Chicken Stew (Estofado de Pollo)

Ingredients

• 5 tablespoons lard or olive oil
• 2 small onions, chopped
• 10 small cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
• 3 1/4 pounds tomatoes, skinned, seeded and chopped
• 1 (8 to 10 ounce) jar pitted green olives
• 1/4 pound raisins
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons dried thyme (or substitute oregano)
• 2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons broken cinnamon sticks
• Salt to taste
• 1/4 pound whole almonds
• 1 (2 1/2 to 3 pound) chicken, cut into serving pieces with 3/4 of skin removed
• Garlic salt
• 1/2 (7 ounce) can pickled serrano chiles (or substitute slightly more canned jalapeños)
• 1/4 cup parsley, minced

Instructions

1. Heat half the fat in large pot over medium heat. Add onions and garlic; cook until just soft but not browned. Add tomatoes.
2. Chop half the olives and raisins (reserving remaining portions), add them to pot and continue to cook for 2 minutes. Add sugar, thyme, cinnamon sticks and salt, and cook 5 minutes; allow to cool.
3. Meanwhile, boil almonds for 5 to 10 minutes, allow them to cool; remove the skins.
4. Place cooled sauce mixture and half the almonds in a blender and blend for 1 minute. You may have to do this in 2 batches.
5. Sprinkle chicken pieces with garlic salt and fry in remaining lard or oil over medium to medium-high heat in a large pot or Dutch oven until well browned.
6. Strain blended sauce into pot with chicken. Add to pot the reserved whole olives, raisins and almonds, half-can of chiles with juice, and parsley; simmer, covered for 20 minutes, or until chicken is tender and sauce has thickened.
7. Serve over white Oaxaca.