#IFuckingLoveToEat: Enchiladas Con Mole Rojo

Im half Italian and half...other stuff. Pretty sure no Spanish or Mexican genes. Not that there's anything WRONG with that! ;) At some point in my life since my parents made the move to Southern California, I fell in love with Mexican cooking. Initially my exposure was the typical "American" Mexican cooking ... lots of cheese, rice and beans. Not really Mexican .. not much cooking going on.

Eventually, something something .. Two Hot Tamales .. something something .. Mexican Cooking For Dummies .. Etc etc .. Hey! MEXICAN COOKING IS LESS ABOUT CHEESE AND MORE ABOUT FRESH INGREDIENTS AND SLOW COOKED FLAVOR!! I started simple with the crowd pleasers: Guacamole, various salsas combined with grilled fish tacos and some Mexican inspired salad type dishes. Good eats. Not that inspiring.

A year or two ago, I was watching the finals of Top Chef - Masters. Rick Bayless was in the final and made his signature Oaxacan Black Mole. He won and I was intrigued. I hauled out a Bayless cookbook that had been gathering dust (recipes were too complicated) and there it was. Something just short of 30 ingredients. After a visit to my local Vallarta and 5 hours of nearly non-stop roasting, blending, and pureeing .. I did it. And dang if it wasn't pretty darn good. Actually, it was a sublime. Such complex flavors all in one sauce. I was hooked. I've made it about 4 times and it gets better each time.

Oaxacan Black Mole is a special treat, and a major undertaking. When I'm in the mood for homemade Mole, I fall back on the Bayless Mole Rojo. "Only" 17 ingredients and less than half the cooking time, but still a ton of flavor. The usual suspects: