Cookbook Challenge #2

For the second recipe during my cookbook challenge this year, I went to Signature Tastes of Bellingham a cookbook which is a collection of all the Bellingham-y recipes from the restaurants we all love there. Feeling a little nostalgic after returning from the holidays, it was a no brainer. We had a co-worker of mine over for dinner with her French boyfriend, who is a total European cuisine extraordinaire  So I turned to Mexican as something he wouldn't have a "well in Pairee we use twelve pounds of real butter in our food, so it tastes much better than this" response.

I went with Yam Alechilidas from Boundary Bay Brewery. There isn't any beer in them, they are just made in a brewery. Overall, it was hit and miss. The enchiladas were fabulous, but the accompanying mole was a disaster. Here is the recipe, followed by my hints for what I would have done differently.

Yam Alechilidas

Mole:
2 anaheim peppers
1 jalapeno pepper
2 poblano peppers
1 red bell pepper
1 roma tomato
1 yellow onion
1 tbsp chopped garlic
1 dried chipotle
1 ancho pepper (I used an add'l chipotle)
1 Tbsp sesame seeds
3/4 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp dried thyme
2 cups veggie stock
1/2 bunch cilantro
2 6" corn tortillas
6 oz unsweetened chocolate

1. Seed and rough chop peppers and tomatoes.
2. Rough chop onions; tear tortillas into quarters
3. Put all ingredients except the chocolate into a medium size pot and simmer with lid on for one hour.
4. Break chocolate into pieces and place in a bowl large enough to place on top of the simmering pot
5. Place the bowl of chocolate on top of simmering pot to melt chocolate (or somehow melt chocolate)
6. After half hour drain the liquids from the solids.
7. Puree the solids in a food processor or blender. Add the liquids and the melted chocolate.

Filling:
2 1/2 lbs cooked, peeled yams
4 Tbsp roasted garlic
1/2 cup caramalized onions
1 tsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp white pepper (I used black...)
1/4 tsp cayenne
2 oz cheddar, shredded
2 oz monterey jack

1. Puree the roasted garlic and caramelized onions in a food processor (preferred) or blender. (I couldn't really get mine to puree, but it was okay in the end)
2. Mash the yams in a large bowl. Add cheese.
3. Add processed ingredients and spices to the mashed yams to thoroughly combine all ingredients.
4. Fill tortillas, roll and place in oven-proof pan. Bake at 325 for 25 minutes. Top with mole and serve.
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Okay, the enchiladas themselves were really great and we would totally make these again. We left the cheese out because one of our guests (ironically the Frenchman) couldn't have it and sprinkled it on top instead. That worked fine.

However, the mole just didn't work. Granted it could totally be our fault some how. But when we finished the recipe as written, it just tasted like bitter chocolate. So we had to add another portion of chipotle, more salt, and after a frantic interweb search of what could possible save our mole - raisins. And it turned out to be serve-able  but not much more than that. If you are going to do the mole, I would recommend that you make a half batch for one recipe of enchiladas.

Also, I blatantly stole this picture as I didn't take a good one due to aforementioned dinner guests.

Enjoy!