Pueblan Green Pumpkin Seed Sauce Recipes

CHICKEN IN GREEN PUMPKIN-SEED SAUCE

Steps:

• For chicken:
• Bring all ingredients to boil in large pot. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered until chicken is cooked through, about 30 minutes. Transfer chicken to bowl; cover to keep warm. Reserve chicken broth in pot; spoon off fat from surface.
• Meanwhile, begin sauce:
• Heat heavy large skillet over medium-low heat. Add pepitas; stir frequently until seeds puff and begin to pop, about 15 minutes (do not brown). Transfer to dish; cool. Set aside 2 tablespoons pepitas for garnish. Working in batches, finely grind remaining pepitas with peppercorns in spice mill or coffee grinder.
• Puree tomatillos, next 5 ingredients, and 1/2 cup reserved chicken broth in blender until almost smooth. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add tomatillo mixture and simmer until sauce is thick and reduced to 1 cup, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes.
• Heat remaining 4 tablespoons oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add ground pepita mixture. Stir constantly until mixture resembles very coarse paste and begins to color in spots, about 9 minutes. Add tomatillo mixture; stir 1 minute. Add 2 cups reserved chicken broth and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until sauce is thick, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes longer. Season sauce to taste with salt. Spoon some sauce onto platter. Top with chicken. Spoon remaining sauce over. Garnish with reserved 2 tablespoons pepitas.

GREEN PUMPKIN SEED SAUCE

Steps:

• 1. In a dry skillet toast the pumpkin seeds over medium heat, stirring, until they pop around in the pan, start to brown, and release their aromas, 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool. When they are cool, grind to a fine powder in a spice grinder. (I use a coffee grinder reserved for spices.) Put the ground pumpkin seeds in a blender. Add the cilantro, tomatillos, serrano chiles, onion, oregano, cumin, salt, and 1/2 cup of the broth. Purée as smooth as possible. If the sauce is too thick, add enough broth to make the mixture the consistency of heavy cream. 2. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the sauce and cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the sauce, uncovered, stirring frequently, 15 minutes. Adjust seasoning. The sauce is ready to use, or store, in a jar or plastic container, cover and refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 3 months. From "1,000 Mexican Recipes." Copyright 2001 by Marge Poore. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

BUFFALO AND RANCH PUMPKIN SEEDS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line baking sheet with wax paper.
• Combine buffalo sauce, ranch seasoning, lemon pepper, and salt in a small bowl. Toss pumpkin seeds in mixture until evenly coated. Spread on the prepared sheet in an even layer.
• Bake in the preheated oven, stirring every 15 minutes, until seeds are golden brown and crunchy, about 45 minutes.

BEST EVER ROASTED PUMPKIN SEEDS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
• Thoroughly rinse seeds and pick out stray bits of pumpkin.
• Pour seeds on a cookie sheet, preferably one with sides.
• Combine Worcestershire sauce and melted butter.
• Pour Worcestershire sauce/butter combination over seeds and stir to distribute evenly.
• Evenly sprinkle salt over seeds.
• Bake for two hours, stirring every half hour.
• Let cool and enjoy!
• Store in airtight container.

GREEN PIPIAN

Steps:

• Heat a heavy Dutch oven or saucepan over medium heat and add the pumpkin seeds. Wait until you hear one pop, then stir constantly until they have puffed and popped, and smell toasty. They should not get any darker than golden or they will taste bitter. Transfer to a bowl and allow to cool.
• Place the cooled pumpkin seeds in a blender and add the tomatillos, chiles, lettuce, onion, garlic, cilantro, and 1/2 cup of the chicken stock. Cover the blender and blend the mixture until smooth, stopping the blender to stir if necessary.
• Heat the oil in the Dutch oven or heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Drizzle in a bit of the pumpkin seed mixture and if it sizzles, add the rest. Cook, stirring, until the mixture darkens and thickens, 8 to 10 minutes. It will splutter, so be careful. Hold the lid of the pot above the pot to shield you and your stove from the splutters. Add the remaining chicken stock, bring to a simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered, stirring often, until the sauce is thick and creamy, 15 to 20 minutes. Season to taste with salt. For a silkier sauce, blend again in batches.

