Clemole (or Mole de Olla)

Last Updated on January 18, 2023 by Catrina

After the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, there is nothing more comforting than pajamas, a good movie, and a belly-warming stew. Enter Clemole (say it like kleh-MOE-lay). Clemole is a hearty Mexican-style beef and vegetable stew, cooked low and slow, perfect for a lazy, cold winter day. Bone-in beef shank steaks are simmered with onion and garlic to make a flavorful base broth. The broth is then further flavored with cooked pasilla and guajillo chiles for a Mexican touch! The addition of corn, potatoes, chayote, Mexican gray squash, and green beans round out the dish, for a filling and comforting meal.

What is beef shank?

Let’s first talk about the meat used for this recipe. Here, I recommend using bone-in beef shank steaks. Beef shank is a cut of meat that comes from the leg of a cow or bull. Beef shanks have a tough texture and low-fat content which is why the meat should be cooked long and low, to allow the meat to tenderize.

Some recipes using beef shank call for braising the meat. In this version, we are stewing the meat with sufficient liquid to both tenderize the meat and create a base broth for our stew.

Typically, this cut is sold with the bone-in. You will want the bone to provide extra flavor in the final dish. In fact, part of what makes the base broth for this stew extra delicious is the bone marrow. See the circular bones in the photo below? In the center of those bones is the marrow which when cooked, melts into the stew creating an extra flavorful and restorative broth.

What is clemole?

As part of my research when writing about a particular dish, I like to look at the origin of the name. Many of the dishes that we think of as Mexican have pre-Hispanic roots, with Náhuatl or other indigenous language names (like guacamole or tamal). Clemole is no different.

The word clemole comes from the Náhuatl word, tlemolli, tetl meaning fire, and molli meaning sauce. Now, don’t let the name scare you off from making this dish. This version is mild (not firey) so that even my kids enjoy eating it! In some regions the original name tlemole continues to be used, however, here in central Mexico, it is more common to hear this dish called clemole. It is also sometimes referred to as mole de olla.

This dish is a condimented stew, generally made with a variety of vegetables, chiles, and some type of meat. I have seen this made usually with pork or beef, however, squirrel, dove, catfish, or other types of fish may be used in certain parts of Mexico.

The broth is either red or green, depending on the variety of chile or whether tomatillos or tomatoes are used.

How this recipe came to be and variations

The first time I had clemole, I was at my sister-in-law’s house in a mountainous part of central Mexico. It was a chilly, rainy day, and this stew was perfectly comforting. Warm, restorative, and hearty. When I asked her about the recipe, she mentioned that it was a recipe from her mother, my mother-in-law. Although this version is based on my mother-in-law’s recipe, I take some liberties here to make it my own and you can too!

I like my beef stew with LOADS of vegetables, and this stew is no exception. The vegetables used are typically chayotes (a type of Mexican squash), green beans, corn, potatoes, and Mexican gray squash, or some combination of the above. Feel free, however, to exclude any vegetables you don’t like, or add in others.

I also recommend making this stew with bone-in beef shank steaks. Why? Cooking this cut of meat low and slow allows the meat to become tender. The marrow from the leg bone cooks into the broth making it extra flavorful and restorative. Basically, the bone provides so much extra flavor, that I don’t make this stew with a boneless cut of beef.

Because of the long and low cook time for this stew, you may find it more practical to make this stew in a slow cooker. I typically make this on the stove, but have used a slow cooker to cook the meat and make the base broth, then finished the stew on the stove (at the point where the chile is added in). When I used a slow cooker, I set the cooker to high for 6 hours, then pulled the ingredients and finished the soup on the stove.

Tips and tricks for making clemole

Use bone-in beef

Bone-in cuts of beef provide extra flavor for the broth. I use beef shank steaks for this recipe. The marrow from the cut leg bone melts into the broth as the meat cooks and provides extra flavor and richness.

Remove the seeds and veins from the chiles

I make this dish for my whole family, including my kids. So it is critical that this stew is mild and not spicy. I use the chiles in this recipe for flavor, not spice. You will need to slice the chiles open and remove the seeds and veins prior to cooking to ensure that the broth has the flavor of chiles, but not the spice.

Add in the vegetables at correct intervals

Not all vegetables cook in the same amount of time. Tender Mexican gray squash and green beans will cook faster than the corn rounds and potatoes. Therefore, I add the vegetables to the pot based on the time the ingredients need to fully cook. This avoids the problem of some vegetables overcooking while others remain undercooked.

I hope you enjoy this stew as much as my family does!

Source: Graciela Martinez