Mole poblano comes from Puebla, the colonial city a couple of hours east of Mexico City, and the old story places its invention in a convent kitchen, though historians suspect it grew more slowly and with less divine assistance. It is a sauce of extraordinary depth: chilies for warmth and fruit, nuts and seeds for body, spices for perfume, and a little chocolate that does not make it sweet so much as rounder. It is served at weddings, christenings and feast days, usually over turkey or chicken.

There is no point pretending it is quick. But almost all of the work is toasting and blending, the sauce keeps beautifully, and a pot of mole on the stove turns a race weekend into an occasion. The Mexico City Grand Prix deserves no less.

The chicken and broth

Ingredients

• 4 lb (1.8 kg) bone in chicken pieces
• 1/2 white onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 3 quarts (2.8 liters) water

The mole

Ingredients

• 4 dried ancho chilies
• 4 dried mulato chilies
• 4 dried pasilla chilies
• 1/3 cup (80 ml) lard or neutral oil
• 1/4 cup (35 g) sesame seeds
• 1/4 cup (35 g) whole almonds
• 1/4 cup (35 g) unsalted peanuts
• 2 tablespoons pepitas
• 1 piece, 2 inches (5 cm) Mexican cinnamon stick
• 4 whole cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 1/2 teaspoon anise seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon coriander seeds
• 1/4 cup (40 g) raisins
• 1/2 ripe plantain
• 1 corn tortilla
• 1 slice stale white bread
• 2 ripe tomatoes
• 1/2 white onion
• 4 cloves garlic
• 2 1/2 oz (70 g) Mexican chocolate
• 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar
• kosher salt

Finishing

Ingredients

• the poached chicken
• 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds

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