9-25-pipian-stew

It’s amazing what one can do with a jar of Dona Maria Pipian Sauce… Since the local Super Fresh became Path Mark, the Mexican food selection has definitely improved!  They even carry chipotles in adobo!  It’s great!

Pipian sauce is a pumpkin seed sauce that is part of the mole family. I bought a jar of it a while ago and have been thinking I wanted to use it as a soup base – and today, I finally did!

It’s an earthy and slightly (very slightly) spicy sauce that really does have an interesting flavor.  I decided to punch it up a bit with a can of pumpkin, some chipotle powder, and a bit of smoked paprika.  I also had some flint corn I buy from Native Harvest in Minnesota that I wanted to use.  Yum.

Pipian Soup

  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 3 ribs celery, diced
  • 2 poblano peppers, seeded and diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 chicken breast, diced
  • 1 jar Dona Maria Pipian Sauce
  • 1 can pumpkin
  • 1 qt chicken broth
  • 1 cup flint corn, cooked
  • 1 cup whole grain rice, cooked
  • 1 can diced tomatoes in juice
  • 1 tsp chipotle powder
  • 1 tsp smoked paprika
  • salt and pepper, to taste
  • cilantro

Cook onion, peppers, celery, and garlic in soup pot with olive oil until wilted.  Add chicken and cook.

Add pipian sauce and mix well.  Add broth and mix well.  Add pumpkin and mix well.  Add tomatoes with juice and mix well.

Add spices and bring to a boil.

Add cooked corn and rice.

Simmer and check for seasoning.  Add salt and pepper, if desired.

Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with cilantro.

It made a really thick soup – very stew-like, in fact.  Very hearty.

I suppose some pumpkin seeds on top would have been really good – but I didn’t have any.  Oh well.

The sauce was good, but I think I prefer it as an ingredient added to a soup, rather than a sauce served over chicken or enchiladas, or something.

I can see several variations on a theme, here…..

Experimenting is fun.