the easiest mole chili in the world when i told her i was making this my zuska said "mole chili scares me. but i'll trust you." to be honest, i had doubts myself but i decided to wing this as i went and it turned out great.

the following is a crock pot recipe; stove-top instructions in the "notes" section at the end. with the exception of the onions, all ingredients were trader joe's branded items:

• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1.5 lbs flank steak, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 1 15 oz. can pinto beans
• 1 15 oz. can kidney beans
• 1 15 oz. can black beans
• 1 jar red mole sauce (12 oz.)
  
• 1 cup vegetable broth
• 1 5 oz. can tomato paste
• 1 cup frozen corn

line the bottom of the crock with the onions.
spread the meat in an even layer on top of the onions.
drain all three cans of beans into a strainer and rinse, then layer on top of the meat.
in a medium bowl mix the mole, broth and tomato paste until combined, then pour evenly over the top of the beans.

cook in the crock for 4 hours on high setting or 6 hours on low. add the corn five minutes before serving.
adjust seasoning after it's cooked, a little pepper was all i added but you can add salt as well.

serve topped with more chopped onion and grated cheese.

notes

okay, next time i make this i'm trying it with chicken. chicken mole is great

if you're making this on the stove you'll need to start with a large pot.
saute the onion in a tablespoon of olive oil until soft, about 5 minutes.
add meat, turn up the heat and cook to sear the sides of the meat, 3 to 5 minutes.
add the mole mixture, turn heat down and simmer for 10 minutes.
stir in beans and simmer another 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. naturally, the longer it cooks the better the flavors meld.
as above, add the frozen corn five minutes before serving.

this recipe was kid tested and approved.
adults went back to the trough, and wished they had a nice cerveza to go with.  ¶ Friday, September 15, 2006