Is there such a thing as an original recipe? It’s something I’ve been thinking a lot about recently. The question was asked at a recent panel I attended at the 92nd Y called Food + Media and it seemed that the general consensus was everything’s been done before by someone somewhere; everything’s an adaptation. I would imagine that the likes of Ferran Adrià, Heston Blumenthal and Wylie Dufresne might disagree with their fantastical creations like Ice Cream Curry and reverse spherical olives.

 

I’m a long way from joining their lofty ranks of molecular gastronomy, but I did stumble upon a culinary combination in the down and dirty Tex Mex world that made me want to eat nothing else for a week. A cursory google search for “Mole Beef Nachos” comes up empty so I’m planting the flag and claiming ownership. That’s quite a big achievement given the amount of time I spent making it, i.e practically none, thanks to Bunches & Bunches incredible Mole sauce. I went for the Smoked Oaxacan Mole this time but I can’t wait to try it with the Red Chilaca Mole!

 

 

Mole Beef Nachos

Serves 2 to 4 people (depending on greediness)

Ingredients:

2 lbs of organic beef chuck

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

2 small onions, coursely chopped

1 jar of Smoked Oaxacan Mole Sauce

1 bag of corn tortilla chips

1 (8 oz block) Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese, grated

1 jalapeño, thinly sliced

 

Toppings:

1 avocado, diced

1/4 cup of fresh cilantro leaves

Sour cream, to taste

 

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

2. Season the meat generously with salt and pepper and place in a large dutch oven.

3. Scatter the onions around the beef and pour the entire jar of mole over the beef. Fill the (now empty) jar with water, shake well and pour over it all over the beef.

4. Cover and cook in the oven for approximately 3 hours. I turned the meat over a few times during cooking but this step isn’t completely necessary.

5. Remove the meat to a board, shred with two forks and return to the pot.

6. To assemble the nachos, fill the bottom of an oven proof dish or cast iron pan with tortilla chips, cover with desired amount of cheese, then add mole beef and scatter with jalapeño slices.

7. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes or until the cheese has melted and then add toppings to your taste.