocolate? (Who doesn’t?)

Then prepare to be tempted with a decadent array of chocolate-fueled dishes during our Local Roots Winter Dining Event, Friday, February 11 at our historic Eagle Tavern. (If you hurry, you might be able to get the last of the tickets available!)

This dinner truly is an exploration into all the different ways chocolate can be used – not just in sweet dishes, but in savory ones as well, like our homemade chocolate linguini and cocoa-rubbed braised beef short ribs with stout demi. We developed all of our dishes for this dinner from scratch, using local ingredients (of course) – with the star ingredient coming from Michigan chocolate maker Mindo Chocolate.

Hungry for more? Check out the full list of dishes to be featured in our Local Roots Winter Dining Event on The Hungry Dudes blog, or watch as I prepare our bittersweet chocolate bisque soup on Fox 2′s morning show!

For a more classic take on chocolate-as-main-course, you can’t go wrong with a dish like mole poblano, which is the best-known mole sauce from all of Mexico and originates from the city of Puebla – legend tells us it was first concocted by the nuns in the Convent of Santa Rosa.

The taste of mole sauce is complex, with ingredients that are roasted, toasted, fried and blended before being simmered into the seductive dark and spicy sauce that’s most often served over chicken or turkey (although every Mexican cook may vary the mole to her or his exacting standards).

If you’re up for a challenge, try this delicious version, adapted from a recipe from Chef Ricardo Munoz Zurita of Mexico City. It’s a labor of love to make this famous sauce – it takes about three to four hours to make – but it will be worth the effort!

What other unique chocolate dishes have you tried?

Mole Poblano

Yields: 7 to 8 cups

Ingredients:

• 4 cups chicken stock or canned chicken broth
• 6 mulato chilies
• 4 pasillo negro chilies
• 2 ancho chilies
• Vegetable oil or lard for frying
• ¾ pound (5 to 6) plum tomatoes, cored
• ¼ pound (3 or 4) small tomatillos, husked
• 2 (¼ inch thick) round slices white onion
• 2 whole medium garlic cloves; peeled
• 1 (6 to 7 inch) corn tortilla, cut in quarters
• 1 slice (1 ounce) French bread
• 2 tablespoons raisins
• 1 cinnamon stick. (Mexican canela or Ceylon variety preferred)
• ¼ cup salted dry-roasted peanuts
• ¼ cup slivered almonds
• 2 tablespoons hulled raw green pumpkin seeds (Pepitas)
• ½ teaspoon cumin seeds
• 4 whole cloves
• ¼ teaspoon sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 ounces Mexican chocolate ( Ibarra or other brand)

Directions:

1)      Put the broth and 2 cups of water in a big pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and keep warm.

2)      Wipe all the chilies clean with a damp cloth and split them in half lengthwise. Discard the stems, seeds and veins. In a large dry nonstick skillet, toast the chilies, 2 to 3 at a time, until slightly blistered and aromatic, about 10 seconds per chili. Put the chilies in the pan with the broth as they are toasted. In the same skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil and cook the tomatoes and tomatillos, turning frequently, until browned in a few spots, 5 to 6 minutes. Add to the broth with the chilies.

3)      In the skillet, cook the onion and garlic until they start to brown in spots, 4 to 5 minutes. Add to the broth. Fry the tortilla and bread until crisp and brown. Add to the broth. Add the raisins and cinnamon stick to the broth. Stir to mix and cook, uncovered, over low heat, until the chilies and vegetables are soft, about 20 minutes. When finished, remove pan from heat and let cool.

4)      Meanwhile, put the roasted peanuts in a medium bowl. In a medium dry skillet, toast the almonds until they start to color and are aromatic, 2 to 3 minutes. Put in the bowl with the peanuts. In the skillet, toast the pumpkin seeds until they start to pop around in the pan. Add to the bowl. Cool the toasted nuts and seeds. When cool, pulverize all of the nuts and seeds to a powder in a spice grinder (or coffee grinder reserved for spices) along with the cloves and all spice. Grind in batches and reserve in a bowl.

5)       Using a large slotted spoon transfer to a blender 2 to 3 cups of the cooked chilies and vegetables from the cooking pot. Add 3/4 cup broth and puree as smooth as possible and pour into a large bowl. Repeat in batches until all are blended. Stir in the sugar, salt, and the ground nut mixture. Mix well.

6)      In a large heavy deep pot, heat two tablespoons oil. Add the blended mixture from the bowl. Bring to a boil, stirring, and cook 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, partially covered, 30 minutes. Stir frequently to prevent sticking. After 30 minutes, add the chocolate and stir constantly to prevent scorching, until chocolate melts. The sauce should have the consistency of heavy cream. If too thick, add more broth. Partially cover the pot, and simmer, stirring frequently, 15 more minutes. Adjust seasoning. The sauce is ready to use, or, in covered container refrigerate up to 5 days or freeze up to 3 months.

Source: 1000 Mexican Recipes by Marge Poore