town too, but tortillas are more commonly made at home.
Mazolco, another company co-founded by Leo, makes all
the tostadas and corn chips for Milli, with an eye to rebuild-
ing the heirloom corn market long diminished by American
GMO hybrids. Patricia Hernández, another co-founder, says
they’re hoping the wages they pay and the quality of their
product will bring more value to what’s produced in the fields,
in turn creating better livelihoods for the farmers. “The com-
munity knows how much we pay at Mazolco,” Patricia says.
“Now when people from outside come to buy maiz for cheap,
the growers can refuse to sell.”
At the end of the day at Milli, Leo points out a saying on one
of the walls, which reads in Nahuatl: “A flower said to me that
my heart is content when I care for my milpa.” From the comal,
Gabriella plates some chalupas, and Benjamin delivers the of-
fering to a table of tourists. They believe the dish and the ges-
ture behind it help build meaningful changes; from the kitchen
to the field, they’re making traditional ways of living relevant
again for those both here and in Philadelphia. “I like selling our
products that come from Ozolco. I’m happy. I feel we’re doing
something good,” Leo says. “But the thing I’ve thought the most
about is how to include more people. We’re not the only ones.”
Mich Mole
SERVES 8
Active: 2 hr. • Total: 2 hr. 20 min.
This mole, called mich, from the
Nahuatl word for “fi sh,” includes
fresh nopales, or cactus paddles
(se e “ Cac tus Pointer s ,” p. 9 9), in
addition to a dried fi sh from Chi-
apas that can be found in Latin
American grocery stores in the
U.S. As with ma ny mole s , the
chefs at Milli use a starchy ingre-
dient to thicken theirs—in this
case, animal crackers, which
also lightly sweeten it. Don’t be
put off by the quantity of jalape-
ños; cooking tames their heat.10 oz. nopales, cleaned
and cut in ½-inch pieces
(2¼ cups)
Kosher salt
5 medium garlic cloves,
divided
2 Tbsp. white wine vinegar
2 lb. 10 oz. vine-ripe
tomatoes (about
7 medium)
1 lb. 12 oz. tomatillos
1 lb. jalapeños (about 20)
¾ cup sesame seeds
3 Tbsp. canola oil, divided
½ cup roasted, unsalted
peanuts
9 animal crackers (1 oz.)
2 Tbsp. fi nely chopped
white onion
Eight 4-inch pieces pescado
bandera salado (or
substitute salt cod or
salt pollock), soaked
for 1 hour, changing the
water every 15 minutes
Corn tortillas, for serving
1 In a me dium p ot, add the
nopales and enough water to
cover them by 3 inches. Salt
generously, add 1 garlic clove
and the vinegar, then bring
to a b oil over me dium heat.
Lower the heat to maintain a
strong simmer, and cook until
the nopales are tender, 30–35
minutes. Drain, discarding thecooking liquid. Transfer to a
small bowl.
2 Meanwhile, in a large pot,
add the tomatoes, tomatillos,
jalapeños, and enough gener-
ously salted water to cover by
2 inches. Bring to a boil over
medium-high heat. Lower
the heat to maintain a strong
simmer, then cook until the veg-
etables are very tender when
poked with a paring knife,
12–15 minutes. Remove and let
cool slightly, then use a slotted
spoon to transfer the vegeta-
bles to a blender, and set aside.
3 In a large, dry skillet over
medium-high heat, add the
sesame seeds and cook, stir-
ring frequently, until fragrant
and toasted, about 3 min-
utes. Transfer the seeds to the
blender and return the skillet
to the stove. Add 1 tablespoon
canola oil and, once hot, add the
peanuts and animal crackers.
Cook, stirring frequently, until
toasty, 3–5 minutes. Transfer to
the blender. Add the chopped
onion and the remaining 4 garlic
cloves to the blender, and blend
on high speed until smooth.
4 In a large pot or deep skil-
let over medium heat, add
the remaining 2 tablespoons
canola oil. Once hot, add the
fi sh and cook, turning occa-
sionally, until lightly seared all
over, about 10 minutes. Add the
sauce and bring to a boil, then
lower the heat and maintain
a simmer for 10 minutes. Add
the nopales, and cook until the
sauce is infused with the fl avor
of the fi sh and the nopales are
heated through, 10–12 minutes
more. Taste and add more salt
as needed. Serve with tortillas.