Pulique (Chicken in Guatelmalan Pulique Sauce)
The best American name for this vegetable would probably be “Mexican green tomato”, but they actually taste nothing like regular tomatoes, In fact, the tomatillo is not a tomato at all. The tomatillo has a tart, lemony flavor that is enhance when cooked (especially roasted) and is an excellent base for salsas. While salsa (salsa verde) is the most popular way to enjoy tomatillo, they can be used in other ways. Tomatillos contain high amounts of vitamin A&C. Tomatillos are our #2 sales item!
Ingredients:
1 lb chicken thighs
3 zucchini, thickly sliced
4 potatoes, cut into chunks
2 carrots, sliced
5 cups chicken broth
1 tsp salt
For Pulique sauce:
1/4 cup masa harina flour
2 Tbsp water
6 tomatoes, cored and cut into chunks
6 large fresh tomatillos, husks removed
2 cloves garlic, cut in half
1 onion, cut into chunks
3 dried guajillo chile peppers, stems and seeds removed
1 (1-inch) piece cinnamon stick
6 whole cumin seeds
2 while cloves
2 black peppercorns
3 Tbsp dried epazote
2 Tsp achiote seed
1/4 cup olive oil
Salt to taste
Instructions:
Place the chicken thighs, zucchini, potatoes, carrots,chicken broth, and 1 tsp salt into a large pot. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until the chicken is no longer pink and the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes. Remove the chicken and vegetables from the pot, reserving the broth, and set aside.
Mix the masa harina with water in a small bowl, and let stand until the corn flour has absorbed the water and made a pliable dough, about 10 minutes. Form the masa dough into a 2-inch ball. Place the dough ball, tomatoes, tomatillos, garlic, onion, guajillo peppers, cinnamon stick, cumin seeds, cloves, peppercorns, epazote, and chiote seed into the broth, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes.
Discard the cinnamon stick, and remove the vegetables and dough ball from the broth with a strainer. Place them into a blender, and, working in batches if necessary, blend the ingredients until mostly smooth. Strain the sauce, and set it aside. Retain about 1/2 cup of broth.
Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat, and slowly pour the sauce into the hot oil, letting it fry bubble until it starts to change color, about 3 minutes. Add the chicken, zucchini, potatoes, and carrots to the sauce, pour in about 1/2 cup of reserved chicken broth, and stir. Season with salt to taste, and simmer over low heat for about 10 minutes to blend the flavors.
Serves 6.
From allrecipes.com