Mole de Olla (Mexican Beef Shank and Vegetable Chilli Soup)

• 1 kg boneless beef shank (chambarete), in large pieces
• 2 white corn cobs (elotes), each cut into 4
• 5 xoconostles (sour prickly pears), peeled and quartered (seeds not eaten)
• ½ white onion, for the broth
• 6 garlic cloves, for the broth
• 2 litres water
• a little canola oil (about 1 tbsp), for the sauce vegetables
• ½ onion, in chunks, for the sauce
• 6 garlic cloves, for the sauce
• 2 tomatoes, quartered
• 12 pasilla chillies, stemmed, seeded and torn
• 2 carrots, in large cubes, blanched
• 2 Mexican zucchini (calabacitas), in large cubes, blanched
• 1 chayote, peeled, in large cubes, blanched
• 1 cup green beans, halved, blanched
• 1 sprig epazote
• flor de sal (sea salt), a pinch for the broth and more to taste
• a little ground black pepper
• ¼ onion, finely chopped, to serve
• 2 limes, in wedges, to serve

Method

The cook speaks Spanish; every step is written here in English. Tap a time to watch that step in the video. For subtitles, tap CC in the video, then Settings › Subtitles › Auto-translate › English.

1. Put the beef shank, corn pieces, quartered xoconostles, half onion and garlic in a pressure cooker and cover everything with the water. 0:34
2. Close the cooker, bring it up to pressure over high heat, then lower the heat and cook until the beef is very tender (about 35 minutes to an hour). Let the pressure drop before opening. 2:51
3. Meanwhile fry the onion chunks and garlic in a little oil until they start to colour, then add the tomatoes and pasilla chillies with a pinch of salt and cook until shiny and the tomatoes release their juice. 3:31
4. Blend the chilli mixture with some of the broth from the cooker until very smooth, then strain it straight into the pot of broth and beef, adding a splash of water to help it through the sieve. 6:05
5. Add the blanched carrot, green beans, zucchini and chayote, the epazote and some black pepper. Thin with more water or broth if too thick. 7:46
6. Boil for about 10 minutes, taste for salt and serve in bowls with chopped onion and lime wedges. 8:40

Tip. About 8 bowls (our estimate for 1 kg beef). On camera he uses a little oil and strains the sauce straight into the pot; his written recipe fries it in 6 tbsp oil. Served with avocado and tortillas; skip the corn cobs to cut carbs.

The method is a summary in our words — the video shows every step.