Beef tongue in mole (Jorge Vallejo, Quintonil)

Toast four kinds of dried chilies on a clay griddle; store them about a week to mellow and bring out their sweetness.

In a cazuela with a little lard fry onions and a lot of garlic, then chopped tomatillos and tomatoes.

Toast bay leaf, oregano and fresh thyme on the cooling comal until fragrant; add to the cazuela. Fry a few pieces of bread with the other ingredients.

Toast sesame seeds and almonds on the griddle for thickening and nutty flavour; add with the spices (cinnamon, allspice, cloves, ginger) and the chilies.

Finish with piloncillo, raisins and white pepper; leave cooking a little more.

Soften and char a piece of agave over an open flame; cut more tomatillos and tomatoes for the braising liquid.

Put the whole beef tongue in a pot with the tomatillos, tomatoes and pulque, add onions, garlic and cilantro, and braise in the oven overnight.

Peel the tongue while still hot to remove the tough outer skin; cut into pieces.

Add some tongue broth to the mole mixture, bring to a boil, and blend everything, whole cinnamon sticks and nuts included, into a thick puree.

Add the chocolate and cook the mole for most of a day.

Serve the tongue in mole with a corn masa crisp made with sesame seeds; garnish with microgreens and a couple of tiny basil leaves.