Mole de Olla, a delicious soup year around.

Mole de Olla

THIS IS NOT A SPICY MEAL!!
Mole de Olla is a rich soup with a little bit of Mole sauce flavor. It has many variations across the country but is more popular in the central states of Mexico, where it is a common main dish in the mid-afternoon.

Even though here in America soups are enjoyed during the wintertime, in Mexico, this Mole de Olla soup is cooked year around. In most regions, it is usually made with a mix of bone-in beef cuts and pork meats, accompanied with vegetables native to the area.

Cooked slowly over the stove, Mole de Olla is a robust meal; the bone-in pieces of meat create a nutritious broth, and the vegetables like carrots, chayote, squash, corn, green beans, and xoconostles form a perfect combination of flavors. For a faster way to cook this meal, you can use your pressure cooker.

This Mole de Olla recipe brings me happy memories of my time as a school teacher in the State of Tabasco. I worked in two schools right in the middle of the cacao plantations: during the mornings I was teaching middle school, and in the afternoons I would teach elementary school.

Since my two jobs were far away from where I lived, I usually packed my lunch to eat between classes. One day, one of my students asked me what my favorite meal was, and I told her “Mole.” One week later, she told me that she had a surprise for me and that she wanted me to go to her house for lunch because her mom had prepared my favorite meal.

I was obviously really excited about the great meal I was about to have, my mouth was watering just thinking about it on my way to her house. All this time, I was thinking about Mole Poblano, the famous dish from the state of Puebla, and I couldn’t hide my surprised face when I was served a huge bowl of steamy Mole de Olla.

My student’s face had a smile from ear to ear, honored with having her teacher sitting at her table for lunch. She said, “you told me that your favorite meal is Mole.” I smiled and said that indeed it was. I didn’t have the heart to tell her! Either way, it was a delicious meal and bittersweet moment.

“Xoconostle” is a close relative of the cactus fruit “sweet prickly pear,” known also as “tunas.” Xoconostle is not as sweet and have a sour-tart taste. I’ve given some ideas for substitutions in the notes below, in case you can’t find them in your area.

There is another recipe for Mole de Olla in the region of Chapala, Jalisco, made with salted beef steaks and ancho peppers.

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Mole de Olla

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INSTRUCTIONS:

• Rinse the meat and pat dry thoroughly with a paper towel. In a large stockpot, place the meat, onion, garlic and bay leaves. Cover with 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to simmer gently. Use a slotted spoon to remove any foam that rises to the surface. The meat will take about 1 ½ to 2 hours to cook. (Please check the ingredients list below)
• While the meat is cooking, prepare the sauce. Fill a small pot with 2 cups of hot water and set aside. I like roasting the ingredients of the salsa since it gives a rustic flavor to the soup.  Now, slightly roast the peppers in a hot griddle, turning once. Remember, this step takes only a few seconds if you leave the peppers longer on the hot griddle they will have a bitter taste. Place the roasted peppers in the pot with the hot water to soften them, at least 15 minutes.
• Roast the tomato, garlic and onion on the hot griddle. The garlic will take less time to roast, so remove promptly. Remove its peel and place in your blender pitcher. Once the tomato and onion are roasted,
  place them into the blender pitcher as well. Once the peppers have softened, add them into the blender along with a cup of the soaking water.  Proceed to puree until you have a very smooth sauce. Set aside.

• To cook the vegetables: In another medium-size saucepan, add 3 cups of water and the pieces of corn to cook over medium-high heat. 8-10 minutes later, add the xoconostle, chayote, and carrots. About 3 minutes after that, add the potatoes (if using) and finally the squash and green beans to cook for 4 more minutes. Don’t worry if they still look uncooked after this time, they will finish cooking with the meat and sauce.
• Check your meat. If it is already cooked and tender, remove the garlic, onion, and bay leaf. Now, add the sauce and the Epazote sprigs, stir, and keep simmering for about 8 more minutes.  Add the vegetables and stir well. Let it simmer for another 6 minutes to allow all the flavors to blend. You can pour it using a strainer if you want, personally, I don’t use a strainer with this soup since I like how the sauce gives the soup a thicker texture.

To serve, ladle the soup in large bowls with some portions of meat, corn, carrots, chayote, xoconostle, squash, potato and green beans. Garnish with chopped onion, cilantro, epazote and lime juice.

Serve with some warm corn tortillas. There you have it, a whole meal in a bowl!

