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Pato en Pipián Verde

Pato en Pipián Verde

Pipián is a sauce made from a base of pumpkin seeds, chile and tomato.

Friar Bernardino de Sahagún the Franciscan missionary arrived in Mexico shortly after the 1521 conquest by Hernan Cortez and for 50 years he recorded the culture and history of the Nahua people. From his writing we know that the Emperor Moctezuma dined on sauces (moles) made with pumpkin seed, chile and tomato.

For this Pipián I have selected ingredients from the many variations for pipián verde so that you will create an authentic sauce in a time saving manner.  We will pair it with pan-seared duck.  This means you can present a beautiful dinner quickly and spend more time with your guests than in the kitchen. Let’s get started.

 

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Ingredients

Serves 4

½ lb fresh tomatillo, de-husked and washed

1 clove garlic

1 scallion

1 oz fresh serrano chiles

2 cups chicken broth

¼ cup sesame seeds toasted

¼ cup pumpkin seeds roasted (pepitas)

2 whole cloves

3 whole allspice

6 tablespoons parsley

Salt

4 duck breasts

Salt

optional =  garnish with red peppercorns or red pepper cubes

 

Preparation

You can prepare this sauce a day ahead.

 

  • Put tomatillos, garlic, scallion and serrano chiles in a blender with ½ cup of chicken broth and liquify the ingredients to make a sauce.  Add broth as needed.

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  • Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a frying pan and heat the oil hot, add the sauce, lower the heat and cook at medium heat for 10 minutes. Salt to taste.
  • Make a paste from pumpkin seeds, sesame, cloves and allspice.  I use a coffee bean grinder, but you can make a puree in a blender with ½ cup broth. Add this mixture to the sauce and cook at low heat for 10 minutes.

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  • The purpose of this final step it to intensify the green color of the sauce. Liquify the parsley leaves in ½ cup chicken broth, add to the pipián sauce and mix well to obtain a uniform color. Adjust the thickness of the sauce to “slightly thickened” with chicken broth if necessary. Warm sauce before serving.
  • Pat the duck breast dry with paper towels. Carve a Crosshatch pattern in the skin 1/6″ deep without piercing the meat.  Salt only the skin side generously.
  • Put the scored duck breast skin side down in a cold, dry (steel or iron) skillet. Do not add cooking oil. Place the pan over medium-high heat.
  • Cook 5 to 7 minutes until golden brown. Turn and cook 4 – 6 minutes basting the duck with it’s own rendered fat for crisping the skin side further. For medium-rare cook to 130 F.
  • Remove the duck from the pan and let it rest uncovered for 5 minutes.  Thinly slice the meat at a slight angle against the grain.
  • Lay pipián sauce on the serving plate and place the duck slices over the sauce and lightly drizzle sauce  Serve with wild rice and fresh vegetables.  Place remaining sauce in a gravy dish for the table.

Note:

To color the sauce green in step no. 4 you can use spinach, lettuce, radish leaves or hoja santa.

Buen Provecho.

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