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Chicken Mole

Ingredients: 1 tbsp. canola oil

6 dried ancho chilies, stemmed, seeded and deveined 1 dried Anaheim chili, stemmed, seeded and deveined 1 dried chipotle chili, stemmed, seeded, and deveined 1/4 cup Tomatillos, husked and coarsely chopped

3 tbsps. Sesame seeds 5 cups chicken broth 1/4 cup onion, finely chopped 1 tsp. garlic, finely minced

2 tbsps. raisins 1 6-inch tortilla 1 ripe banana sliced 3/4 cups tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped

1/2 tsp. dried oregano 1/4 tsp. dried thyme 1/8 tsp. ground cloves 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon 1 ounce semisweet chocolate, chopped 2 chickens quartered, back bones removed (about 2-1/2 lbs. each) 1/4 cup Fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped Instructions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Sauté all the chilies briefly on both sides until they turn slightly brown; drain thoroughly on paper towels and transfer to a large bowl. Set the skillet aside. Cover the chilies with boiling water and soak for 1 hour; weigh them down with a plate to keep them submerged. Simmer the tomatillos in water to cover until they are tender about 20minutes. Toast the sesame seeds in the oven in a small pan or oven proof skillet for 10 minutes; don’t let them burn. Remove from the oven and set aside. Drain the chilies and cut them into small pieces. Ina blender puree the chilies in two batches, using 1/2 cup chicken broth each time. Scrape down the sides of the blender a couple of times with a rubber scrapper; the puree should be smooth. Set aside. Pour off and reserve all but 1-2 teaspoons of oil from the skillet. Sauté the onion and garlic for 6 to 8 minutes, until softened; transfer to a large bowl with a slotted spoon. Sauté the raisins for 1 minute, and add the onion and garlic. Sauté the tortilla on both sides until lightly brown. Shred the tortilla and add to the above. Add a few drops of the oil if necessary, and sauté the banana until it begins to brown; add it to the onion. Finally add the tomato, tomatillos and sesame seeds to the mixture and stir well to combine. Puree the mixture in a blender in two batches, until 1/2 cup of the chicken broth for each batch. Scrape down the sides of the blender a couple times with a rubber scrapper. Add a little more broth if needed to make a smooth puree. Pass the puree through a mesh strainer, pushing down hard with the back of a wooden spoon. You should have about 2 cups of sauce, set aside.

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