Recipe contributed by Chef Omar Huerta, Playa Mill Valley
Ingredients
- FOR THE WOOD GRILLED CALAMARI
- 2 pounds calamari, washed and clean
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 4 cups black eyed peas, cooked
- 2 cups green garbanzo beans (fresh or frozen)
- 1 cup hearts of palm, sliced into ½” thick rounds
- 3 cups Mole Amarillo (recipe below)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Cilantro, to garnish
- FOR THE MOLE AMARILLO
- 4 Guajillo chiles, toasted and deveined
- 3 Chiles de Arbol, toasted and deveined
- 2 Puya chiles, toasted and deveined
- 1 Ancho chile, toasted and deveined
- 1 cup olive oil
- 2 yellow onions, diced into ¼” pieces
- 1 fennel bulb, diced into ¼” pieces
- 2 carrots, diced into ¼” pieces
- 1 chayotes, diced into ¼” pieces
- 2 stalks celery, diced into ¼” pieces
- 4 yellow beets, roasted and quartered
- 1 yellow bell pepper, roasted over an open flame until charred
- 8 dried apricots
- 2 teaspoons fennel seeds, toasted
- 2 teaspoons cumin seeds , toasted
- 4 teaspoons raw almonds, slivered
- 2 teaspoons shelled sunflower seeds, toasted
- 5 cloves
- ½ teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2/3 cup vegetable stock
- 4 teaspoons water
- 8 ounces fresh yellow corn masa (available at Hispanic markets)
- 4 teaspoons white chocolate
Instructions
For the Wood Grilled Calamari
Special tools needed:
4 to 6 8” bamboo skewers
Gas or charcoal grill
TO PREPARE
Thread the calamari onto the bamboo skewers. Grill the calamari to your own preference - I prefer it not too over done.
Place a little olive oil into a sauté pan over low heat and add the black eyed peas. Sauté until warm, then add the green garbanzos and hearts of palm. Continue to cook only long enough take any chill off, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
For the Mole Amarillo
TO PREPARE
Place the toasted peppers in a saucepan with 3 cups warm water to soften.
In the meantime, place the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium low heat and add the garlic. Cook until lightly toasted then add the onions, fennel, carrots, chayotes and celery. Continue to cook until the vegetables are lightly caramelized.
Add the softened peppers, beets, yellow peppers and dried apricots to the sauté pan and cook for an additional 20 minutes. Add fennel seeds, cumin seeds, almonds, sunflower seeds, cloves, oregano, bay leaf and cinnamon and cook for another 20 minutes.
Remove from the heat and add vegetable stock, water, yellow masa and white chocolate. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before blending in a blender until it forms a smooth paste. Keep warm to serve.
TO SERVE
Place 1 tablespoon of Mole Amarillo on each plate. Next to the mole, place a serving of the mixed beans and hearts of palm, then place the calamari on top. Garnish with cilantro.
Yield: 4-6 servings
