Fideo Seco en Mole

Fideo seco is simply very thin, short pasta noodles cooked in the same way as you would cook arroz rojo: with a flavorful liquid that gets fully absorbed during cooking, hence the name “seco,” meaning “dry.” The more traditional way is to use a tomato broth, sometimes seasoned with chipotle, but using mole instead gives this comfort food wonderful added flavor. This is officially my husband Philip’s new favorite recipe.

For the tomato sauce here, I like to use 28-ounce can of San Marzano tomatoes, puréed with a teaspoon each of onion powder and garlic powder. You can also make your own with fresh tomatoes by quickly boiling and peeling six tomatoes with the same seasonings. As for the mole, you can definitely use store-bought mole paste for this weeknight recipe—I have used these brands: Mole Doña María, Juquilita Mole Coloradito, and the Northgate González Market.

If you can find fideos, you can use capellini or angel hair pasta, but you must break it into small pieces with your hands before cooking.

This recipe was excerpted from ‘Familia' by Marcela Valladolid. Buy the full book on Amazon.