Seared Steaks with Buttery Mexican Mole

Juicy seared steaks topped with a velvety, sweet and spicy Mexican mole sauce. A seamless layering of complex flavors including chile peppers, cocoa, sesame seeds, peanuts, garlic, and spices. All on top of that charred steak... Pick up FOUR ingredients and this unbelievable meal is yours.

Let's talk about that mole a little more. First the name: Mole derives from the Aztecs’ molli (or mulli), which means “sauce". That's why I shouldn't say mole sauce; or I'm essentially saying sauce sauce. Although, it's so good you could say it twice. Like New York.

Now for the flavor profile: Mole is a true melding of New World and Old World flavors. Think: chile peppers, chocolate or cocoa, fruit, nuts, seeds, bread/crackers, onion, garlic, and a medley of toasted spices. Mole often gets attention because there's chocolate in the savory sauce, but the chocolate is used to balance the heat from the chile peppers and its flavor should be almost undetectable.

A proper mole takes hours (even days) to prepare, and it can contain more than 20 individual ingredients that are prepped in different ways (toasted, roasted, simmered, ground). Ingredients vary greatly but there are typically five components: chile peppers (at least two different types), tomatoes or tomatillos, dried fruits, chocolate or cocoa, spices, and some sort of thickener, such as bread, tortillas, crackers, nuts, or seeds. Once the ingredients are prepped and combined, they're ground into a powder or paste. This powder/paste is mixed with water or broth and simmered until thick. And I mean THICK; mole should never be runny.

I've made mole in the past (recipe below) and it's insanely good. But, in this recipe, I take advantage of premade mole paste - found in the grocery store with other Mexican ingredients. Don't feel guilty about not making mole from scratch - it's also sold in Mexican specialty markets! If you want to make my version, from scratch, the recipe is at the end and also here: Grilled Chicken with Mexican Mole Sauce.

Whether you make the mole from scratch or use a powder/paste, it doesn't matter. When you take all that complexity and add a little butter, it makes an undeniably awesome sauce for steak.

Note: Let the steaks sit at room temperature for 20 to 30 minutes before cooking to ensure the best sear and perfectly cooked meat. Also, I used boneless steaks, but if you prefer bone-in steaks, go for it. Just add a minute to two to the cooking time.

Seared Steaks with Buttery Mexican Mole

4 steaks (about 5-6 ounces each), such as eye of round, sirloin, ribeye, or T-bone
Salt and ground black pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon mole "sauce" (store-bought or recipe below)
2 tablespoons butter
Chopped green onions for serving

Season the steaks with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the steaks and cook for 3 to 4 minutes per side, until browned and medium-rare (or cook a minute or two longer for more fully cooked meat - just remember, the steak continues to cook after you remove it from the heat).
Remove the pan from the heat and let the steaks rest for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, combine the water and mole in a small saucepan and set the pan over medium heat. Whisk until blended and smooth and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the butter and whisk until the butter melts.
Serve the steaks with the mole spooned over top. Top with green onions if using.

Serves 4

If you want to make homemade mole, this recipe is divine (it took me a loooong time to make, but it was worth it).

Mexican Mole
INGREDIENTS
• 2 dried guajillo chiles
• 2 dried ancho chiles
• 2 dried pasilla chiles
• 3 cups chicken broth, warmed in a saucepan or microwave
• 1 dinner roll or slice of bread, toasted and torn into pieces
• 2 corn tortillas, torn into pieces
• 2 tomatoes, stemmed and halved crosswise (like cutting a bagel)
• 5 tomatillos, peeled, stemmed and halved crosswise (like cutting a bagel)
• 1 tablespoon butter, lard or vegetable oil
• 1 small white onion, halved and thinly sliced
• 4-5 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced
• 1/3 cup chopped peanuts
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon chipotle chile powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 4 ounces chocolate, preferably dark, coarsely chopped
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• Cooking spray
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish

PREPARATION
1. Place the chiles in a dry pan and place the pan over medium heat. Toast the chiles until soft, warm and aromatic, about 3-5 minutes, turning frequently. Halve the chiles, remove and discard the stems and seeds and transfer the flesh to a blender.
2. Add 2 cups of the warm broth, toasted roll and tortillas and press everything down into the broth. Let stand 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, place the tomatoes and tomatillos in a dry skillet and set the pan over medium-high heat. Cook until both are soft and browned, about 3-5 minutes, turning occasionally. Add to the blender with the chiles and process until smooth. Set aside.
4. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, peanuts, raisins, cumin, thyme, chipotle chile powder, cinnamon, cloves and allspice. Cook until the onions are soft and the herbs are fragrant, about 3-5 minutes. Add the mixture to the blender with the chile-tomato mixture and blend until smooth.
5. Transfer the chile puree into a large saucepan and set the pan over medium heat. Add the remaining 1 cup broth, chocolate and salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer and stir until the chocolate is melted and the sauces thickens and reduces slightly, about 10-15 minutes, stirring frequently with a wire whisk to make sure nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan. Serve hot. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.