Alex first made this meal for me on a rough night in my love life, and it blew my mind.  It’s one of those non-guilty pleasures (I don’t believe in guilt) that I really want to make a few times a month.  I’ve made it myself just twice, and every time it gets better.  The flavor is so complex, intense, and round that I have no choice but to experience it fully in the moment.  It was a great choice on Alex’s part to clear my head. The key is having the mix of meat, still steaming, with chocolatey-spicy-sweet molé, and mellow beans.  Ideally, I’d love to make everything myself from scratch, but hey, I don’t really want to start growing corn and raising cattle!

I’ve made it with a variety of different molé bases, but the most recent one took the cake.  It’s a paste sold (exclusively?) at Santa Cruz market in Santa Barbara, but you can probably find it most anywhere.  What you’re looking for is a consistent, thick, black paste that reeks of chocolate and chili.  If it’s covered in oil, or has a chalky, chunky texture, you’re headed for mixing and flavor disaster.  Eventually, I’ll make my own.  Until then, I’ll stick to it.

The sauce is super simple, start with (1 or 2) caramelized onions (duh), and add the molé paste (1 cup).  Slowly add RFCS and water until it’s a good consistency (probably 2-3 cups or more).  Throw in a few handfuls of sultanas and let the whole thing simmer for a while.  At the very end, slice up some corn tortillas, and throw those in.  I made my own, and they were absolutely wonderful, but that’s another story.  Sprinkle some cilantro on top for garnish and a friendly fresh flavor.

Marinate the meat in 1 part lime/lemon juice, 2 parts hard alcohol (I used bacardi rum), and 4 cloves crushed garlic for every lemon.  Let it sit for at least an hour in the fridge.  Grill it nice and hot, so it’s still rare, but has a smokey, good-natured grill texture to it.

The beans are, well, cooked pintos.  Do ‘em from a can, or do ‘em for real.  I un-canned them, this time!  I like to throw in some caramelized celery for good measure.

This one I can barely stop eating…