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5 from 1 vote

MOLE DE OLLA

Mole de Olla is a rich soup with a little bit of Mole flavor. It has many variations across the country. Easier Than You Think

Prep Time20 mins

Cook Time2 hrs

Total Time2 hrs 20 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Servings: 6

Calories: 561

Author: Mely Martínez - Mexico in my Kitchen

Ingredients

• 1 ½ pound RUMBA Oxtail
• 1 ½ Pound RUMBA Beef shank
• ½ medium white onion
• 3 garlic cloves
• 2 bay leaves

SAUCE:

• 2 Ancho peppers cleaned and deveined.
• 3 Pasilla Peppers cleaned and deveined.
• 1 garlic clove
• ¼ medium white onion
• 1 medium size tomato about 6 oz.
• 2 Epazote sprigs or 1 tablespoons of dried epazote*
• Salt and pepper to taste

VEGETABLES:

• 2 corn cobs each cut into 3 pieces
• 1 chayote cut in quarters
• 3 small or 1 large carrot cut into large pieces about 1
• -1-1/2 inches each
• 3 xoconostles peeled, cut into thick slices, and seeds removed**
• 2 small size potatoes or 1 large one optional
• 2 small squashes or 1 large one cut in quarters
• 6 oz. green beans

GARNISH:

• ½ white onion finely chopped
• ½ cup cilantro finely chopped
• 2 Serrano peppers thinly sliced or chopped
• 4-6 lime wedges
• 2 tablespoons fresh epazote finely chopped (optional)

Instructions

• Rinse the meat and pat dry thoroughly with a paper towel. In a large stockpot, place the meat, onion, garlic and bay leaves. Cover with 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to simmer gently. Use a slotted spoon to remove any foam that rises to the surface. The meat will take about 1 ½ to 2 hours to cook.
• While the meat is cooking, prepare the sauce. Fill a small pot with 2 cups of hot water and set aside. I like roasting the ingredients of the salsa since it gives a rustic flavor to the soup. Now, slightly roast the peppers in a hot griddle, turning once. Remember, this step takes only a few seconds if you leave the peppers longer on the hot griddle they will have a bitter taste. Place the roasted peppers in the pot with the hot water to soften them, at least 15 minutes.
• Roast the tomato, garlic and onion on the hot griddle. The garlic will take less time to roast, so remove promptly. Remove its peel and place in your blender pitcher. Once the tomato and onion are roasted,
• place them into the blender as well. Once the peppers have softened, add them into the blender along with a cup of the soaking water. Proceed to puree until you have a very smooth sauce. Set aside.
• To cook the vegetables: In another medium size saucepan, add 3 cups of water and the pieces of corn to cook over medium-high heat. 8-10 minutes later, add the xoconostle, chayote, and carrots. About 3 minutes after that, add the potatoes (if using) and finally the squash and green beans to cook for 4 more minutes. Don’t worry if they still look uncooked after this time, they will finish cooking with the meat and sauce.
• Check your meat. If it is already cooked and tender, remove the garlic, onion, and bay leaf. Now, add the sauce and the Epazote sprigs, stir, and keep simmering for about 8 more minutes. Add the vegetables and stir well. Let it simmer for another 6 minutes to allow all the flavors to blend. You can pour it using a strainer if you want, personally, I don’t use a strainer with this soup since I like how the sauce gives the soup a thicker texture.
• To serve, ladle the soup in large bowls with some portions of meat, corn, carrots, chayote, xoconostle, squash, potato and green beans. Garnish with chopped onion, cilantro, epazote and lime juice.
• Serve with some warm corn tortillas. There you have it, a whole meal in a bowl!

Notes

*Cities with a large Mexican population have Latin stores that carry Xoconostle; if you can’t find it, add slices of green tomatillo cut in slices or chopped nopales to give the slightly sour taste the Xoconostles render. You can also buy them online, fresh or dehydrated.

** Epazote is a key ingredient in this dish; it is now available in many online stores. If you don’t want to get into the trouble of looking for it online, use peppermint, and if that is not available then use fresh cilantro. The dish will have a different taste but it will still be delicious.

*** If cooking the meat in a pressure cooker, the cooking time will be 45-50 minutes, if using a crock pot, it will take 8 hours on the slow setting.

Nutrition

Calories: 561kcal | Carbohydrates: 44g | Protein: 56g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Cholesterol: 151mg | Sodium: 328mg | Potassium: 1496mg | Fiber: 10g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 10120IU | Vitamin C: 50.2mg | Calcium: 124mg | Iron: 8.9mg

Mole de Olla

Believe me, it tastes amazingly good!

Buen Provecho!

Mely,

More recipes:
Easy Chicken in Mole Sauce – Molito Sencillo
Turkey Crispy Tacos with Mole Sauce