Found this online yesterday. sounds interesting! Estofado de frutas (chicken and fruit stew) Serves 4-6 From "The Food and Life of Oaxaca" (Macmillan, $32.50) by Zarela Martinez. Make this dish in a Mexican lidded clay casserole or an old-fashioned American Dutch oven. 3 ounce tablet of Mexican chocolate 4 pound chicken, cut in serving pieces Salt and black pepper, to taste 1/4 cup vegetable oil 1 cup sesame seeds 4 large ripe tomatoes 2 medium onions 8 garlic cloves 6 large sprigs fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried 4 sprigs fresh marjoram, or 1/2 teaspoon dried 4 sprigs fresh oregano, or 1/2 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 1/2-inch stick Mexican cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1/4 - 1/2 cup chicken stock or water, as needed 2 tart, firm green apples, peeled, cored and sliced in 8 wedges 1 large ripe plantain, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch rounds 1/2 cup blanched whole almonds Grate the chocolate on a straight-sided grater; set aside. Season the chicken with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat until not quite smoking. Lightly brown the chicken, allowing about 3 minutes per side. Remove from the pan and set aside. Pour off and discard all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pan; set the pan aside. Place the sesame seeds in a medium skillet over medium heat. Toast just until golden, stirring constantly or shaking the pan. Immediately scrape out the seeds into a small bowl before they darken and overcook. Heat a heavy ungreased griddle or cast-iron skillet over medium low heat until a drop of water sizzles on contact. Place the tomatoes (stem side down), the unpeeled onions and individual unpeeled garlic cloves on a griddle. Cook, turning frequently, until the tomatoes are blackened all over and the onion and garlic are somewhat softened, about 15 to 20 minutes for the tomatoes, 20 to 25 minutes for the onions and 8 minutes for the garlic. Remove the tomatoes, onions and garlic from the griddle; when cool enough to handle, peel them over a bowl to catch the juices. Place the roasted tomatoes, onions, garlic and toasted sesame seeds in a blender with the herbs and spices and process until smooth. Over medium high heat, reheat the reserved fat in the Dutch oven until rippling. Add the pureed mixture and bring to a boil, stirring frequently to keep it from spattering. Add the chocolate and stir well to combine. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, for 15 minutes. Thin with some chicken stock if the sauce has gotten too thick. Return chicken pieces to the Dutch oven. Add apple wedges and plaintain rounds, spacing them evenly. Scatter almonds over the top. Cover and cook over medium heat until the chicken is tender, about 20 minutes. Alternately, you can transfer the dish to a lidded casserole and bake it in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for 35 to 40 minutes. Salsa verde cruda (uncooked green sauce) Makes about 2 1/4 cups The recipe for this sauce is from Zarela Martinez' soon-to-be published book on Veracruz cooking. It can be used with tortilla chips, like guacamole. It also goes well with grilled meats, chicken and fish. The chunky textured original is made with a Mexican stone mortar and pestle, but you can use a food processor, adjusting the texture, from chunky to smooth, to your liking. 2 garlic cloves, cut in chunks 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, or to taste 1 small white onion, coarsely chopped 2-3 (or to taste) serrano chilies, stems removed, cut into chunks 1/2 pound tomatillos (6-8 average-sized tomatillos), cut in quarters 4-6 cilantro sprigs 1 ripe Hass or Fuerte avocado In a molcajete (lava stone mortar and pestle), mash the garlic and salt to a paste. Scrape down the sides if necessary with a rubber spatula; add the onion and chilies and mash with the pestle. Add the tomatillos and cilantro and mash to make a slightly chunky puree. Scoop out the avocado flesh into the mortar and mash to the desired smoothness. Serve within 1 hour (or preferably at once). Judy "MsChile" Howle Flavors of the South; Recipes for "heat lovers" http://www.ebicom.net/~howle Hot and Spicy Food Editor at Suite 101 http://www.suite101.com/topics/page.cfm/462