INGREDIENTS:

3-1/2 to
4-pound chicken, cut into serving pieces

2 cups
chicken stock, about

1 tablespoon
sesame seeds

1/2 cup pepitas
(Mexican pumpkin seeds)

3 red bell
peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped, or 5 canned pimientos, chopped

3 medium
tomatoes, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 medium
onion, chopped

2 cloves
garlic, chopped 2
tablespoons lard or vegetable oil

1/4 cup
Seville (bitter) orange juice, or use two-thirds orange juice and one-third
lime juice

1/2 teaspoon
ground allspice

salt,
freshly ground pepper

1/4 cup
seedless raisins butter

1/4 cup
chopped almonds

Put the
chicken pieces into a heavy casserole; pour in the stock, adding a little
more to cover, if necessary. Cover and simmer until almost tender, about 30
minutes. In a blender or food processor grind the sesame and pumpkin seeds as
fine as possible and shake through a sieve. Set aside. Put the peppers,
tomatoes, onion, and garlic into a blender or food processor and reduce to a coarse
puree. Mix the puree with the ground sesame and pumpkin seeds. Heat the lard or
vegetable oil in a skillet; add the puree, and cook, over moderate heat, stirring
constantly with a wooden spoon, for 5 minutes. Drain the chicken, reserve the
stock, and return the chicken to the casserole. Add to the puree 1 cup of the
stock, the Seville
(bitter) orange juice, allspice, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir to mix, and
pour over the chicken. Cover and simmer gently until the chicken is tender,
about 15 minutes. Add a little more stock if necessary. The sauce should be
thick. Soak the raisins in cold water to cover for 15 minutes. Drain
thoroughly. Heat a little butter in a skillet and saute the almonds until they
are golden. Drain. Transfer the chicken and sauce to a warmed serving dish and
sprinkle with the raisins and almonds. Serve with rice.

I did not eat any jocote de marañon, I don’t like them even though I love the cashew. My wife ate lots of marañon and also prepared a very refreshing drink with it.

Today is my first day back to work after enjoying three weeks in La Antigua Guatemala (I still had lunch at LAG yesterday). I got sick eating too many fried broad beans with skins. In Guatemalan slang they are called “cucarachas”.