My Edible After School class in Pescadero is finishing a unit on the regional cuisine of Mexico. And considering that all my students have Mexican heritage we’ve had tons of fun exploring the different regions. And I have had tons of fun exploring the world of dried chiles. As a French trained Chef, I can tell you that bold earthy flavor is a welcome reprise. And frankly these flavors just seem to make sense in the town of Pescadero.<\/p>\n
![\"Oacaxan](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.amyglaze.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/DSC_0468.jpg\" "\\"Oaxacan")
<\/a><\/p>\nOaxacan Mole Negro (Black Mole) with Pork<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
I am fascinated with the food of\u00a0Oaxaca because the Spaniards did not totally stamp out regional cuisine. There are seven traditional moles in Oaxaca ranging in flavors and colors. Mole negro (black mole) is a rich sauce with hints of chocolate (a Oaxaca export), peanut, black raisin, and fruity\/mildly spicy dried chiles. The sauce is fried in lard to finish, which deepens the flavors even further.<\/p>\n
I do have a tiny disclaimer here: Mole Negro is darker in color than my pictures. Unfortunately we could only toast our chilis and seeds a little bit because we do not have adequate ventilation in the classroom I use to teach this class. Inhaling chili smoke is an unpleasant experience \u2013 unless you enjoy hacking your guts out. \u00a0If you can toast them outside I highly encourage it!<\/p>\n
<\/a><\/p>\nMole Negro with Pork Roast<\/p>\n<\/div>\n
Cooking with\u00a0chilis might be outside the comfort zone, but once you see how easy it is to use them you’ll want explore. And once you get the hang of toasting and rehydrating the rest is simple \u2013 just blend everything up and refry \u2013 easy! Most markets carry dried chilis although Mexican markets will carry them in bulk for a LOT LESS.<\/p>\n
This my second year teaching Edible After School, a course I created with Puente for Middle School Students. Over the last two years we have begun our own food business selling grab-n-go food at the farmer’s market in the Summer and jams (hibiscus-strawberry and Tomatillo-ginger-lime) and various salsas too. During the school year we study: baking & cooking techniques, food safety, and regional world cuisine. We are ALWAYS looking for funding and have been running on a generous grant from the Packard Foundation which will be depleted soon. Will you consider making a donation to PUENTE <\/a>so that we can continue? THANK YOU!<\/p>\n My current students want to continue this class next year and I want to as well, please pass on the word would you? We need some buzzzzz!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"