Mayan Chicken Fricassee-Guatemala(Pollo En Pepian Dulce) - cooking recipe

Ingredients

3 1/2 to 4 lb. chicken cut into pieces
2 cups chicken stock
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds
1/2 cup pepitas (Mexican pumpkin seeds)
3 red bell peppers seeded & diced or 5 canned pimentos peppers, chopped
3 medium tomatoes peeled & diced
1 medium onion diced
2 cloves garlic minced
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 cup bitter orange juice (or use 2/3 orange juice & 1/3 lime juice)
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
salt & pepper
1/4 cup seedless raisins
butter
1/4 cup chopped almonds
Rice

Preparation

Place chicken pieces in casserole dish.
Pour in chicken stock. Cover and simmer until almost tender, about 30 minutes.
Using a blender or food processor, grind the sesame and pumpkin seeds as fine as possible and shake through a sieve.
Set aside.
Put the peppers, tomatoes, onion and garlic into a blender or food processor and reduce to a course puree.
Mix the puree with ground sesame and pumpkin seeds.
Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet, add the puree, cook over medium heat stirring with a wooden spoon for 5 minutes.
Drain the chicken, save the stock and return the chicken to the casserole.
Add to the puree, 1 cup stock, the bitter orange juice, allspice, and salt and pepper to taste.
Stir and pour over chicken.
Cover and simmer gently until the chicken is tender, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Add a little more stock if necessary.
The sauce should be thick.
Soak the raisins in cold water for 15 minutes and drain.
Heat a little butter in a skillet and saut the almonds until golden, drain.
Transfer the chicken and sauce to a serving dish and sprinkle with almonds and raisins.
Serve with rice.