This deliciously simple meat-free dish combines a ‘roasted until creamy’ sweet potato with a protein-packed traditional Mexican pipián, made from pumpkin seeds. Top it off with a zesty fresh tomato salsa and crumbled cheese and you’ve got a perfect meal for any day of the week.
For the sweet potato
2 whole medium size sweet potato
1 tbsp (15gr) olive oil
1 tsp fine sea salt
For the pumpkin seed pipián
140g pumpkin seeds
1 tbsp (15gr) apple cider vinegar or wine vinegar
5 tbsp (75gr) olive oil
140g water
20g spring onion
10g of roasted serrano or jalapeno chilli (less if you want it less spicy)
60g parsley (stalks and leaves)
60g coriander (stalks and leaves)
1 medium size garlic clove
The juice of half a lime
Sea salt (or to taste)
For the tomato salsa
200g cherry tomatoes, sliced or diced
30g red onion, finely diced
The juice of half a lime
1 small garlic clove, finely chopped
10g coriander, finely sliced (stalks and leaves)
Serrano, jalapeno or Thai chilli to taste
Black pepper to taste
Sea salt to taste
To serve
20g Butter (optional)
Salt & black pepper
120gr Cheese (Feta, Lancashire, Goat’s cheese)
Method
Preheat the oven at 185-200ºC. On a baking tray, drizzle the olive oil and spread it all over the sweet potato. Sprinkle the salt and bake for about 40min and check they are almost ready. Turn oven up to 200-220ºc for the last 5-10minutes to develop more colour.
On a dry thick bottom frying pan, add the pumpkin seeds and pan roast them at medium heat, stirring constantly until they start popping and turn slightly darker. Transfer to blender and blend until they are crushed to powder. Add the rest of ingredients and blend. Leave chilli, salt and lime juice to last so you can adjust seasoning to your liking.
Mix all ingredients for the salsa and season to taste with chilli, black pepper, salt and lime juice.
To serve, cut the sweet potato in half (careful it'll be hot)! Season with salt and pepper (and butter if you want!) Place it on the plate, drizzle a healthy amount of pipián all over it, do the same with the salsa and finish with whatever cheese you have in the fridge.
Buen provecho!
