Squash & Mole Tacos w/ Cotija Cheese

Whew. I for one am soooo glad this Mother of all Mondays is over. I had to get a blood test (eww), some creepy dude was talking to me on the train (eeeeeewww, eew, eww.)...just the kind of day that calls for some rad Mexican comfort food: Butternut Squash Tacos w/ Mole Poblano. I have pictures, but blogspot is tweaking and won't take them. Boo!

This recipe is a variation on some delicious squash and mole enchiladas I made with the lovely Sarah Rich and this dude over Christmas break. Same ingredients, way less time, and you'll have enough to eat for days and days. I used leftover mole my mom and I made from scratch this weekend, but the mole I've eaten and loved my whole life comes from a little abuelita named Dona Maria.



Here's what you need for the sauce:

1 jar Dona Maria Mole Paste - $4.25
1-2 cups chicken broth (less broth = thicker sauce) - $1 - (@ $2/quart)
1 round Mexican chocolate $.66 - (@ $3.99/package of 6)

Carefully open the jar. The oil in the paste often separates and it does NOT come out of clothes or cooking utensils. Gently heat the paste in a medium saucepan with about 1 cup of broth. Once liquified, break the chocolate into pieces and stir them into the sauce until they've melted. Add more broth if you want a thinner mole. And....you're done. It's that easy. It is NOT, however, vegetarian. For that, I'm afraid you'll have to make it from scratch. Diane Kennedy has a nice recipe that can be modified if you're a masochist like me and want to make it straight from the chilies themselves.

Here's what you need for the filling a la Sarah Rich:

2 butternut squash, cooked and cubed - $4.90 - (@ $2.45 each)
1 small bunch chard, washed and diced - $2.49
1/2 onion, diced - $.33 - (@ $.66 each)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup broth - $.50 - (@ $2/quart)

Saute the onions until soft and clear. Mix in the squash and broth. The squash will absorb the broth and its flavor. Once the liquid evaporates, gently mash the squash, leaving some nice chunks. Finally, stir in the chard and keep the heat on until it cooks down into the squash.

On the stove or microwave, heat only as many corn tortillas ($2) as you're willing to eat right away. There is nothing sadder in this cold, cold world of ours than a corn tortilla that has been warmed then left uneaten.

Fill warm, soft tortillas with squash filling, drizzle with mole sauce and finish with a sprinkling of cotija ($3-$4) cheese. Sour cream and a little salt is a good alternative if you don't want to spring for cotija. I personally don't know how to live without it.



Totals:

Mole Sauce - $5.91 (Cheap Delicious Alternative: Sour Cream & Valentina Hot Sauce)
Squash & Chard Filling & Tortillas- $10.22 (cooking for two, not four? reduce the squash and save $2.45)
Optional: Cotija - $4 per package (Or shredded Jack Cheese)