A pot of mole
The name mole de olla means, roughly, “mole of the pot”. It is a beef and vegetable stew whose broth is seasoned with dried chile and usually thickened only lightly, if at all. The word mole comes from a Nahuatl word for sauce or mixture, and in this case it is used loosely. The dish is not a thick, many-ingredient mole sauce of the kind served over poultry at feasts, but a brothy, hearty meal that eats like a soup with a spoon and tortillas.
It is generally thought of as a dish from central Mexico and is common in home cooking there, but its exact origin is not well documented, and versions are cooked elsewhere too. Cooks in different regions make it with different vegetables and chiles, so the description here covers the general pattern rather than a fixed recipe.
The meat and the broth
The base is beef, usually cuts that suit slow simmering such as shank, short ribs or bone-in stewing pieces. The meat is simmered in water with onion and garlic until tender, and skimming the foam early helps keep the broth clear. The bones and connective tissue enrich the liquid, much as in the everyday beef broth.
The chile paste
What distinguishes the dish is the chile mixture stirred into the pot. A typical approach:
- Remove stems and seeds from dried chiles, commonly guajillo and ancho, sometimes with pasilla.
- Toast them briefly in a dry pan, just until fragrant, then soak them in hot water until soft.
- Blend them with a little of the soaking liquid, garlic, and sometimes a ripe tomato or a slice of onion.
- Strain the paste into the simmering broth.
The details of how to rehydrate dried chiles apply here; toasting chiles too long makes them bitter, and a hot blender needs care. Wearing gloves while seeding chiles prevents lingering burning on the hands. The overall effect is a brick-red broth with moderate heat and a fruity, earthy depth rather than sharp spice. Some cooks thicken it a little with a spoonful of masa dough or a piece of toasted tortilla, though many leave it thin.
The vegetables
Mole de olla is known for the number of vegetables added to it, often in large pieces. Commonly used are:
- corn on the cob in rounds
- carrots and potatoes
- chayote and zucchini, the Mexican squash that absorb the broth
- green beans, called ejotes
- sometimes nopales cactus or other seasonal items
Epazote herb, a pungent leafy herb, is often added near the end and gives the stew a recognizable aroma. Not everyone likes its flavor, and some cooks use it sparingly or leave it out. The vegetables and the herbs reflect the same tradition seen in the milpa system, where corn, squash and beans grow together and appear together in the kitchen.
Serving
The stew is served in deep bowls with meat and vegetables together, accompanied by warm tortillas, chopped onion, cilantro and lime. A salsa on the side lets each person raise the heat. In many households it is a main course at the midday meal, rather than a first-course soup.
Other vegetable-rich stews
Mole de olla belongs to a larger family of Mexican pot dishes where vegetables are as important as the meat. Other examples include:
- caldos with large pieces of squash, corn and cabbage, which are plainer in flavor
- stews of pork with wild greens or quelites, in which the greens simmer in a green or red chile sauce
- pots made with nopales and a light chile base
- bean and vegetable pots seasoned with epazote
Each of these shares a few characteristics: a pot big enough for a family, vegetables that are part of the main event, and condiments added at the table. Regional names and recipes vary widely, and a stew called something different in one town may be nearly identical to one across the state line. Seasonal availability also matters, since the vegetables in a pot often change with the harvest, a rhythm tied to wild greens and cultivated crops alike.
Care when cooking and storing
Cook the beef until tender throughout. Because the pot is large, cool leftovers quickly in shallow containers and refrigerate them promptly. Vegetables soften further on reheating, so they may not hold their shape on day two, but the flavor often improves. Reheat until steaming hot.