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Pipian

[heart_this] · Jan 8, 2009 · 38 Comments

Pipian (Salsa Verde with Pumpkin Seeds)

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.

Pipian on Poached Turkey Breast
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.

Pipian on Poached Turkey Breast

Pipian

Pipian

Cook Time: 30 minutes Total Time: 30 minutes Servings: 8
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.
Use in:
Egg Enchiladas in Pipian

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

Appetizer, Condiment, Food, Gluten-free, Main Course, Mexican, Recipe

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Dana McCauley says

    January 9, 2009 at 3:15 am

    Looks delish! I guess it’s essentially a spicy pumpkin seed pesto, isn’t it?

    Reply
  2. Hayley says

    January 9, 2009 at 3:22 am

    This looks so tasty. I imagine it would be excellent tossed with pasta or stuffed into mushrooms. Or maybe served on crostini with a slice of tomato. Thanks for the ideas.

    Reply
  3. Lorraine E says

    January 9, 2009 at 3:39 am

    That looks great! I’ve never heard of it before and I love learning about new things 🙂

    Reply
  4. Melissa says

    January 9, 2009 at 3:50 am

    Mmmm…that sounds neat! I bet the Pipian would be yummy on some chicken enchiladas too!

    Reply
  5. mikky says

    January 9, 2009 at 4:05 am

    i’m not really familiar with this, but thanks for introducing “pipian”… it looks great with your dishes… 🙂

    Reply
  6. Anonymous says

    January 9, 2009 at 4:21 am

    Wow, what an interesting topping. I really like the idea of mixing in pepitas, but I wouldn’t have thought of the leaves and cinnamon.

    I can’t wait for the spring when all the farmer’s markets start opening again!

    Reply
  7. Indonesia-Eats says

    January 9, 2009 at 5:12 am

    I bet I will love this
    poblano chilies, jalapeno chilies
    and tomatillos are perfecto!

    Reply
  8. Elra says

    January 9, 2009 at 5:15 am

    Yes I can! Look mighty delicious Kevin, serve with Mexican rice. That’s perfect dinner!
    Cheers,
    Elra

    Reply
  9. Jan says

    January 9, 2009 at 5:37 am

    I’ve never heard of Pipian before -must say it looks good. Love the chillies in it!

    Reply
  10. Rosa's Yummy Yums says

    January 9, 2009 at 6:13 am

    This sauce sounds and looks exquisite! I’d love to make it, but I don’t know where to find tomatillos here… A wonderful dish too!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

    Reply
  11. Rita says

    January 9, 2009 at 7:15 am

    I never heard of pipian before, thanks for introducing it! I am thinking it would be nice on vegetables too.

    Reply
  12. Clumbsy Cookie says

    January 9, 2009 at 9:34 am

    This sounds amazing, I bet it goes as well with meet and fish alike, eh?

    Reply
  13. Chocolate Shavings says

    January 9, 2009 at 11:58 am

    That looks amazing Kevin – I’ve never had pipian before but I am more than willing to try it!

    Reply
  14. Chef Fresco says

    January 9, 2009 at 1:26 pm

    Very nice, I have never tried this before but it looks really good.

    Reply
  15. ICook4Fun says

    January 9, 2009 at 2:33 pm

    I thought it look a bit like Argentinian chimichurri. I am sure it taste really good especially with meat.

    Reply
  16. Tien says

    January 9, 2009 at 3:04 pm

    Hey, Kevin
    Have you ever had these treats before.
    http://fruittart.wordpress.com/2007/06/14/craving-chocolate-shf-32/

    -Tien

    Reply
  17. [email protected] says

    January 9, 2009 at 3:10 pm

    Wow, Pipian is new to me and your plate looks great!

    Reply
  18. Cheryl says

    January 9, 2009 at 3:30 pm

    Wow another thing I have never heard of before, I like the sound of it!

