• 8 lb turkey, cut into pieces
• 1 tsp salt
• 4 each, dried mulato chiles, dried pasilla, dried ancho, (where dried chiles are not available, or only one type, You can use one type, and add canned red chile puree.)
• 2 cups hot chicken stock
• 1 cup blanched almonds (some substitute 1/2 cup peanut butter)
• 3 large tomatoes, peeled seeded and chopped (or you may use a combination of tomatoes and tomatillos)
• 1 onion chopped
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1 dried tortilla, broken up
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Spices: (you may grind your own for best flavor, or used already ground, for convenience)
• 4 cloves (or 1/8 tsp ground cloves)
• 10 peppercorns (or 1/4 tsp ground pepper)
• 1/2 inch stick cinnamon (or 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon)
• 1/2 tsp coriander seeds (or 1/4 tsp ground coriander)
• 1/2 tsp anise seed (or 1/4 tsp ground anise)
• 3 Tbs bacon fat
• 1 1/2 oz unsweetended chocolate (1 1/2 squares)
• 2 Tbs sesame seeds

Place the turkey pieces in a large pot, cover with water, add salt, bring quickly to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until nearly done, about an hour. Remove from the heat and pat dry with towels.

While the turkey simmers, while wearing rubber gloves, wash the chiles under running water, removing the stems, breaking them open and removing the seeds. If you insist on preparing the chile bare-handed, do NOT touch your eyes, nose, or any other senstive part of your body (or those of any loved one). Place the chiles in a large bowl, and cover with the chicken stock. Let soak half an hour, reserving the stock afterwards.

Place the almonds in a blender and reduce to a relatively fine chop. Place in the blender the chiles, spices, raisins, dried tortilla, tomatoes, garlic, and onion in a blender, along with a little of the stock in which the chiles were soaked, and reduce to a smooth paste.

In a large frying pan, melt the bacon fat and brown the pieces of turkey, having first patted them dry with towels. Place the browned turkey pieces in an oven-proof baking dish. Add a little more bacon fat, if necessary, and spoon in the chile paste. Fry it over medium heat, for about 5 minutes, slowly adding about 2 cups of the stock in which the chiles were soaked. Finally add the chocolate, and stir well until it has melted. The sauce should be the consistency of thick cream or a medium cream sauce. Pour the sauce over the turkey, cover, and place the baking dish in a 350~ oven for about 45 minutes. Remove, sprinkle the sesame seeds over the top.

Serve with Mexican rice, beans, "rajas en crema", sliced avocados, and lots of fresh, warm, soft corn tortillas. Personally we prefer the blue corn tortillas which are available in the fall in Mexico.