Fiesta

Char the 225 g Roma tomatoes and 150 g tomatillos on a hot comal or dry skillet, turning, until blistered and soft. Stem and seed the 85 g dried ancho chiles, 85 g dried pasilla chiles, 85 g dried mulato chiles and 9.5 g dried chipotle chiles, saving the seeds you need for the 120 ml reserved chile seeds.

Heat the 120 ml lard in a large, wide casserole over medium-high heat for about 2 min. Fry the chiles in two or three batches, stirring often, then lift them out with a slotted spoon into a bowl.

In the same fat, cook the 225 g white onion and 3 cloves garlic, stirring, for 2 min to 3 min. Stir in the 44 ml raw almonds with skin, 44 ml raw shelled peanuts, 44 ml raisins and 15 ml hulled pumpkin seeds and cook for another 2 min to 3 min.

Add the 59 ml sesame seeds, 120 ml reserved chile seeds, 5 whole cloves, 1 ml anise seeds, 1 ml coriander seeds, 2.5 ml whole black peppercorns, 1 stick true (Ceylon) cinnamon stick, 1 ml ground allspice, 0.6 ml dried thyme and 0.6 ml dried marjoram. Cook for 3 min to 4 min, stirring often.

Push everything aside, add the 2 corn tortillas and 57 g bolillo, telera or baguette along with the charred tomatoes and tomatillos, and let it all cook for a couple of minutes.

Return the fried chiles to the pan and pour in the 1.18 l chicken broth. When it simmers, add the 170 g Mexican chocolate and 5 ml kosher or sea salt, stir well and simmer for 12 min to 15 min.

Turn off the heat, cover and leave for 30 min so the chiles soften completely.

Blend in batches until completely smooth. Store it now, or thin and serve.

For each cup of mole, add half a cup of 945 ml chicken broth, for thinning in a saucepan and simmer for 2 min to 3 min.

Spoon the hot mole over poached or roasted chicken or turkey and finish with a shower of 120 ml toasted sesame seeds.

Put the 1360 g boneless pork shoulder, 455 g country-style pork ribs, with shoulder bone and 1 pig trotter in a large stockpot with cold water, to cover by an inch. Add the 355 ml yellow onion, 3 cloves garlic, 3 whole black peppercorns, 2 leaves bay leaves and 30 ml kosher salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the heat, partly cover and keep at a bare simmer for 2 h 30 min to 3 h.

Lift out the pork. When cool enough to handle, pull the meat into bite-sized pieces and discard the bones.

Strain the stock through a fine strainer into a large bowl, discarding the solids. Cool, then refrigerate for at least 6 h or overnight. Lift off the solid fat and discard it or keep it for cooking.

Toast the 3 dried guajillo chiles and 2 dried ancho chiles in a large dry skillet over high heat for about 20 s per side.

Put the chiles in a heatproof bowl, cover with boiling water and leave for about 20 min.

Drain the chiles, keeping the liquid. Blend them on high with the 115 g yellow onion and 6 cloves garlic, adding a tablespoon or two of soaking liquid if the blades stall. Press the purée through a fine strainer and discard the skins left behind.

Heat the 15 ml canola oil in a large pot over medium-high heat, add the chile purée, then lower to medium-low and cook for 10 min to 12 min, stirring.

Stir in the shredded pork, the 1.66 l cooked dried hominy, or drained canned hominy and six cups of the skimmed stock. Simmer over medium heat, stirring now and then, for about 15 min. It should be as thick as a hearty stew; loosen with hominy cooking water, more stock or water if needed, and adjust the salt.

Ladle the pozole into wide bowls. Set out the thinly sliced green cabbage or iceberg lettuce, red radishes, thinly sliced, white onion, finely chopped, dried Mexican oregano, lime wedges or halves, fresh cilantro, firm-ripe avocado, diced, crumbled Cotija or queso fresco, sour cream and tostadas, corn tortillas or tortilla chips so everyone can garnish their own bowl generously.

Put the 74 ml achiote (annatto) seeds, 22 ml dried oregano, preferably Mexican, 22 ml black peppercorns, 6 ml cumin seeds, 2.5 ml cloves, preferably whole and 22 ml cinnamon, preferably Mexican canela in a spice grinder and grind, in batches if needed, until as powdery as you can get them.

Blend the ground spices with the 15 ml salt, 14 cloves garlic and 355 ml fresh sour orange juice until very smooth.

