This untraditional mole is delicious, easy-to-make, plus courtesy of Dora Ramirez and her new book, Comida Casera!

bowl of vegetables in red mole sauce on top of rice, next to a cookbook and sauce pan

I’ve followed Dora for years now, and even featured recipes of hers in some of my recipe lists, like the zucchini and lentil ones! She was born and raised in Mexico, but went to culinary school in New York and now resides state-side, making plant-based recipes inspired by the different regions of Mexico. I’m so excited for the publication of this book as it is an incredible mix of recipes, ingredients, processes, culture and history, plus so many personal anecdotes. (Did I mention it has more than 300 pages?)

potatoes, chayote, carrots, peppers, almonds and more on a cutting board

Not to mention, it is GORGEOUS! So many photos for the recipes and showcasing indigenous cooks and recipe contributors. It really is a special book, and if you love Mexican food this is a must-buy for your kitchen!

collage of cookbook closed and open, and prepping guajillo chiles

Chapters include:

The Basics
The Indigenous Kitchen
A Fonda Breakfast
Street Food
Mole from the Market
Comida Casera
La Tamaleria
Modern Mexico
Salud!
La Panaderia and La Paleteria

collage of prepping mole sauce ingredients

Dora was kind enough to let me share a recipe from the book with y’all, and because I love mole so much I ventured into new territory with her Red Almond Mole! I headed over to my local Mariana’s market for the dried chiles and chayote, plus a few other things to make some of the other recipes in her book.

collage of blending mole sauce and cooking it in a pan

Notable Ingredients:

Guajillo chiles – these are the dried version of Mirasol chiles and are medium in heat (less hot than jalapeños on the Scoville scale), though like other peppers, some harvests are warmer than others.
Arbol chiles – another dried chile, though much smaller than the Guajillo chiles and definitely spicy!
Chayote – is a green, almost pear-shaped fruit that’s eaten like a vegetable, very similar to zucchini in that regard. It has a subtle flavor and is great cooked, especially with this mole.
Ayocote morado beans – Now, as Dora says in the pantry section of her book, these beans are hard to find in the US, though I saw that Rancho Gordo sells them! Here I opted for a can of Central American red beans.

Yield: 4

Red Almond Mole

Name: Red Almond Mole
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Mexican
Ingredients: Freshly cooked white rice or Mexican rice; Corn tortillas, warm; 2 cups (296 g) red-skin potatoes, cut into quarters; 1 large chayote (316 g), peeled and diced; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 2 medium carrots (169 g), cut into half-moons; 1 1/2 cups (266 g) cooked Ayocote Morado beans; 15 dried guajillo chiles, stems and seeds removed; 5 dried arbol chiles, stems and seeds removed; 3/4 cup (114 g) raw almonds; 2 whole cloves; 1/4 large white onion (65 g); 2 peeled garlic cloves; 1 teaspoon salt; 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper; 2 teaspoons avocado oil; 1 cup (235 ml) vegetable broth; 1 dried bay leaf

"Like the Pumpkin Seed Green Mole (p.143), this is a thick, earthy sauce, a distant cousin of mole, but in this case I'm making it in the style of San Luis Potosí, with toasted almonds instead of pumpkin seeds. Toasted guajillo chiles, arbol chiles, cloves, and bay leaf make this a spicy, aromatic sauce that complements the hearty potatoes and carrots, and the starchy and creamy ayocote morado bean. Serve with rice and warm corn tortillas. This would also make an excellent tamal filling, or you can use the sauce to make the Nixtamalized Butternut Squash in Almond Pipián (p.248)." - Dora Ramirez, Comida Casera, reprinted with permission

Prep Time 10 minutes

Cook Time 25 minutes

Total Time 35 minutes

Ingredients

Pipián

15 dried guajillo chiles, stems and seeds removed
5 dried arbol chiles, stems and seeds removed
3/4 cup (114 g) raw almonds
2 whole cloves
1/4 large white onion (65 g)
2 peeled garlic cloves
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons avocado oil
1 cup (235 ml) vegetable broth
1 dried bay leaf

Vegetables

2 cups (296 g) red-skin potatoes, cut into quarters
1 large chayote (316 g), peeled and diced
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 medium carrots (169 g), cut into half-moons
1 1/2 cups (266 g) cooked Ayocote Morado beans

To serve

Freshly cooked white rice or Mexican rice
Corn tortillas, warm

Instructions

Heat a large, heavy-bottomed skillet over medium heat. Put in the chiles and toast for 30 seconds on each side. Transfer to a medium pot and fill with enough water to cover them by 2 inches (5 cm). Bring to a boil over high heat, turn the heat off, and let them soak for 15 minutes. Drain, but reserve 2½ cups (590 mL) of the soaking liquid. Transfer the chiles and reserved soaking liquid to a blender.
Heat a small skillet over medium-low heat. Put in the almonds and toast for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally, until brown spots appear and the almonds begin to crack. Transfer to the blender.
In the same small skillet, toast the cloves over medium-low heat for 1 minute, or until they become fragrant; transfer to the blender. Add the onion, garlic, salt, and pepper to the blender and puree until smooth.
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Reduce the heat to low and pour in the puree while stirring, taking care as it may splash. Simmer for 5 minutes, or until the puree thickens and darkens in color. Add the vegetable broth and bay leaf and simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
While the pipián is simmering, place the potatoes and chayote in a medium pot and pour in enough water to cover the vegetables by 2 inches (5 cm). Add the salt and bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 9 minutes. Add the carrots and simmer for 6 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Drain and transfer to the pot with the pipián. Add the ayocotes and stir.
Serve immediately with rice and warm corn tortillas. Or, store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months.