Kids Make Fiery Pumpkin Seed Di p

This is the last week in Mexico on our virtual world food tour so I had the kids in our "food appreciation" classes grinding again in the molcajete to make one of our favorite foods, this spicy Mayan pumpkin seed dip.


Well, I'm not sure the Mayans actually made this dip. But they may well have. It doesn't look like much, but almost everyone who tastes it asks for the recipe. It's a strange mash of toasted habanero pepper, toasted pumpkin seeds and cooked tomatoes. Season with a little salt and some cilantro leaves, then scoop it up with cool, crisp slices of jicama.


Admittedly, this is one of those dishes that kids are rarely ambivalent about. They either love it or they just walk away from it. Many of the kids in our classes took a bite or two and pushed their plates aside. If heat is the issue, you may want to cut back on the habanero, which is an exceptionally hot pepper widely used in the Caribbean. It imparts a fruity flavor along with the heat.


Or, have the kids do all the grinding and serve the dip to the adults. Making it is 90 percent of the fun.


For the jicama:


Jicama is the tuberous root of a vine. It looks a bit like an oversized baking potato with tan skin and a flattened globe shape. The flesh is moist and crisp like an apple, but the flavor is almost completely neutral, with just the fainest hint of sweetness. It is typically eaten raw, as in a fruit salad. Look for it in the produce section, or at your local Latin market.


For this recipe, peel one medium-sized jicama and slice into large matchsticks. Cover and place in the refrigerator to cool while you prepare the dip.


For the pumpkin seed dip:


1 ripe habanero pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup raw hulled pumpkin seeds (look for them in the bulk section of your health food store)

2 plum tomatoes, cooked in plain water until very tender then peeled

small fistful cilantro leaves

Toast the habanero pepper at the bottom of a heavy skillet (or traditional Mexican comal, if you have one) over moderately high heat. Turn the pepper occasionally until it is charred on all sides and begins to soften. Set aside to cool.

In the same skillet over moderate heat toast the pumpkin seeds, tossing often so they do not burn. They will turn a drab tan color and begin to shed some papery skin. Pour the toasted seeds onto a plate to cool.

Wearing rubber gloves, prepare the toasted habenero by first removing the stem. Slice the pepper in half lengthwise and scrape away the seeds. Place the pepper in the molcajete with the salt. (If you want less heat in the finished dip, use only half the pepper.) Grind the pepper and salt together until the pepper just coats the bottom of the molcajete.

Add the toasted pumpkin seeds to the molcajete and grind vigorously until the seeds have been turned into a rough powder. This may take several minutes. Don't be afraid to press the pestle or tejolote hard into the molcajete. Now add the tomatoes and grind them into the pumpkin seeds until they are thoroughly incorporated. Toss in most of the cilantro leaves and mix with a fork.

Serve the dip in the molcajete using the remaining cilantro leaves for garnish.

Note: If you do not possess a molcajete or a large mortar and pestle, try making this in a food processor instead.

Fiery Pumpkin Seed Dip

Now it can be revealed: One of the most popular things we make is deceptively simple and doesn't even look edible. It's this humble dip made with toasted pumpkin seeds and cooked tomatoes, flavored to a fiery pitch with a roasted habanero pepper. We always make it in a Mexican molcajete, the traditional mortar made out of basalt stone.

Start with the habanero pepper. We have an electric range with large, flat elements. These are perfect for roasting peppers, but you can also use a traditional comal or a heavy iron skillet. Over moderately high heat, lay the pepper on its side and turn occasionally as it cooks, until it is lightly charred all around. Remove the pepper and when it is cool enough to handle remove the stem, slic it open and remove all the seeds. (I like to wear rubber gloves for this part.)

Next, grind the pepper in the molcajete with 1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt.

Use your heaviest skillet to toast 1 1/4 cups hulled pumpkin seeds. We buy ours in bulk from Whole Foods. Over moderate heat, toss the seeds frequently. They will begin to pop and turn from green to tan. Be careful not to burn them. Place the toasted seeds in the molcajete and grind away until you have a rough powder. This may take some elbow grease, but if you're like me, you can use the exercise.


Meanwhile, in a saucepan, cook three ripe plum tomatoes in plenty of water. They should be completely cooked through and soft, almost like tomatoes from a can. Set the tomatoes aside to cool and when they are cool enough to handle remove the stem ends and the skin. Place the tomatoes with the ground pumpkin seeds in the molcajete and grind together until you have a smooth mix.

