Pepian – Guatemalan Chicken Stew

 

Pepian is a traditional dish of Guatemala. My mother-in-law was born and raised in Guatemala City and her family is still there. So in 2001 my husband, his mother and I went for a visit and spent five months exploring the country. Some relatives were kind enough to let us stay in their cabin in the hills above beautiful Lake Atitlan in Panajachel. There was a wonderful Mercato in the town where we would do all of our food shopping. All we had to do to get there was hop in the back of a pick up truck heading down the mountain at a cost of about 10 cents per ride. I was lucky enough to take cooking lessons from Aura, a family friend who taught me this recipe.

Ingredients:

3 Tomatillos - paper skin removed
4 Plum Tomatoes - whole
2 Garlic Cloves - whole, skin removed
1 Small Yellow Onion - whole
1 Red Ancho Chile - whole
1 Red Pepper - whole
2 lb Chicken - cut up
2 Carrots - coarsely chopped
1 Chayote - coarsely chopped
3-5 Potatoes - coarsely chopped
1/4 cup Pumpkin or Squash Seeds
1/2 cup Sesame Seeds
1 handful Fresh Cilantro
Salt & Pepper
Water

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the tomatillos, tomatoes, garlic cloves, onion, chile and pepper on a baking sheet. Roast for 30 minutes or until lightly browned. Remove from oven and set aside to cool

Meanwhile place the chicken pieces in a soup pot along with the carrots, chayote and potatoes. Add 2 tbsp salt and fill with water to about an inch above the ingredients. Cover the pot and place over a high flame.

Place the pumpkin seeds on another baking sheet and place them in the oven until golden brown. Roast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet and dry roast until golden brown. Puree the pumpkin and sesame seeds in the blender with 1 cup of water. Pour this into the pot with the chicken.

Blend the roasted tomatillos, tomatoes, garlic, onion, chile and red pepper in the blender. Pour this into the pot with the chicken. Add the cilantro and some freshly ground black pepper. Continue to cook the stew until it thickens.

Serve over rice.