For the smoothest marinade, pour it into a non-aluminum container, cover and refrigerate for at least 6 h, then blend it again before using. This step is worth it but not essential.

Turn the 5440 g bone-in pork shoulder (Boston butt) roasts in the marinade in a large bowl or food bag until evenly coated, working quickly because achiote stains. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight.

Heat a gas grill to medium-high, or light charcoal and let it burn until the coals are covered in grey ash. Set it up for indirect cooking: turn the centre burners to medium-low, or bank the coals to the sides.

Trim the hard edge off the 455 g banana leaves. Line a large roasting pan with three overlapping lengths, each about 30 cm (11 ¾ in) longer than the pan, so they hang over the sides. Lay in the meat, pour over all the marinade, fold the overhanging leaves over it, then cover with three more lengths tucked in around the edges.

Set the pan on the grill grate over the unlit area, close the lid and cook, keeping the lid temperature at about 163 °C, give or take a little, until the meat is completely tender. On charcoal, add a few pieces every half hour or so.

Peel back the top leaves, tilt the pan so the juices collect at one end and spoon off the fat. Taste the juices and add salt if needed. Serve straight from the pan with a big fork and spoon, with the onions and salsa alongside.

Put the 680 g red onions in a non-aluminum bowl, pour boiling water over them, wait 10 s, then tip into a strainer.

Return the onions to the bowl, pour over the 475 ml fresh sour orange juice and stir in the 7.5 ml salt. Cover and leave until serving, then drain.

Roast the 85 g fresh habanero chiles and 2 cloves large garlic cloves, unpeeled in an ungreased skillet over medium heat, turning regularly, 5 min to 10 min for the chiles and about 15 min for the garlic. Let cool and slip the skins off the garlic.

Blend the chiles and garlic with the 30 ml fresh lime juice and enough 30 to 59 ml water to make a spoonable salsa. Taste carefully and season with 2.5 ml salt.

A few days ahead, rub or pick the thin brown skins off the 395 g walnut halves, preferably fresh. It is slow work; fresh walnuts peel most easily.

Put the peeled walnuts in a container, cover with milk, to cover the walnuts and refrigerate until you make the sauce.

Cook the ½ white onions, 455 g ground pork and 455 g ground beef in the 78 ml vegetable oil in a large frying pan over medium heat, breaking up the meat, until cooked through.

Pound the ½ stick cinnamon stick, about 1 1/2 inches, 1 clove garlic and 5 whole cloves to a paste in a mortar. Stir in a little water, for the spice paste, pass it through a sieve into the meat and stir.

Add the 2 tomatoes, 175 ml raisins, 175 ml blanched almonds and 175 ml pine nuts. Simmer for about 20 min, stirring now and then, and season with salt.

Stir in the drained 2 apples and 2 pears with the 2 peaches and 1 ripe plantain, mix well and cook for only 2 min to 3 min. Take the pan off the heat straight away so the fruit holds its shape.

Cover with a clean kitchen towel, not a lid, and let the filling cool.

Roast the 16 to 18 fresh poblano chiles directly over a high gas flame, turning, until the skins blister and blacken all over. Wrap them in a damp cloth to steam for a few minutes.

Rub off the skins, cut a lengthwise slit in each chile and carefully pull out the seeds and veins, keeping the stem on.

Soak the chiles in water seasoned with white vinegar, for soaking and salt, for soaking for 15 min, then pat dry with paper towels.

Spoon the cooled filling into each chile without overstuffing, so the slit still closes over it.

Pour vegetable oil, for frying into a large frying pan to a depth of about 1.5 cm (⅝ in) and heat it.

Whip the egg whites from the 12 eggs, separated to stiff peaks, then beat in the yolks one at a time and season with salt.

Roll each stuffed chile lightly in the 235 ml all purpose flour, holding it closed, then dip it in the batter until fully coated.

Fry a few chiles at a time, without crowding, turning once, until deep golden on both sides. A spatula helps to tip each chile against the side of the pan to cook the edges.

Drain on paper towels, changing the paper a few times to soak up as much oil as possible.

Drain the walnuts and put them in a blender with the 200 g fresh goat cheese, 15 ml sugar, 235 ml milk, 1 pinch ground cinnamon and 59 ml sweet sherry. Blend until smooth and creamy.

Arrange the chiles on a platter, cover them with the nogada and scatter over the 2 pomegranates, seeds only and flat leaf parsley sprigs. Serve at room temperature or just warm.