Jen P. > wrote:

>Sure I didn't write it down properly, but I think I remember
>everything, so here goes:
>
>about 15 dried chiles - I used ones with a heat scale of about 2-4,
>mostly. Like New Mexicos, Guajillos, Anchos, Mulatos, and Cascabels,
>but I also had one chipotle and a habanero. Most were New Mexico and Ancho.
>
>Leave the chiles intact and toast them in a hot, dry frying pan for
>about 10 seconds per side - be careful not to scorch them or they turn
>bitter. Once toasted, put them in a glass bowl with just boiled water
>to cover - leave for about 45 minutes or until all of the next steps
>are complete. I leave the stems and seeds intact for this, too.
>
>10 - 15 blanched almonds
>1 tbls sesame seeds
>1/2 large onion, chopped
>10 - 15 raisins
>2 large tomatoes, skinned, seeded and chopped, and drained
> or 2 tins of chopped tomatoes, drained of juice and rinsed,
> and drained until needed
>3 cloves garlic, peeled, crushed and chopped
>1 tsp oregano
>1 tsp thyme
>1 tsp cinnamon
>a little lard
>
>Toast the almonds and seeds in a dry skillet until the almonds start to
>turn golden and the sesame seeds start to pop. Remove and set aside.
>
>Put a little lard in the skillet (enough to just coat the bottom) and
>fry the onions on high heat until they start to go black at the edges.
>Set aside. In the same pan, fry the garlic and raisins until they start
>to turn brown and puff up a bit and the garlic goes golden. Remove and
>set aside (in the same place you put the almonds and seeds is fine -
>they all get mixed together, anyway!).
>
>Put the herbs and spices in the frying pan and toast for a few seconds;
>until you can start to smell them. Add the tomatoes and cook until
>they're nearly dry and paste-like. Takes a while - about 20 minutes.
>It's ok if they start to go black around the edges, too.
>
>Mix the last set of ingredients together and pop it into a food
>processor or blender and blend to a paste. That said, in doing it
>again, I think I'd grind the sesame seeds in a mortar before I add them
>to the tomato/onion mixture. That way you don't get left with any whole
>seeds. Remove the paste and set it aside. Time to play with the chiles!
>
>For this step, you need 2-3 corn tortillas.
>
>The chiles should now be well soaked. Take them out of the water and
>split them to get rid of the seeds and pith. Add the corn tortillas to
>the chile water and leave them for a few minutes until they're almost
>ready to fall apart. Pop them into the food precessor and whizz them up
>for a few seconds with the cleaned chiles. Press this mixture through a
>fine sieve with a big spoon. This will also get rid of any remaining
>seeds and membranes.
>
>Lastly, you need about 100g good, dark chocolate (needs to be at least
>70% cocoa solids)
>
>Add the chile paste and the tomato/onion paste to the frying pan along
>with a little lard. Fry this mixture until it starts to go dry and
>pasty. Basically, you want to cook a lot of the liquid out. Add the
>chocolate at the very last minute and stir until it's thoroughly melted
>and mixed through. Leave to meld the flavours overnight.

Sounds totally excellent!

>To make up, add 1 cup of chicken stock per 1 1/2 - 2 heaping tablespoons
>of paste

Arg! Chicken Stock! Noooo!!!!!

(Sorry, just had to say that.)


Steve