INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

CHILES
CHICKEN
The day before, slit the chiles open with a knife and remove the seeds and
veins, reserving at least 1/2 tablespoon of the seeds. Heat the shortening
and quickly fry the chiles on both sides. Take care that they do not burn,
and be careful how you inhale the fumes, unless you want a seared windpipe.
Put the chiles into a bowl, cover them with water, and leave them to stand
overnight.
On serving day:  preheat the oven to 325 F.  Cut the chicken into serving
pieces.  Set the giblets aside. Melt 3 tablespoons lard and brown the
chicken pieces well. Drain off the excess fat. Cover the pan and braise the
chicken in the oven, without liquid, until it is tender---40 to 60 minutes,
depending on toughness. Put the giblets into the pan with the rest of the
ingredients.  Cover them with water and bring them to a boil. Lower the
flame and simmer for 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours. Strain the broth and set it
aside.
When the chicken is cooked, pour off the juices in the pan and set them
aside to cool, then skim off the fat and add them to the giblet broth. Set
it aside.  Blend the chiles with the water until smooth---you may have to
do them in two or three lots but try not to add more water. Melt the
shortening, and when it is hot but not smoking, cook the chili puree over a
medium flame for about 10 minutes, stirring it all the time. Keep a lid
handy, as it will splatter about. Set it aside. Put the tomatillos in a
blender or food processor.
Put the spices into a spice grinder and add the toasted, cooled seeds,
reserving 2 tablespoons of the sesame seeds for later use. Grind the spices
and seeds finely and transfer them to the blender jar. Add the toasted
garlic to the blender jar.
Melt three tablespoons of shortening in the frying pan and fry the raisins
briefly, just until they puff up, and transfer them with a slotted spoon to
the blender jar. In the same pan fry the almonds, stirring them all the
time, until they are well browned.  Remove with a slotted spoon and crush
them a little before adding them to the blender jar. In the same pan fry
the pumpkin seeds lightly, but have a lid handy, as they pop about
explosively.  Remove with a slotted spoon and add to the blender. In the
same pan fry the tortilla until very crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and
crush it a little before adding it to the blender. In the same pan fry the
bread until crisp, then remove with a slotted spoon and crush. Add it to
the blender jar. Blend all the ingredients together until they form a
smooth paste. If it is absolutely necessary to add some liquid to blend it
effectively, then add a little chicken broth.
Add the blended mixture to the chile sauce and cook over a brisk flame for
about five minutes, stirring the mixture constantly. Break the chocolate
into small pieces and add it to the mixture. Continue cooking the _mole_
for about 10 minutes more, stirring it all the time so it does not stick.
Add the broth and continue cooking the _mole_ for a minimum of 40 minutes.
Add salt as necessary, then add the chicken pieces and heat them through.
Serve individually, sprinkled with some of the reserved toasted sesame
seeds.
From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini

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