To the pumpkin seed and tomato mix add 2 tablespoon roughly chopped cilantro (or more) and 2 tablespoons chopped chives. Use a fork or a spoon to mix in the herbs.

Present the finished dip in your molcajete garnished with more cilantro. We like to serve it with freshly sliced jicama. The crispy coolness of the jicama acts as a nice foil for the spicy dip. But you can also scoop it up with your favorite corn chips. Have plenty of cold beer on hand to douse the flames.

Pumpkin Seed Dip with Jicama

The food of Mexico never ceases to amaze, or perhaps it's the way the Mexican people have constructed a cuisine that seems to make a great deal out of very little.

Americans raised on big, fat burritos, heaping platters of fajitas and giant pitchers of frozen margaritas would be shocked to learn that the real deal is nothing like that. The pre-Columbian food of Mexico did not know dairy products or pork or beef. An entire culinary tradition was erected around corn, chili peppers, tomatoes, avocados. To this day, an urbane family meal in Mexico City may consist of something as simple as a bowl of chicken soup and fresh tortillas folded around a bit of cheese.

One of our favorite dishes is this astonishing concoction made from toasted pumpkin seeds, cooked tomatoes and habanero pepper. The recipe apparently originates in the Yucatan, a culinary province all its own. I originally stumbled upon it while writing an article about my molcajete, the Mexican version of a mortar carved out of volcanic basalt stone.

I remember being completely incredulous that such common and utterly simple ingredients could yield much of anything. Pumpkin seeds, after all, are so dry and lifeless, something you chew on when you have nothing better to do, right? And how much lift could one expect out of a couple of tomatoes?

But that is the genius of this marriage, because the individual ingredients once pounded and carefully massaged together transform one another. The finished product is not much to look at--it has all the glamor of the proverbial lump of clay. But in the mouth, it is sublime. It is unctuous and meaty, the habanero imparting a bit of fruitiness along with its heat. To taste it is to know that there are food cultures out there still wrapped in mystery, a vein of food knowledge we moderns can barely fathom.

Of course, this "dip," as I call it, is best made in a molcajete. I'm confident that a traditional mortar and pestle would work as well. You could also try a food processor, although honestly I never have. Part of the joy of this dish is the hand work, the time spent bending over the molcajete pulverizing the toasted pumpking seeds, then incorporating all the bits of the cooked tomatoes and chili. It is a meditative act, a labor of love.

The habanero is one of the hottest of all chili peppers. The recipe calls for a single pepper, but if you are sensitive to the heat, you might cut the pepper in half. Wear rubber gloves while working with the peppers and take care to remove all the seeds and interior veins, where much of the heat is concenrated.

Be sure to use the hulled variety of pumpkin seeds. We buy them in the bulk section at Whole Foods.

We like to serve this with jicama, cut into large matchsticks for dipping, to lend a contrasting coolness and snap. And of a course a cold beer.

1 ¼ cup raw, unsalted, hulled pumpkin seeds
1 chile habanero
3 ripe plum tomatoes, (about 12 ounces)
1 ½ teaspoons coarse salt, or to taste
2 tablespoons roughly chopped cilantro, plus 1 tablespoon for garnish
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
1 large jicama, peeled and cut into thick, 4-inch matchsticks for dipping.

In an ungreased sauté pan over moderately high heat, toast the pumpkin seeds, tossing frequently, until they are lightly browned. Spread pumpkin seeds on a baking sheet to cool.

Meanwhile, bring 1 quart water to a boil. Place tomatoes in water, reduce heat and simmer until tomatoes are very soft, about 13 minutes. Drain and set tomatoes aside to cool. Remove skins.

In a small skillet or pan over moderately high heat, toast habanero chile, turning frequently, until it is soft and lightly charred, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool. Cut chile open and remove seeds and veins (unless you like things really hot).

Place all but one tablespoon toasted pumpkin seeds with salt in molcajete and grind to a rough powder. Add toasted habanero and grind until pepper is completely incorporated. Add tomatoes and grind until they are completely incorporated with the seed mixture. Use a spoon or rubber spatula to blend in 2 tablespoons cilantro and the chives.

Garnish with remaining cilantro and toasted pumpkin seeds. Arrange jicama matchsticks so they are standing upright in a bowl or drinking glass to serve.