Recipe and photo courtesy of chef Misael Canché of Kanché in Querétaro.
Serves 6
For the roasted pumpkin seeds
1 cup or 130 grams of clean pumpkin seeds
On a griddle over medium heat, toast the pumpkin seeds for 15 minutes, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until they turn a light golden color and begin to pop. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Then, using a blender, grind them into a fine powder and set aside.
For the thick chiltomate
4 whole tomatoes or 400 grams
1 whole habanero chili or 30 grams
3 sprigs or 20 grams of chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon or 20 grams of salt
1 cup or 130 grams of ground seeds from the previous step
On a griddle over medium heat, roast the habanero chili for about 5 minutes or until its skin is well charred, remove from the griddle and set aside. Add the tomatoes to the same griddle for 20 minutes or until they lose as much of their internal juices as possible, to obtain a thicker chiltomate.
Place the roasted tomatoes one by one in a mortar and grind them until they are pureed. Add only the tip of the habanero (this is because there are no seeds or veins in this part and it will not add as much heat to our preparation), stirring very carefully so that it only adds aroma. Add the cilantro, salt, and ground seeds from the previous step, and mix all the ingredients until they are completely incorporated.
If you don't have a molcajete, place the tomatoes, habanero pepper, cilantro, and salt in a blender and blend slowly (using the pulse setting) until slightly crushed. Transfer the mixture to a bowl, add the ground seeds, and mix well.