Clemole De Gallina

This recipe hails from the remarkable mid-19th century Mexican manuscript, 'Coleccion de Recetas para Guisos y Dulces' (1860), a bound volume compiled by or dedicated to Rita G. de Garcia. The collection is divided into savory and sweet parts, revealing the vibrant domestic and culinary life of upper-class Mexico during this period. Stews like this were at the heart of celebratory and everyday meals, showcasing the marriage of indigenous ingredients (chiles, tomatoes) with Old World elements (almonds, eggs). Dishes like clemole de gallina reflect the ongoing culinary syncretism of post-colonial Mexico: New World poultry, Native chiles, and Spanish-influenced techniques (roasting, toasting, use of almonds and boiled eggs). Recipes were often written in brief, assuming deep kitchen experience and leaving much to the cook's intuition.

In the 1860s Mexican kitchen, cooks produced this dish using heavy clay or cast-iron pots (cazuelas and ollas) for both boiling and simmering. Chiles and tomatoes were roasted directly over coals or on a comal (flat griddle). Grinding toasted spices, garlic, and fried chiles would have been done on a metate (stone grinding slab) or in a large mortar and pestle (molcajete). Eggs were boiled in small pots over the hearth, and all simmering was performed over a wood or charcoal fire. Modern cooks can substitute saucepans for boiling, skillets for frying chiles, ovens or stovetops for roasting, and a blender for grinding the sauce ingredients.