Guava and Almond Moles to Welcome Your Dead
Last-minute offerings for the altar
A todas las personas que aún no mueren
pero viven muertas sin escucharse por dentro,
sin ser felices todavía, sin saber qué es la felicidad.
Habemos muchos muertos que estamos vivos.
All of the people who may not be dead but are still living,
but they are living dead without knowing what happiness is.
Many of us are dead but still alive.
Edna Vasquez
Saludos (Greetings) desde La Gran Tenochtitlán, el Distrito Federal, el D.F., la Ciudad de México or CDMX. For the last decade or so, I have visited a different region for Día de Muertos to learn about the different ways this sacred holiday is observed, from Michoacán to Oaxaca to Guanajuato: the food, the gravesites, the rituals, the altars, the music, the pan de muerto, etc.
México and its traditions are not a monolith.
If you need a place to start next year, all Fresca subscribers can message me for tips on coming to México for Muertos to learn and respectfully honor your ancestors with our traditions. Anyone called to commemorate their loved ones can embrace and celebrate Día de Muertos.
On this last installment for Fresca’s Día de Muertos recipe series, not one but two of my favorite moles you can still make tonight in time for your muertos arrival.
In many places, altars begin forming on or around October 27th, when it’s believed that animals are the first to visit as they guide souls on the journey back to this plane. According to tradition, the spirits start their trip to the world of the living on October 28th, with those who unexpectedly left us arriving first. On November 1st, the spirits of children return. The celebration on November 2nd includes everyone who died in adulthood.
I’m off to the Panteón Mixquic on the city's outskirts in San Andrés Mixquic. Before I’m immersed in the spirit world, consider my *free recipe* for Mole Almendrado with Buttermilk-Glazed Squash. I can’t find an easier mole to make. Almendrado is my mole of choice when craving a velvety, bright, and rich sauce for a weeknight dinner with its namesake ingredient: almonds! Rehydrated ancho chiles, spices, and my magic trick: a handful of Medjool dates add more depth and viscosity to this quick-cooking mole.
Paola’s Mole Almendrado with Buttermilk-Glazed Squash/Christopher Testani For FOOD & WINE
If you feel like bringing paradise to your Muertos (I know that’s where my Abuelo Beto will be — at the beach), a tropical Mole de Guayaba with Crispy Chicken and Roasted Sweet Potatoes is just what you need to cook tonight. Inspired by my abuelo’s bustling garden in Vallarta, this guava mole is technically a mole de frutas: a regional mole that uses seasonal fruits as the main flavor profile. This guava mole starts with fruity guajillo chiles that are toasted and rehydrated and then combined with blistered tomato, onions, and garlic. The mixture is thickened with sesame seeds and perfumed with poached guavas, oregano, cinnamon, and crushed cloves. Overripe plantain is added to create the silkiest texture; when you pour it, the mole looks like melted ice cream.
