In Chicago, mole—the Mexican mother sauce made from dried chiles, ground seeds or nuts, and assorted spices—has almost become as ubiquitous as our famous hot dogs and deep-dish pizza slices. It seems every two-bit taqueria features it. Of course, very few of them are serving up the kind of legendary stuff made for hours by bent over old ladies with just a molcajete mortar and pestle) and a rickety old metal pot in a Oaxacan plaza. More likely, most of these moles are coming from some dried reconstituted mass-market paste. But like anything else, when the big boys get involved and start diluting the marketplace, it’s harder to see what all the fuss is about. After all, if Miller Lite...
Continue reading »
