Mole (mo-lay) is an amazing blend of nuts, chiles, spices, cocoa, and endless other ingredients, and it is as old as Mexico itself. There is a different formula anywhere you go in Mexico, and it is made in red, green, gold, brown, and black variations. Homemade mole is to die for, but most recipes consist of up to 30 ingredients, many hard to find, and it takes hours to prepare. Since we are not making a pure mole dish, the store bought version will work fine, and we give it a little boost by adding a few of the original ingredients back into it. The drumettes can be baked or grilled; obviously, if you're grilling, skip the oven instructions.

40 drumettes (more or less depending on the number of guests)

the sauce:
1 large ripe tomato
1 clove garlic, crushed very fine
5 heaping tablespoons prepared mole, any variety
1 tablespoon unsweetened peanut butter, almond butter, or tahini
1 square bittersweet baking chocolate, ground fine or melted but not hot
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 pinch each cloves, cinnamon, nutmeg, chili powder or cayenne pepper, black pepper, and salt

If baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees.

1. Core and cube tomato, then crush or mash in a bowl, retaining all the juice. To get a better consistency, don't use a blender or food processor.

2. Add remaining sauce ingredients to tomatoes and mix well to roughly a consistency between ketchup and mayonaise. Add a dash of vinegar or vermouth if necessary to thin the mixture. DO NOT USE WATER. Allow to stand for at least 1/2 hour.

3. Wash drumettes well and shake in a colander to remove water. Arrange in a shallow baking dish and cover with all but a few spoonfulls of sauce. Dredge all the drumettes through the sauce to coat evenly, and allow to marinate for one hour.

4. Bake for 60 minutes, turning after 30 minutes, until drumettes are done through.

5. Serve hot or cold with remaing sauce for dipping.