New World Cuisine – Chocolate!

I’m in Santa Fe for a SAQA conference and had a morning open. My friend Carol Larson suggested a class on mole at Santa Fe School of Cooking and I said, “Count me in!” David joined us and we had a great time.

Chef Tracy Ritter took us through an historic background on chocolate, a variety of peppers and other essentials before the cooking began. Dishes to be prepared included:

Mole

Chipotle shrimp in adobo

Arroz verde

Calabacitas

Chipotle black beans with cacao

Warm Mayan chocolate pudding

Chef Ritter started by taking us through a primer on a variety of chilis that are used in southwest cooking, including their heat levels and fresh and dried appearance.

The mole was the first dish to assemble since it would take the longest to cook. Mole can consist of a wide variety of things — and, surprise! — it doesn’t always contain chocolate. We learned that the three primary cornerstones to a mole would include chilis (2 or more varieties), nuts and seeds, and fruit. Chef Ritter cooked a recipe that she has developed containing 19 ingredients including ancho and guajillo chiles, pecans, sesame seeds, pepitas (pumpkin seeds), green apple, dried apricots, Mexican chocolate and bitter chocolate — this was, after all, a class about chocolate. Among the many essential steps of creating mole is toasting seeds, nuts, chilis and spices — toasting these ingredients releases flavors essential to the mole.

Here is Chef Ritter tending to the Calabacitas, a dish common to the southwest containing corn squash and beans — also known as the three sisters.

Chef Noa helps with final touches.

Once cooked, lunch is plated.

Mirrors make watching all the action so easy.

And here’s lunch. Chipotle shrimp in adobo are plated on top of the mole. Yum! Yum! Yum!

Having the historic and cultural background for the foods and preparation of the dishes was key to enjoying this class and meal. Future travel plans will include cooking classes for me.