Yucatán Egg-Stuffed Tortillas with Pumpkin Seed Sauce
PapadzulesPapadzules is a traditional Mayan dish of tortillas stuffed with hard-boiled eggs, covered with pumpkin seed sauce, and topped with tomato sauce. In the traditional way, the green oil is squeezed from the pumpkin seeds to drizzle over the top of the dish as a final flourish. This extra step is time consuming, so I left it out.
Ingredients
Makes 4 servings
- Yucatán Tomato Sauce
- 1¼ cups raw shelled pumpkin seeds
- Corn oil safflower or canola oil for frying
- 1 medium white onion chopped
- 2 medium garlic cloves finely chopped
- 10 to 12 fresh epazote leaves or 1 teaspoon dried epazote
- 1 habanero or serrano chile seeded and veins removed (wear protective gloves)
- 1¾ cups canned fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 4 hard-cooked large eggs peeled and chopped
- 8 corn tortillas
Instructions
- Prepare the tomato sauce.
- Then, in a large dry skillet, toast the pumpkin seeds, stirring, until aromatic, starting to brown, and popping around in the pan, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Reserve on a plate to cool.
- In the same pan, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium heat and cook the onion until softened, about 3 minutes.
- Add the garlic and cook 1 minute.
- Transfer to a blender.
- (Save the skillet for later use.
- )
- To the blender, add the reserved pumpkin seeds, epazote, chile, and ½ cup of the broth.
- Process to a thick paste.
- Add the remaining chicken broth, a little at a time, blending after each addition to a thick smooth sauce.
- Transfer the sauce to a medium nonstick skillet and cook over low heat, stirring frequently, until it simmers, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Do not boil, or the sauce might curdle.
- (If it does, blend again.
- ) Cover and reserve in the pan, off heat.
- Reheat the tomato sauce.
- In a medium nonstick skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil, and soften the tortillas, 1 at a time on both sides until warm and limp.
- Stack on a plate.
- To assemble, dip each tortilla in the pumpkin seed sauce to coat both sides.
- Lay the coated tortilla on a plate.
- Put a small portion of the chopped egg along the center of each tortilla, roll, and lay seam side down on a warm platter.
- Repeat until all are dipped, filled, and rolled.
- To serve, put 2 stuffed tortillas on each of 4 plates.
- Top with heated tomato sauce.
Notes / Tips / Wine Advice:
Serve hot.
