Ancho Cranberry Pineapple Mole
After Thanksgiving, most people reach for the loaf pan and whip up cranberry bread. I used to be one of them—until my husband asked for Thanksgiving-inspired tamales to take to a work party. That request cracked open a whole new path for me. Now, instead of sweet loaves, I simmer mole. It’s smoky, rich, and layered with spice. And it pairs perfectly with my Red Chili Turkey.
When my husband and I were first married, I couldn’t cook much—except, weirdly, tamales. It was the one dish I knew how to make, thanks to my childhood best friend. From the time we met in first grade, she called me PWE because I was smaller than the other kids. Her mother always invited me into their kitchen during the holidays to help make tamales. It became a ritual, a rhythm, a kind of culinary inheritance.
So for me, every holiday needs tamales.
Years later, my husband’s stepmother asked to carry on the same tradition. She’d grown up with the culture in her home, but had never participated in the cooking. This time, it was my turn to teach. We stood side by side, pressing masa, folding husks, and ladling traditional mole—passing down something that had once been passed to me.
This mole, made with cranberry pineapple sauce and paired with red chili turkey, feels like the perfect fusion. It blends the tart brightness of my own twist with the deep, smoky warmth of ancestral flavors. It’s not just a leftover—it’s a story. A bridge between families. A dish that honors both where we came from and where we’re going.
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1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 of a small onion
4 cloves of garlic
2 cups of reserved turkey broth from the red chili turkey recipe
6 Ancho chilies, stems and seeds removed
1/2 cup of walnuts
1 tbsp tahini paste
3/4 cup of cranberry pineapple sauce
1/2 cup crushed tomatoes
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1 tsp ground Ceylon cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp ground cloves
2 tbsp masa
In a large saucepan over medium heat, add the olive oil and onions. Sauté them for 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the Turkey broth and chilies and bring to a boil. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 20 minutes. Let cool. Transfer mixture to a blender, add the walnuts, tahini paste, cranberry sauce, and crushed tomatoes, and blend until smooth. Pour the mixture back into your pan. Add the cocoa, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and masa. Bring the mixture to a boil, and simmer for 30 minutes.
Mole is a labor of love—but during Thanksgiving, love sometimes needs a shortcut. Traditional mole usually takes all day long to make. So I changed a few ingredients to speed up the process, cutting out the all-day simmering. It’s a fusion of Mexican tradition and seasonal practicality, made to complement turkey, tamales, or even a spoonful of mashed sweet potatoes.
Gratitude turns what we have into enough.
- Aesop
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