This is a long post, but I found it so interesting, wanted to share. This is what Roy ordered - Pipian de Puereo. Had slices of the most tender pork loin 
![[Image: Jan13RsPorkLoin_zps9dc6a7b3.jpg]](http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y72/cjdacook/001%20-%202013-2014%20Travel%20Pictures/Jan13RsPorkLoin_zps9dc6a7b3.jpg)
What is Pipian Sauce?
1. Pipian Sauce
Similar to a mole, made from ground pepitas (squash seeds or pumpkin seeds) and other nuts. (Pepian)
2. Pipián sauce is a piquant Mexican sauce traditionally served over roast chicken or enchiladas. It is part of a larger family of ground sauces known as moles, and it has a very distinctive, nutty, earthy flavor which some consumers find quite enjoyable. Mexican restaurants sometimes have dishes on offer served with this sauce, and it is also possible to find it packaged in Mexican grocery stores. The best pipián sauce, however, is made fresh at home, as needed, to preserve the flavor.
The key ingredient in pipián sauce or pipián verde, as it is sometimes called, is pumpkin or squash seeds, which may be roasted or simply dried. The seeds are ground before being seasoned with spices like cumin, pepper, garlic, and cilantro, and dried hot chilies are also thrown into the sauce to give it a distinctive and rather fiery kick. Ingredients like lemon juice may also be added, turning the mixture more runny, and less like a paste.
Pipián sauce is often paired with a tomatillo salsa for extra texture and flavor. It may be used to rub meats before cooking, or served over meats after they have already been cooked; a crust of this sauce can be especially great for seared and roasted meats, helping to preserve the flavor of the meat while keeping it from becoming too dry. (MY NOTE: I think this is what was done to the pork slices - man, they were tasty!!)
Like other Mexican sauces, pipián is designed to be tasty enough to eat on its own, and it can potentially be served with a wide variety of foods. Individual cooks often like to adjust the flavor and spicing levels in their sauce, as some people like chilies more than others, and cooks can also play with the spices used, adding things like cardamom, anise, and other ingredients to send the flavor in a slightly different direction.
People who make pipián sauce at home should try to make only as much as they need. The flavor will start to grow weak if the sauce sits, and the chilies will quickly overwhelm all of the other spices, creating a very unbalanced taste. If a cook makes too much, he or she can freeze it to slow the breakdown of the spices in the sauce, and the cook may want to consider freezing it by the serving, so that he or she will not have to thaw a large amount just to get what is needed. People who purchase storebought pipián should be sure to check the expiration date to make sure that it is as fresh as possible.
------
Lastly, this is the recipe I'm going to try that I found on a blog.
Pipian Sauce (for serving with Pork Loin) - via Luna Kitchen, Corona, CA
Roy had Pipian de Puereo at Luna Restaurant in Corona, CA with JIm & Ellen 1/13/14 and it was wonderful. Next morning I had to google to see what the dish was. This recipe is what I found.
Ingredients for the Pipian Sauce:
2 lbs tomatillos
4 serrano peppers
1 Poblano Pepper roasted, skin and seeds remove (Optional)
1 cup Pumpkin seeds
2 garlic cloves
3 Tbs of vegetable oil
-----------
Ingredients to cook the meat:
2 lbs pork cut in bite size cubes (country style ribs, pork loin,pork loin center ribs)
1 white onion halved and sliced
1/4 of a teaspoon Marjoram
1 Bay leave
2 garlic cloves
2 carrots peeled and sliced
A dash of nutmeg
Sal to taste
1. Place the meat, onion, carrots, bay leave, garlic, nutmeg and marjoram in a large pot and cover with water and cook for about 1 1/2 hours until the meat is tender.
2. When the seeds are cold or warm, is ground into a fine powders. If you do not have a millto process the seeds, can be liquefied after the other ingredients together, but then the sauce will have a texture more fat.
3. While the meat is cooking prepare the Pipian Sauce. In a frying pan greased with a little oil roast the pumpkin seeds over low heat. Stir frequently to prevent burning them and when the seeds start popping, turn off the heat and set aside to cool. When the seeds had cool down, ground in your spice grinder until you obtain a fine powder. If you do not have a spice grinder, the seeds can be process later on in a blender together with the other ingredients for sauce but then final result of the sauce will have a grainy texture. Just process some extra seconds to get a fine sauce.
