Page 24 - The Valley Table - January/February 2021

The Virgen de Juquila, or “La Morenita” as she is affectionately called, is an ancient statuette of the Virgin Mary that has been venerated in Oaxaca and Puebla, Mexico’s most famous mole-making states, since her arrival with a Spanish Dominican friar in the 16th century. In Mexico, pilgrims trek to her sanctuary each December
8, and, in Newburgh, they celebrate in the gymnasium
of St. Patrick’s Church. Rojas’ family makes three large
vats of mole — enough to feed around 300 people — for the festival. It is his family’s most profound expression
of reverence.
Mole has always been related to the church. “It was first made by the nuns of Santa Rosa,” Rojas said. A widely accepted origin story tells that, in the 1680s, the viceroy
of New Spain made an unannounced visit to a convent in Santa Rosa, Puebla. The nun in charge of the kitchen, Sor Andrea, unsure of what to serve him, prayed for an angel to inspire a dish. Leftover bread, chilies, and about a hundred other ingredients went into a pot and a divine gust of wind blew spices from a nearby bowl over the fire into the mix. She served the resulting sauce (or molli in Nahuatl) over turkey and the viceroy was satisfied. Others say the dish is older, likely derived from the Aztec chilimolli.
Back in the present, Rojas waved to his wife in the kitchen, molera and Chef Maribel Rojas. About the same height as José, but with a darker complexion and shoulder- length salt-and-pepper hair, she approached the table slowly and took a seat. “I’m from a small town in the State of Puebla, Santa Ines Ahuantempan,” she told me. “At eight years old, I was already very attracted to food and cooking. My mom brought me to my aunt, the town’s molera, Tía Chagua. From that time on I spent a lot of time with her.
Leftover bread, chilies, and about
a hundred other ingredients went into a pot and a divine gust of wind blew spices from a nearby bowl over the fire into the mix.
22 the valley table jan – feb 2021