PAOLA SOLORZANO – MEXICO

Paola Solorzano is the co-founder of Santo Pecado, and Executive Chef at Reposado Tequila Bar.

Paola was born in Mexico to a family of accomplished bakers and cooks;  her natural inclination towards the food industry led her to study Culinary Management and to specialize in Food and Nutrition Management at George Brown College.

After working some years in the industry and gaining valuable experience and skills, Paola joined forces with her life partner, Adriana Pelayo, and opened Santo Pecado, initially conceived as a catering company or, as they loved to call it, a fiesta provider.

Santo Pecado quickly became preferred vendor at many corporate offices in the financial district where high quality taco lunches were highly sought after.

Paola also keeps busy every Summer with weddings and social gatherings, where tacos and Mexican inspired canapés are proudly and beatifully presented.

At Reposado, Paola has been responsible for menu creating, staffing and kitchen management since 2016, where countless epic events have happened over the past few years.

And during the present public health crisis, Paola has kept busy pivoting and resisting the storm with the clear goal to keep the business afloat.

Having the extra time in their hands, Paola and Adriana developed their line of hot sauces, a project they had in the back burner for over seven years. Siete Pecados Hot Sauce was born as a tribute to family recipes, Mexican traditions, and the love of a good salsa that adds flavour and heat, but doesn’t scorch the mouth.

With the Covid-19 lockdown finally coming to an end (fingers crossed) Adriana and Paola are getting ready for battle, whatever that battle looks like.

RECIPE: Christmas Mole a la Santo Pecado

**gluten and nut free version**

100 g chile pasilla

100 g guajillo

100 g chile ancho

50 g chiles morita

100 g pepitas

100 g sunflower seeds

150 g cranberries

50 g sesame seeds

6 fried corn tortillas

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp ground coriander seeds

1 tsp Mexican oregano

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 marjoram

1/2 tsp thyme

1/2 sage

6 garlic cloves

80 g dark mexican chocolate (preferably Ibarra)

200 g brown sugar

Salt to taste

1 lt chicken broth

1 cup duck fat

 

INSTRUCTIONS

Open all the windows, turn on the range hood and if possible, bring a fan to the kitchen. In a cast iron at medium heat, toast the peppers working in batches. They will need about 30 seconds per side. Wearing gloves, remove the seeds and the stems and place the peppers in a large stock pot with water. Bring to a simmer and let the peppers soft for about 10 minutes. Let them rest until cool.

Using the same cast iron, toast the seeds at medium heat, until they turn golden brown. Reserve.

Working in batches, blend the chiles, seeds, fried tortillas, garlic and spices using some of the peppers cooking liquid and chicken broth.

Heat up the duck fat in a large skillet at medium heat, and add the pepper mixture and stir constantly to prevent it from sticking to the bottom, add the chocolate, sugar, and salt to taste. Let it cook, stirring and adding more liquid as needed for about 30 minutes.

Adjust tasting and let the mole rest to allow flavours to come together.

You can pour the mole salsa immediately over turkey or chicken breast, or freeze it in an airtight container once is completely cool. Lasts about 6 months in the freezer.