Pipian

Recently I had come across several posts about pipian which was new to me and it sounded and looked really good. Pipian seems to be similar to a salsa verde with the addition of ground pepitas (pumpkin seeds), radish leaves, romaine lettuce and a touch of cinnamon. I liked the sound of the ground pumpkin seeds in a salsa verde and since salsa verde is one of my all time favorites and I knew that I would have to try it. I held off on making it as I had some trouble finding the tomatillos and the green pepitas but as soon as I did it was on the menu.

With the holidays just behind us, turkey was still on my mind and I thought that a poached turkey breast covered in pipian would be a nice way to try it. To round off the meal I added a bit of red to the plate with a simple Mexican rice. Since I had used the radish leaves in the pipian I served the radishes on the side.



I decided to start with the pipian recipe from Homesick Texan as the base as it sounded really good. The pipian was easy to make, though it took a bit longer than salsa verde as it had to be simmered. While the pipian was simmering I had the chance to poach the turkey breast and make the rice so overall the meal did not take too long to make. The pipian turned out to be every bit as good as it promised to be! It was just like a salsa verde though the flavours were a lot deeper and more complex. The pumpkin seeds and the hint of cinnamon made me think of it as a cross between a mole sauce and a salsa verde. I left my pipian a bit chunkier and I really enjoyed the texture of the bits of pepitas in it. The pipian went well with the turkey and the rice on the side. Now I have some leftover pipian and I will have to come up with some interesting ways of enjoying it.

Ingredients:
2 roasted poblano chilies
6 roasted jalapeno chilies
1 cup pepitas/pumpkin seeds (toasted and ground)
1 pound tomatillos (husked and cooked in water for 10 minutes, or canned)
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
3 cloves garlic (chopped)
1/4 cup onion (chopped)
1/2 cup cilantro
1 small bunch of radish leaves
2 romaine lettuce leaves
1 cup of chicken stock
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:
1. Puree the poblano peppers, jalapeno peppers, pumpkin seeds, tomatillos, chicken stock, cumin, pepper, garlic, onions, cilantro and radish leaves in a food processor
2. Simmer the pipian, chicken stock and cinnamon for 30 minutes.



Can you tell I liked this with three photos in one post?

Similar Recipes:
Salsa Verde
Tilapia Baked in Salsa Verde
Mole Sauce
Grilled Chicken with Mole Sauce