    Reply
  19. Mary says

    January 9, 2009 at 4:04 pm

    Yum! I had a pipian-crusted brie appetizer a few months ago at a restaurant. We all wanted to make it at home, but obviously not badly enough to search for a recipe. This looks delicious!

    Reply
  20. diva says

    January 9, 2009 at 4:29 pm

    mmmmm..looking good! love the colours of this.

    Reply
  21. lisaiscooking says

    January 9, 2009 at 4:46 pm

    Your pipian looks great! The roasted jalapenos sound fantastic–the spicier the better.

    Reply
  22. Grace says

    January 9, 2009 at 5:49 pm

    this is totally new to me! i love it even more than salsa verde–thanks for the introduction!

    Reply
  23. Jennifer says

    January 9, 2009 at 6:29 pm

    That looks fantastic! I would take green salsa over red salsa any day!

    Reply
  24. soulchocolate says

    January 9, 2009 at 8:20 pm

    This looks spectacular! Brilliant photos!

    Reply
  25. Debbie says

    January 9, 2009 at 9:19 pm

    I love the photography! Really nice shots of this dish. You learn to appreciate other people’s food blogs when your own food photographs come out oh so bad, as my last time posts have. 😉

    Reply
  26. Lori Lynn says

    January 9, 2009 at 10:29 pm

    That looks fabulous Kevin. And three photos YAY! I like the bowl with the few errant seeds and the lone radish. Nice styling!

    Reply
  27. Anonymous says

    January 9, 2009 at 11:23 pm

    It looks so good. Will have to give it a try. Never heard about it before. Thanks

    Reply
  28. Pam says

    January 10, 2009 at 12:40 am

    What a sauce! I love pumpkin seeds and salsa verde so I am sure with would be pleasing to my mouth. Looks great – Kevin.

    Reply
  29. Jan says

    January 10, 2009 at 12:44 am

    This is something else I have never heard of, Kevin, thank you for broadening my mind. Sounds super

    Reply
  30. Yasmeen says

    January 10, 2009 at 1:40 am

    Love the all the spicy chili flavors in the Papian and the nutty bite from the pumpkin seeds.Bookmarking this tasty recipe for next time I buy tomatillos:)

    Reply
  31. Nina Timm says

    January 10, 2009 at 1:41 pm

    You sure know how to spice things up, Kevin! Looks really interesting!!!

    Reply
  32. Tiffany says

    January 10, 2009 at 4:04 pm

    How interesting- I had never heard of pipian. It sounds great! How else would this be served? Could you eat it as a dip, like salsa verde?
    I like the way you used this, and think this would be wonderful to try this summer when all the peppers and tomatillos are in season here!

    Reply
  33. Marysol says

    January 10, 2009 at 8:06 pm

    I’ll admit, I’ve never heard of Pipian; it does sound similar to Salsa Verde, only better [G]

    Reply
  34. Holler says

    January 10, 2009 at 8:55 pm

    This is the first time I have heard of Pipian before Kevin. It sounds lovely and I like Hayley’s idea of stuffing mushrooms with it.

    Reply
  35. Kevin says

    January 10, 2009 at 8:56 pm

    Tiffany: I think it would work great as a dip and I also used it as the sauce in some enchiladas .

    Reply
  36. Pam says

    January 10, 2009 at 9:28 pm

    Salsa verde is my favorite too, so I definitely want to try this!

    Reply
  37. Jeanne says

    January 12, 2009 at 2:38 pm

    Never heard of this but now I’m intrigued. I love salsa verde and pumpkin seeds, so this sounds wonderful to me!

    Reply
  38. NORA says

    April 10, 2009 at 5:08 am

    Hi! You have an excelent page!
    This is a very good recipe of pipian verde. But belive me, if you blend the sauce to a fine texture you can improve it. Seems to me it looks so coarse…
    Cheers!

    Do you want to taste my pipian rojo?

    Reply

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