In 1970, Craig Claiborne took a Mexican cooking class at the New York City home of Diana Kennedy, where he learned how to make these papadzules, a Yucatecan dish of rolled tortillas with pepitas (pumpkin seeds). After the death of her husband, Paul Kennedy, a reporter for The New York Times, and with encouragement from editors in New York to write a book, Ms. Kennedy moved to Mexico to record its culinary diversity. As Mr. Claiborne noted in his 1970 article, a coffee grinder works best for puréeing the pepitas here, but the best way to coax the rich oil out of the seeds is by hand. (Tejal Rao)
Provided by The New York Times
Categories main course
Time 1h30m
Yield 6 servings
Number Of Ingredients 10
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.
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Davian Del Carmen
[email protected]This recipe is a keeper! I'll definitely be making it again and again.
Rebecca Macdonald
[email protected]I love the presentation of this dish. The papadzules are so colorful and inviting.
R3 Saraswoti raya s.
[email protected]These papadzules are a great make-ahead meal. I made them the night before, and they were just as good the next day.
Donna Barry
[email protected]I'm not a big fan of pumpkin seeds, but I really enjoyed the pumpkin seed sauce in this recipe. It was creamy and flavorful, and it didn't taste like pumpkin seeds at all.
Tayyba Ali
[email protected]I made these papadzules for breakfast, and they were the perfect start to my day. They were filling and flavorful, and they kept me full until lunchtime.
Mohamed Muraj
[email protected]This recipe is a great way to use up leftover tortillas. I always have a few leftover tortillas in my fridge, and this is a great way to use them up.
Anup Lama
[email protected]The tortillas were a bit too thick for my liking. I think I'll try using thinner tortillas next time.
_Pikachuxx
[email protected]These papadzules were a little bland for my taste. I think I'll add some more spices next time.
Damien Brewer
[email protected]I love the vibrant green color of the pumpkin seed sauce. It makes the dish look so inviting.
Zaheer abbas Abbas
[email protected]The pumpkin seed sauce is the star of this dish. It's so creamy and flavorful, and it pairs perfectly with the tortillas and eggs.
Ntovhedzeni Gemeli
[email protected]This recipe was a bit more time-consuming than I expected, but it was worth it. The papadzules were delicious, and my family loved them.
sandhya bohaju
[email protected]I've never had papadzules before, but I'm so glad I tried this recipe. The combination of flavors is amazing, and the dish is so easy to make. I'll definitely be making this again.
mizan hossan
[email protected]These papadzules were a hit at my dinner party! The pumpkin seed sauce was creamy and flavorful, and the tortillas were perfectly cooked. My guests raved about the dish, and I'm definitely making it again soon.