Best 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.

CRISPY CHICKEN BREASTS WITH SPINACH-AND-GREEN-PUMPKIN-SEED SAUCE

Steps:

• To make the sauce: Bring a large kettle 2/3 full of lightly salted water to a boil and add the spinach. Cook until the spinach is wilted, about 1 minute. Immediately drain and plunge the spinach into a large bowl of cold water to stop cooking. When cool, drain the spinach and squeeze it with your hands to extract as much liquid as possible. Transfer to a blender and add the seeds, tarragon, parsley, garlic, zest and stock. Season with salt and pepper and process until very smooth. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil. Set aside.
• To make the chicken, halve each breast. Using a sharp knife, score the skin of each in 3 places and sprinkle each breast with a pinch of red-pepper flakes and salt and pepper.
• Heat 2 large, heavy skillets, preferably cast iron, over high heat until very hot. Spray or brush skin side of each breast with olive oil and place skin-side down in one of the skillets. Spray the top of the breasts with oil and place the second skillet on top of the breasts, weighing it down with a foil-covered brick or a similar weight. Lower the heat to medium and cook until cooked through, 6 to 10 minutes depending on thickness.
• To serve, gently heat the sauce over low heat. Pour a pool of sauce on each of 4 dinner plates. Slice the chicken breasts on the bias and fan the slices over the sauce and serve immediately with mashed beans or mashed potatoes.

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.

PUEBLAN GREEN PUMPKIN SEED SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large 12-inch heavy skillet set over medium heat, spread out the pumpkin seeds and toast, stirring regularly,until all have popped and turned golden. About 5 minutes. Spread out on a plate to cool; reserve a couple of tablespoons for garnish. In a blender, combine the cooled pumpking seeds, onion, garlic, the cilantro, romaine, radish leaves and green chiles. Add 1 1/2 cups chicken broth and blend to a smooth puree. Heat the oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add the puree and stir constantly until very thick, about 10 minutes. Stir in 2 more cups of the broth, partially cover and simmer 20 minutes; the sauce will look coarse at this point. Scrape the sauce into a blender, loosely cover and blend to a smooth puree; if necesary add a little extra broth to give the sauce a medium consistency. Rinse the saucepan, return the blended sauce to it, taste and season with salt. Sauce may be prepared a couple of days ahead Ladle over MARGARITA CHICKEN and decorate with the additional pumpkin seeds and cilantro sprigs.

DUCK IN GREEN PUMPKIN SEED SAUCE

Steps:

• 1. Prepare the sauce. Then, if you are cutting up the ducks yourself, rinse the ducks and pat dry. With a boning knife, cut the leg and thigh away from the body in one piece. Repeat for all leg-thigh pieces. Cut all of the breast halves away from the carcass, leaving the skin attached. (Use carcasses for stock, if desired, or discard.) Trim excess fat from all the duck pieces. Season with salt and pepper. 2. Preheat the oven to 350°. In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and cook the leg-thigh pieces, turning frequently, until browned on both sides, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer to an ovenproof casserole dish. 3. In the same skillet, cook the onion 3 to 4 minutes. Put in the casserole dish with the duck. Cover and bake in preheated oven about 1 1/2 hours, or until the duck is very tender. If cooked ahead, cover and refrigerate up to 1 day. 4. About 30 minutes before serving, reheat the legs in a 250° oven. Reheat the pumpkin seed sauce and keep warm. Heat a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Place the duck breasts skin side down in the dry hot pan. Cook, without turning, until the skin is nicely browned and crisp, about 10 minutes. (Fat renders as the meat cooks. Take care not to let the skin blacken.) Turn and cook the second side 4 to 5 minutes for medium-rare, about 6 minutes for medium. 5. Transfer to a plate and let rest 4 to 5 minutes. Slice the duck breasts and arrange on a serving platter along with the cooked legs. Spoon some of the sauce over the duck. Pass remaining sauce at the table.From "1,000 Mexican Recipes." Copyright 2001 by Marge Poore. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

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.