4. Meanwhile in a large pot big enough to fit the meat, start roasting the tomatos, serrano peppers, garlic cloves and poblano pepper with 3 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Turn the tomatoes and peppers occasional to roast evenly. When they are well roasted and cook, add salt and about a 1/4 cup of the meat broth or water. Then add the grinded seeds. Add more broth or water is needed, do not let it to get dry, the sauce at this stage should be very liquid.
5. After half an hour if you have a blender, food processor or an immersion blender the kind that can be used inside the pot, blend the ingredients to form a smooth sauce then add the meat. Simmer to finish cooking the sauce.
6. The Pipian Sauce will be ready when the sauce gets thick and has formed bright green puddles.
7. Serve with corn tortillas, you can also add small pieces of cooked zucchini and green beans to the sauce.
Author Notes
As in Italy you can’t find green tomatoes-tomatillos, I had to plant them in pots to cook Pipian Verde. Tomatillos are a key ingredient to various types of Green Pipian recipes I’ve tried, this is the one I prefer for its bittersweet taste.
------
In México it is very easy to get the pumpkin seeds already clean, unlike in Italy where one has to buy roasted pumpkin seeds and remove the shell with lots of patience, you can easily spend 3-4 hours just in that process.
------
If you want to add the Poblano pepper in this recipe, which gives the dish a special flavor, you will have to roast the pepper in the fire and then wrap it in a plastic bag to "sweat" after 15 minutes clean the pepper by removing the skin and seeds.
----------------
Sharon or Labs, have you ever made or had this sauce???? (hope you're still reading....)
The restaurant is classified as a Mexican, but talking to the owner's son, who was delightful, they offer flavors/dishes from Cuba, Columbia (? I think) and so many other countries that it's really hard to choose!
![[Image: Jan13RsPorkLoin_zps9dc6a7b3.jpg]](http://s3.photobucket.com/user/cjdacook/media/001%20-%202013-2014%20Travel%20Pictures/Jan13RsPorkLoin_zps9dc6a7b3.jpg.html)
What is Pipian Sauce?
1. Pipian Sauce
Similar to a mole, made from ground pepitas (squash seeds or pumpkin seeds) and other nuts. (Pepian)
2. Pipián sauce is a piquant Mexican sauce traditionally served over roast chicken or enchiladas. It is part of a larger family of ground sauces known as moles, and it has a very distinctive, nutty, earthy flavor which some consumers find quite enjoyable. Mexican restaurants sometimes have dishes on offer served with this sauce, and it is also possible to find it packaged in Mexican grocery stores. The best pipián sauce, however, is made fresh at home, as needed, to preserve the flavor.
The key ingredient in pipián sauce or pipián verde, as it is sometimes called, is pumpkin or squash seeds, which may be roasted or simply dried. The seeds are ground before being seasoned with spices like cumin, pepper, garlic, and cilantro, and dried hot chilies are also thrown into the sauce to give it a distinctive and rather fiery kick. Ingredients like lemon juice may also be added, turning the mixture more runny, and less like a paste.
Pipián sauce is often paired with a tomatillo salsa for extra texture and flavor. It may be used to rub meats before cooking, or served over meats after they have already been cooked; a crust of this sauce can be especially great for seared and roasted meats, helping to preserve the flavor of the meat while keeping it from becoming too dry. (MY NOTE: I think this is what was done to the pork slices - man, they were tasty!!)
Like other Mexican sauces, pipián is designed to be tasty enough to eat on its own, and it can potentially be served with a wide variety of foods. Individual cooks often like to adjust the flavor and spicing levels in their sauce, as some people like chilies more than others, and cooks can also play with the spices used, adding things like cardamom, anise, and other ingredients to send the flavor in a slightly different direction.
People who make pipián sauce at home should try to make only as much as they need. The flavor will start to grow weak if the sauce sits, and the chilies will quickly overwhelm all of the other spices, creating a very unbalanced taste. If a cook makes too much, he or she can freeze it to slow the breakdown of the spices in the sauce, and the cook may want to consider freezing it by the serving, so that he or she will not have to thaw a large amount just to get what is needed. People who purchase storebought pipián should be sure to check the expiration date to make sure that it is as fresh as possible.
