MOLE NEGRO DE TEOTITLÁN DEL VALLE

Steps:

• Prepare the mole: Preheat a comal and roast the chiles. Be careful not to char them, as this will make them taste bitter. Place the chiles and 3 c. chicken broth into a blender or food processor and purée. Reserve purée. On a preheated comal over direct heat, roast the onions and carlic head until browned or charred. Remove. Brown nutmeg, ginger, marjoram (lightly or it will become bitter), cloves and allspice on the comal. Remove. Brown the sesame seeds until very dark. Remove. Toast the tortilla until charred. Remove. Roast the tomatillos, tomatoes, and avocado leaves. Remove. Heat 2 tbsp. lard or vegetable oil in a frying pan and fry the bay leaves. Using a metate (or blender or food processor), purée all of the fruits and spices. If necessary, add just enough chicken broth to facilitate this process. Reserve purée. Heat the lard in a large saucepan and add onion slices. Brown until a dark, rich color. Remove from lard and discard. Add puréed fruit and spice misxture and cook over low heat for 45 minutes, or until it begins to render its fat. Stir in the puréed chiles and cook slowly for 1 1/2 hours. Season to taste with salt, chocolate, and sugar. Add bread crumbs and continue cooking until mixture renders its fat. Adjust seasoning. At this point, mole may be frozen if desired. If not, add chicken broth until the mole is semi-thick in consistency. This mole should be thicker than other moles. Strain to make the mole very smooth. Prepare the chicken breasts: Heat the water in a large stockpot or saucepan. Add the onion, garlic, marjoram, bay leaves, peppercorns and salt to taste. Bring to a boil and add chicken breasts. Cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes, or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken from broth and add to the prepared mole. Cook 20-25 minutes. Serve in soup bowls. Accompany with tortillas and white rice.