Grilled Mole Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 green bell pepper
• 1 1/2 poblano chile peppers, seeded
• 1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeded
• 1/4 cup sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup thawed frozen chopped spinach, squeezed dry
• 1/4 cup unsalted shelled pumpkin seeds
• 2 tbsp water
• 1 tbsp fresh lime juice
• 1 1/2 tsp liquid honey
• 1 tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• Salt and freshly ground pepper*

Directions

1. Place green pepper on barbecue grid on natural gas barbecue; grill over medium heat, turning occasionally, until green pepper is blackened on all sides, about 15 – 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, place chile peppers and jalapeno pepper on barbecue grid; grill, turning occasionally, until chile peppers and jalapeno pepper are grill-marked and heated through, about 6 – 8 minutes. Remove from heat.
3. Place green pepper, chile peppers and jalapeno pepper in a heatproof bowl. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and let peppers steam for 10 minutes.
4. Uncover bowl. When cool enough to handle, peel peppers. Remove and discard green pepper stem; cut green pepper in half. Remove and discard seeds and ribs.
5. Place peppers in a blender. Add sesame seeds, spinach, pumpkin seeds, water, lime juice, honey, cocoa, allspice and cloves; purée until almost smooth.
6. Season to taste with salt and pepper. May be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 1 month. Stir before using.