------
Lastly, this is the recipe I'm going to try that I found on a blog.
Pipian Sauce (for serving with Pork Loin) - via Luna Kitchen, Corona, CA
Roy had Pipian de Puereo at Luna Restaurant in Corona, CA with JIm & Ellen 1/13/14 and it was wonderful. Next morning I had to google to see what the dish was. This recipe is what I found.
Ingredients for the Pipian Sauce:
2 lbs tomatillos
4 serrano peppers
1 Poblano Pepper roasted, skin and seeds remove (Optional)
1 cup Pumpkin seeds
2 garlic cloves
3 Tbs of vegetable oil
-----------
Ingredients to cook the meat:
2 lbs pork cut in bite size cubes (country style ribs, pork loin,pork loin center ribs)
1 white onion halved and sliced
1/4 of a teaspoon Marjoram
1 Bay leave
2 garlic cloves
2 carrots peeled and sliced
A dash of nutmeg
Sal to taste
1. Place the meat, onion, carrots, bay leave, garlic, nutmeg and marjoram in a large pot and cover with water and cook for about 1 1/2 hours until the meat is tender.
2. When the seeds are cold or warm, is ground into a fine powders. If you do not have a millto process the seeds, can be liquefied after the other ingredients together, but then the sauce will have a texture more fat.
3. While the meat is cooking prepare the Pipian Sauce. In a frying pan greased with a little oil roast the pumpkin seeds over low heat. Stir frequently to prevent burning them and when the seeds start popping, turn off the heat and set aside to cool. When the seeds had cool down, ground in your spice grinder until you obtain a fine powder. If you do not have a spice grinder, the seeds can be process later on in a blender together with the other ingredients for sauce but then final result of the sauce will have a grainy texture. Just process some extra seconds to get a fine sauce.
4. Meanwhile in a large pot big enough to fit the meat, start roasting the tomatos, serrano peppers, garlic cloves and poblano pepper with 3 tablespoon of vegetable oil. Turn the tomatoes and peppers occasional to roast evenly. When they are well roasted and cook, add salt and about a 1/4 cup of the meat broth or water. Then add the grinded seeds. Add more broth or water is needed, do not let it to get dry, the sauce at this stage should be very liquid.
5. After half an hour if you have a blender, food processor or an immersion blender the kind that can be used inside the pot, blend the ingredients to form a smooth sauce then add the meat. Simmer to finish cooking the sauce.
6. The Pipian Sauce will be ready when the sauce gets thick and has formed bright green puddles.
7. Serve with corn tortillas, you can also add small pieces of cooked zucchini and green beans to the sauce.
Author Notes
As in Italy you can’t find green tomatoes-tomatillos, I had to plant them in pots to cook Pipian Verde. Tomatillos are a key ingredient to various types of Green Pipian recipes I’ve tried, this is the one I prefer for its bittersweet taste.
------
In México it is very easy to get the pumpkin seeds already clean, unlike in Italy where one has to buy roasted pumpkin seeds and remove the shell with lots of patience, you can easily spend 3-4 hours just in that process.
------
If you want to add the Poblano pepper in this recipe, which gives the dish a special flavor, you will have to roast the pepper in the fire and then wrap it in a plastic bag to "sweat" after 15 minutes clean the pepper by removing the skin and seeds.
----------------
Sharon or Labs, have you ever made or had this sauce???? (hope you're still reading....)
The restaurant is classified as a Mexican, but talking to the owner's son, who was delightful, they offer flavors/dishes from Cuba, Columbia (? I think) and so many other countries that it's really hard to choose!
Retired and having fun writing cookbooks, tasting wine and sharing recipes with all my friends.
www.achefsjourney.com
www.achefsjourney.com
![[Image: Jan14PipiandePuereoPizza_zpsd0f78195.jpg]](http://s3.photobucket.com/user/cjdacook/media/001%20-%202013-2014%20Travel%20Pictures/Jan14PipiandePuereoPizza_zpsd0f78195.jpg.html)
![[Image: 1_zps7fa3ffe8.jpg]](http://i1142.photobucket.com/albums/n604/losblanos/1_zps7fa3ffe8.jpg)