Written by: Roscoe |  Print this post and share it with your buddies!

The Menu:

Turkey Mole’
Roasted Chicken Enchiladas
Carne’ Asada tacos
Grilled Quesadillas
Carnitas
Beans and Rice
Guacamole

And for Dessert: Grilled Chocolate Quesadillas topped with pina colada ice and vanilla ice cream!

Roscoe Was There

We all know Roscoe’s lament on the paucity of good Mexican restaurants in the Detroit area. And don’t start talking about Mexicantown, because Roscoe’s been there, and couldn’t even find a decent Margarita, let alone a good tamale. Or even a taco, and how difficult can that be? But they seem to think gringos from Detroit don’t know the difference. And you know what? They don’t.

But Some Do

A few, anyway. And those that won’t go to El Charro anymore still want good Mexican food. So what do you do? You do what Roscoe’s sister does…

Cook It Yourself

Cooking Mexican food is the same as cooking any other food. You just have to know your ingredients – and where to find them – and maybe most important: the right spices. Fresh and dried chiles, herbs like cilantro. Tortillas. Avocados. Salsa. If you’ve got these, you can make just about anything into a good Mexican meal.

Cave Men Invented Guacamole

Like onions and garlic, there were always avocados. Cave Dudes had them all, but didn’t really know what to do with them. And since knives hadn’t been invented yet, the only thing they could do was mash things together with their clubs. This technique was especially good for Guacamole, though they didn’t call it that (Cave Men were still in the grunting stage). But it doesn’t matter what you call it, guacamole is good eating. And after they mashed up their avocados and garlic and onions and cilantro, they tried the same thing with tomatoes and peppers, thus inventing the first salsa as well. Cave Babes thought guac was great, because this was well before dietitians told anyone (erroneously, of course) that avocados were fattening. They would even have wanted Mariachis to serenade them, but this was also before guitars were invented (and large brimmed, colorful hats), so they settled for the chirping of prehistoric birds (but don’t think it wasn’t romantic; they had romance back then, it just took different forms; in those days, a chirping bird could get a Cave Babe’s juices flowing as well as a Rock and Roll guitar player can today).

Sandy’s Turkey Mole’

This fiesta wasn’t just a couple of tacos and some Mexican beer, although that would be pretty good. This was adventurous cooking, spelled M O L E’. Not many people know how to do it. Not many people WANT to know how to do it. But Roscoe’s sister mastered it on her first try.

Ingredients:

2 dried California chili pods, stemmed and seeded

1 dried Guajillo chili pod stemmed and seeded

2 dried ancho chili pods stemmed and seeded

2 dried chipotle chili pods, stemmed and seeded

1/4 cup golden raisins

hot water

1/4 cup almonds

1/4 cup sesame seeds

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

1 Mexican cinnamon stick, broken in pieces

1 tablespoon dried Mexican oregano

4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves only

5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 1/2 sweet onions, sliced

3 cloves garlic

2 serrano peppers, stemmed and seeded

1 pint plum tomatoes, broke up

2 ounces Mexican chocolate, broken in pieces

4 turkey legs(may sub 4 chicken quarters)

salt

pepper
1 14 ounce can chicken broth

1/2-1teaspoon Penzys bold taco seasoning

1 tablespoon brown sugar

Mole’:
Put raisins in a bowl.

Tear chiles into pieces and toast in dry skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes.

Add to raisins and cover with hot water and soak for 30 minutes (Roscoe’s Note: Water?! Try wine or beer. Or better yet: try Tequila).

Toast peppercorns, cinnamon, almonds, sesame seeds,oregano, and thyme for 2 minutes. Grind in a spice grinder to fine powder.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in skillet, add onions, serrano and garlic (with Worcestershire and Cholula). Cook until lightly brown, add tomatoes. Cook about 10 minutes. Add chiles, raisins, spice blend, chocolate and vegetables to blender.

Puree mixture, adding soaking liquid as needed to make smooth sauce.

Turkey:

Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil to deep skillet (pot). Season turkey well with salt and pepper. Add to skillet (pot) and brown well on all sides. Remove turkey. Add half of mole mixture to skillet and simmer for 2-4 minutes on med heat. Add chicken broth. Stir, simmer for 2-3 minutes.

Add brown sugar and taco seasonings. Taste it. If you think it needs more heat, add more mole base (a little at a time).

Add turkey back to pot. Cover and cook on simmer for 2 hours. Taste again. Add a little of this or that till you’re satisfied (Roscoe’s Note: this or that usually means Worcestershire and/or Cholula). Continue to cook until turkey falls off the bone. Remove turkey from pot. Remove meat from bones. Return meat to pot.

Serve with beans and rice (red or black, or pinto), plain rice, tortillas, toast. Ooh a hot turkey mole sandwich! Wow. Endless possibilities…

When You’re A Mole’ Master Cookin’ With Roscoe