Chicken enchiladas in a spicy mole sauce recipe

In a frying pan over medium heat, toast the jalapeno chilies, turning them often and making sure they do not burn. Remove from the frying pan, slice them in half lengthwise and remove the seeds and veins. Cover them with hot water and let them soak for about 15 to 20 minutes.

To make the sauce
In a frying pan melt 2 tablespoons of lard or vegetable shortening and fry the almonds until brown. Crush the almonds and transfer to a blender. Skin the plantain or banana, slice it lengthwise, and fry it until golden on both sides. Transfer it to the blender. Add the tomatoes to the blender and blend until you get a smooth puree, adding little water if necessary. Remove from the blender and set aside.

Blend the chiles with the water, garlic, cloves and oregano to a smooth puree.

In a large frying pan melt 3 tablespoons of lard and cook the chile puree over a high heat for about 5 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium, add the plantain or banana mixture and continue cooking for 5 minutes more, stirring constantly.

Stir in the chicken broth into the sauce, a little at a time, and continue cooking it for one or two minutes more. Remove from the frying pan and then push the sauce though a food mill or coarse sieve. Return the sauce to the frying pan, add salt to taste and simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.

To make the enchiladas
Heat 6 tablespoons of lard in a frying pan. Dip each of the tortillas one by one in the the oil for a few seconds then remove it and cover one side with a think layer of the mole sauce. Add some of the shredded chicken on top and rool up the tortilla.

Place the tortillas side by side on a warm serving dish.

Add some of the chicken broth to the remaining mole sauce, stir it to thin it down and pour it over the enchiladas. Add the grated cheese and onion rings on top and serve immediately.