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Mexican- Shrimp in pumpkin-seed sauce

List of Ingredients




Camarones en pipian
For the most part in Mexico, unhulled, toasted pumpkin seeds form the base for the popular "pipian' dishes. This recipe, from Diana Kennedy's "Essential Cuisines of Mexico,' serves 6-8.




- 1 1/2 lbs medium-sized shrimp, unshelled

- 2 1/2 cups cold water, approximately

- 1 tsp salt, or to taste

- 1 cup (about 4 oz) hulled, unroasted, unsalted pumpkin seeds

- 1 small bunch fresh cilantro

- 4 fresh serrano chiles or any fresh, hot green chiles

- 1/2 small white onion, roughly chopped

- 1 tbsp unsalted butter

- 2/3 cup sour cream




Recipe



Shell and devein the shrimp and set aside. Put the shells, tails and heads, if any, into a saucepan, add the water with salt to taste, and cook over medium heat for about 20 minutes, to extract the flavor and make a light broth. Strain and discard the shells, reserving the cooking liquid.

Allow the liquid to cool a little. Add the shrimp and cook over gentle heat for about 3 minutes, or until they are just turning opaque. Drain the shrimp, reserving the broth.

In a heavy, ungreased frying pan, toast the pumpkin seeds lightly, stirring them often, until they begin to swell up and start to pop about - do not let them brown. Set them aside to cool and then grind them finely in a coffee or spice grinder. (Alternatively, they can just be added to the blender with the broth in the next step, but the sauce will not be as smooth.)

Place the shrimp broth, pumpkin seeds, cilantro, chiles and onion in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan. Add the blended pumpkin-seed sauce and cook over very low heat, stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan constantly, for about 5 minutes. Stir in the sour cream, adjust seasoning, and just heat through, about five minutes. Then add the shrimp and heat through for another 5 minutes. The sauce should be of a medium consistency. Serve immediately and do not hold.

Serve with fresh, hot tortillas or crusty French bread. Despite the temptation, it is better not to serve this on top of rice or all that lovely sauce will be sopped up and lost.

Note: The pipian can be prepared ahead to the point of adding the shrimp.

From Denver Post 12/13/00