*Azure*

[anna7602]

Your cinco de mayo birthday reminded me I never got you David Lebovtiz's Chicken Mole recipe. I first saw it in his book, but it turns out it's also on his blog. Here it is:

www.davidlebovitz.com/2005/11/a-frugal-gourme/

Makes enough for smothering one cooked chicken or a pork shoulder.

5 dried ancho dried chiles
1/3 cup sliced almonds
1 small onion, chopped
1-2 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
1/4 cup raisins or diced prunes
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
1 clove garlic, chopped
¼ teaspoon each: cinnamon, ground cloves, dried oregano, powdered cumin, ground coriander, ground anise seeds
3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
freshly ground pepper
1 cup water (or more, as needed)
1 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted

Soak chiles in very hot water until soft, about 30 minutes or so. (Make sure they’re submerged by setting a lightweight bowl on top of the chiles.)

In a small skillet, sauté onion in vegetable oil until soft and translucent. Add garlic and sauté another minute. Add spices and herbs and cook, stirring constantly, for about 30 seconds, being careful not to let them burn.

In a blender, grind together the almonds, cooked onions, tomatoes, spices, raisins or prunes, sesame seeds, salt, pepper, and water. Puree until smooth.

Remove seeds and stems from the chiles and puree very finely, passing the chiles through a food mill. (If you don’t have a food mill, press the puree through a mesh strainer to make remove any skins. Some people just puree them in, but they can be tough.) Blend the chile paste into the mole along with the melted chocolate and add additional water, as necessary, until the consistency is smooth and slightly pourable.

Store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

[azure]

Sounds amazing! Merci!