PUMPKIN SEED TAHINI SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine tahini, water, pumpkin seeds, shallot, vinegar, garlic, and basil in a food processor; blend until a thick sauce forms, 3 to 5 minutes.

PAPADZULES (ROLLED TORTILLAS WITH PUMPKIN SEED SAUCE)

Steps:

• Place 3 cups water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt and the tomatoes. Let simmer until tomatoes are soft, about 8 minutes.
• Drain the tomatoes and reserve the water in which they cooked.
• When the tomatoes are cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skins. Carefully scoop out the seeds and squeeze them to extract the juice. Discard the seeds. Add the juice to the tomato pulp, and mash or blend to make a purée. Set this aside.
• Meanwhile, place the chiles on a piece of aluminum foil and broil under a flame, turning frequently, until they are lightly toasted all over.
• Heat the lard and add the chopped onion. Cook slowly, stirring, until onion is translucent. Add the tomato mixture, the sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of salt and toasted chiles. Do not split open the chiles, as the seeds add heat. Simmer the mixture over low heat for about 15 minutes. Set the sauce aside.
• Add the epazote, if available, to the water in which the tomatoes cooked. Simmer 3 minutes and set aside. Let it cool slightly.
• Place the pepitas in a skillet and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until they are lightly toasted. Do not let them burn (the seeds pop explosively as they cook). Set the pepitas aside to cool.
• Grind the pepitas until fine - the finer the better - or blend them (see note). Place them in a shallow dish and add a little of the warm epazote water, stirring with fingers to make a stiff paste. Continue kneading and squeezing the mixture with your fingers while adding about 1/4 cup of the warm liquid, until the paste becomes shiny and a dark color. Continue working and squeezing the paste between your fingers, and you will note that drops of oil accumulate from the paste. Once this state is reached, the oil accumulates quickly. If you tip the plate, the oil can be scooped out. About 2 tablespoons of the green oil should be separated from the paste and set aside.
• Slowly stir the remaining epazote liquid into the paste with a wooden spoon. Stir constantly until the sauce is smooth and creamy. Add salt to taste. At this point the sauce may be warmed over very low heat, but it is important that papadzules are served lukewarm.
• To assemble the dish, dip the tortillas, one at a time, into the pumpkin seed sauce. Spoon chopped egg down the center of each tortilla as each is prepared. Roll the tortillas loosely and arrange the rolls side by side in a serving dish. Pour the remaining pumpkin seed sauce over all. Spoon the tomato sauce across the center of the dish, and sprinkle the 2 tablespoons green oil over the top. Serve lukewarm.

FIERY PUMPKIN SEEDS

Steps:

• In a small bowl, toss the pumpkin seeds with hot sauce. Combine the chili powder, salt, cumin, cayenne and pepper; sprinkle over seeds and toss to coat. Spread into a greased foil-lined 15x10x1-in. baking pan. , Bake, uncovered, at 250° for 45-50 minutes or until seeds are lightly browned and dry, stirring occasionally. Cool completely. Store in an airtight container.

CHICKEN IN PUEBLAN GREEN PUMPKIN SEED SAUCE

Steps:

• What to Do 1.Poach a chicken. Strain the broth, discarding the solids, and spoon off any fat that rises to the top. 2. The pumpkin seeds: In a skillet set over medium heat, spread out the pumpkinseeds and toast, stirring regularly, until all have popped and turned golden (no darker); once they start popping, about 5 minutes. Cool on a plate; reserve some for garnish. 3. The sauce: In a blender, combine the cooled pumpkinseeds with the remaining half of the onion and garlic, the cilantro, romaine, radish leaves and green chiles. Add 1 1/2 cups of the chicken broth and blend to a smooth puree. Heat the oil in a (4-quart)saucepan over medium. Add the puree and stir constantly until very thick, about 10 minutes. Stir in 2 cups of the broth, partially cover and simmer 20 minutes; the sauce will look coarse at this point. 4. Scrape the sauce into a blender, blend to a smooth puree; if necessary add a little extra broth to give the sauce a medium consistency. Rinse your saucepan, return the blended sauce to it, taste and season with salt. Add the chicken and warm (but don't bring to a simmer) over medium-low heat, about 10 minutes.