Braised turkey thighs in mole sauce

Ingredients:

For the mole sauce:

• 4 pcs. vegetable physalis, peeled
• 2 medium-sized tomatoes
• 4 unpeeled garlic cloves
• 1/2 large onion
• 3/4 cup vegetable oil
• 8 dried ancho chili peppers, stems cut off and seeds removed (reserve seeds)
• 8 dried pasilla chilies, bases cut off and seeds discarded
• 1 tortilla
• 1/2 cup almonds, chopped
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds
• 4 tablespoons sesame seeds
• 5 pcs. whole allspice
• 5 black peppercorns
• 2 whole cloves
• 1/4 star star anise
• 2.5 cm tubes cinnamon
• Coarse salt
• 170 g milk chocolate, chopped
• Cooked rice, tortillas, for garnish

For the turkey:

• 6-8 turkey thighs (300g each)
• 1/2 large onion
• 2 stalks celery, cut into quarters
• 1 large bunch of cilantro
• 2 whole cloves
• 4 whole allspice
• 1/4 star anise
• 5 black peppercorns
• Coarse salt

Preparation:

1. Prepare the turkey: Place the turkey thighs, onion, celery, cilantro sprigs, cloves, allspice, star anise, peppercorns, and 1 teaspoon salt in a large saucepan. Cover with cold water until the meat is completely submerged. Bring to a boil and simmer over low heat until the meat is tender, about 1 hour 30 minutes. Using tongs, remove the turkey from the pan and place on a platter to cool slightly. Then strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a large measuring cup or bowl. You should have about 8 cups of broth; if you have more, pour the broth back into the pan and continue simmering until it reduces to 8 cups. Skim off the fat from the surface of the broth. Remove the skin from the turkey thighs.
2. Prepare the mole sauce: Preheat the grill. Place the tomatillos, tomatoes, garlic, and onion on the grill. Grill, turning, until charred, about 10 minutes. Transfer the vegetables to a bowl and let cool slightly. Then peel the tomatoes and garlic.
3. Heat 1/4 cup vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the chili peppers and cook, turning, until browned, 30 to 45 seconds. Transfer to a bowl. Fry the tortillas in the same skillet with oil and transfer to the bowl with the chili peppers. Cover the peppers and tortilla with water and let sit for 30 minutes until softened, then drain. Transfer the peppers and tortillas to the bowl with the vegetables.
4. Drain the oil from the skillet and pat dry with paper towels. Heat 1/4 cup fresh vegetable oil in the same skillet over medium-high heat. Add the almonds and cook, stirring, until golden brown, 3 minutes. Add the raisins and cook until plump, another 30 seconds. Transfer them with a slotted spoon to a bowl. Add the pumpkin seeds and cook, stirring, until they begin to pop, 2 minutes. Transfer them to the bowl with the almonds.
5. Drain the oil from the pan and pat dry with paper towels. Heat the pan to medium. Add the sesame seeds and cook, stirring, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Transfer to a separate bowl. Add 1 dessert spoon of anchovy seeds, allspice, peppercorns, cloves, star anise, and cinnamon stick to the same pan. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Transfer the spices to the bowl with the sesame seeds and let cool slightly. Grind all the spices into a fine powder.
6. Place the roasted almonds, raisins, pumpkin seeds, ground spices, 1/4 teaspoon of salt, and 2 cups of broth in a blender. Blend until smooth and transfer to a bowl. Add the roasted vegetables, chili peppers, tortilla, 1 teaspoon of salt, and 2 cups of broth to the blender and blend until smooth.
7. Heat 1/4 cup vegetable oil in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the chili pepper mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Add the almond spice mixture and 2 cups of broth and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the chocolate and stir until melted. Add the turkey thighs and simmer until heated through, about 30 minutes. If the sauce is too thick, thin it with more broth. Season the sauce to taste.
8. Serve braised turkey thighs in mole sauce with rice and tortillas.