Drumstick Mole

We’re finally onto the main course: Drumstick Mole. For Mexican Thanksgiving 2012, I served this drumstick mole from Fine Cooking. Drumstick Mole is admittedly an ambitious project. But it’s an amazing mole sauce. Trust me, I tested a lot of recipes and this was a favorite. The upside of all the hard work is that you can make it ahead of time and just reheat it in a crock pot and set it out the day of Thanksgiving. Also, it’s a great way to handle a large crowd. I bought as many drumsticks as would fit in my large stock pot and then scaled up this recipe. We had some nice leftovers and I can attest to the fact that Drumstick Mole froze well, too.

For the poached drumsticks:

6 cups lower-salt chicken broth; more as needed
2 medium yellow onions, peeled and each studded with 4 whole cloves
6 medium unpeeled cloves garlic
6 whole allspice berries
4 fresh or dried bay leaves
2 teaspoon cumin seeds
2 teaspoon black peppercorns
2 teaspoon coriander seeds
2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 teaspoon fennel or aniseed
One 4-inch cinnamon stick
4 large turkey drumsticks (about 3 pounds total)
For the mole sauce:

3 ancho chiles
3 mulato chiles
3 guajillo chiles
⅓ cup raisins
¾ cup whole toasted almonds
2 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
1 cup canned, seeded tomatoes (or fresh)
2 corn tortillas, cut into 6-inch strips
1 cup chopped yellow onion
2 medium cloves garlic
1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground fennel or aniseed
⅛ teaspoon ground allspice
⅛ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground cloves
3 tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
¼ cup toasted sesame seeds

Poach the drumsticks

In a large (8-quart) Dutch oven or other heavy-duty pot, combine the broth, onions, garlic, and spices. Add the drumsticks and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer, cover the pot, and cook until the meat is tender, about 1 ½ hours. (You should get started on the mole sauce while this is going on). During cooking, add broth as needed to keep the drumsticks submerged, and turn them over from time to time. Transfer the drumsticks to a rimmed baking sheet and let cool. Strain the broth and save. Discard any solids. When the legs are cool enough to handle, remove the skin and discard. Pull the meat from the bones and remove any sinews. Leave the meat in the largest chunks possible and set aside in a large bowl.

Make the mole sauce:

Tear the chiles into large pieces, discarding the stems and seeds. In a large (12-inch), dry, heavy-duty skillet over medium-high heat, toast the chiles, turning them frequently, for 10 to 15 seconds. Transfer the chiles to a bowl, add the raisins, cover with 3 cups boiling water, and soak for at least 30 minutes or until soft. Drain the chiles and raisins. Set aside ½ cup of the soaking liquid and combine the remaining liquid with the turkey broth.

Put the almonds and chocolate in a food processor and pulse several times to finely grind them. Add the chiles and raisins, the reserved ½ cup of chile liquid, and the tomatoes, tortillas, onion, garlic, oregano, cumin, fennel, allspice, cinnamon, and cloves. Process until smooth.In a large (8-quart) Dutch oven or other heavy-duty pot, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the chile mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until it darkens and becomes quite thick, about 8 minutes. Add 4 cups of the turkey broth and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cover, reduce the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook until the sauce is thick but still pourable, about 40 minutes. Add more turkey broth if it becomes too thick. Stir in the turkey meat and cook for 10 minutes over low heat so the turkey can absorb the flavors of the mole sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If you’re doing the crockpot method, heat the sauce in the crockpot and then just add the turkey for the last 10 minutes. And you can add just as much turkey as you need to keep it tender. Store the rest separately.

Notes: If you want to split this up into two days, the turkey legs can be poached a day ahead (refrigerate the meat and broth separately). You could also soak the chiles and raisins may be soaked overnight and refrigerated in the soaking liquid.