Paula Murphy
Scallops In Mole Verde at Xochi in Houston.
By Kathleen Furore
“This is, to me, a way of living.”
Lorenzo Tassone
With that, Chef Hugo Ortega — owner of Mexican-themed Hugo’s, Xochi, Caracol, and URBE, all in Houston — describes the role mole has played, not only in his acclaimed restaurants but in his life since childhood, as well.
While this award-winning chef has family ties to Oaxaca, a state known as The Land of Seven Moles, his recipes draw from Oaxaca and beyond.
“When I opened Hugo’s in 2002, I was very ambitious about getting something from every region in Mexico,” Ortega recalls. “Now, two decades later, I have the opportunity to cook and emphasize and create a few moles of my own. It is in me, in my heart, to do that and to cook this way.”
In this Q&A, edited for space and clarity, Ortega shares how mole has worked its magic on him and how he, in turn, now works magic with mole.
Q: How important are moles to your menus? And to Mexican cuisine overall?
ORTEGA: Cooking moles and understanding them is in my DNA. It goes back generations. Moles are part of my heritage, so they are remarkably important.
Q: How did you first learn about mole?
ORTEGA: When I was a boy, I lived with my grandma in the mountains between Oaxaca and Puebla. I remember seeing her buy seed pods at the market and then toast the cacao beans. It was primitive — she used a metate and metapil (grinder) to grind the seeds. Then she would light a fire and toast the seeds on a clay comal. To my disbelief, I saw a gooey black substance. And when I asked, “What is that?” she just smiled, asked if I would like to try it, and put some in my mouth with her finger. I made funny faces — it was too bitter! She broke a smile and told me it was missing other ingredients like ground cinnamon and sugar. That was my introduction to chocolate — a main ingredient in some moles — at age 14. The rest is history. I saw my mom, my grandma, my aunt make mole and finally, at 20 years of age, I learned the recipe. I had graduated and could make mole on my own.
Q: Do you feature different moles at each of your restaurants?
ORTEGA: We focus on the flavors of Oaxaca at Xochi, so I do Oaxacan moles there. One of them is Mole Verde made with serranos and poblanos, onions, garlic, cilantro, and hoja santa for color. The thickness comes from a bit of water and masa. I serve it with scallops and masa dumplings called chochoyotes. At Hugo’s, we have Mole Poblano from Pueblo, Mole de Xico from Veracruz, and Mole de Guajes, which is also called Huaxmole. Guajes are [flat, green] seeds from [acacia] trees. Mole de Guajes is traditionally served with pork, but my favorite pairing is with beef cheeks.
Q: I saw that you offer an ant mole on your menu at Xochi. That sounds a little, well, unusual. Tell me about it!
ORTEGA: Ant mole is an iconic mole from Oaxaca. The [Chicatana] ants hatch after the rains that come in April and May. Locals catch them, dry them, and use them for mole — Mole de Chicatana. They also season them and make salt. It is such an elementary dish...so close to the terrain. Ant mole has a fungus-like taste. I serve it with mushrooms, pork, or beef like a ribeye or tenderloin with full flavors.
Q: Has it been hard to convince customers to try all of the different moles you offer?
ORTEGA: I think people receive mole well once they understand it. For years, customers would say, “It is too sweet and spicy” because they only thought of Mole Poblano and Mole Negro. I would say, “No, you don’t understand mole!’” Mole comes from the Nahuatl word molli, which means sauce. And it comes in many types — some are lighter [than Mole Poblano and Mole Negro]. There are moles and there are molitos, which are moles made with just a few ingredients.
Q: Because mole can be so labor intensive to make, many restaurants steer clear of offering it on their menus. Do you have any tips on how they might be able to add one or two moles that don’t take as much time to make?
ORTEGA: Make time and go for it! Sometimes the best advice I can give to any chef is to understand what it is about...try not to complicate it too much. Start with a few ingredients, get confident, then try to master one of the most difficult ones.
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