Chicken in green pumpkin seed sauce (Pollo en pipián verde)

1. Simmer the chicken legs gently in the lightly salted chicken stock for 35 minutes, then lift them out; keep the broth.

2. Toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry pan over medium heat until they start to pop and puff up slightly but don't brown; cool on a plate and set aside a handful for garnish.

3. Peel the husks off the tomatillos, rinse off their sticky coating with lukewarm water and boil them with the onion, garlic and serrano chilies for 5-6 minutes, until they turn olive green.

4. In a blender, purée the pumpkin seeds, cooked vegetables, coriander and epazote leaves with 500 ml of broth until smooth; if you have no epazote, a pinch of oregano and a little extra coriander will stand in.

5. Heat the oil in a pot, pour in the sauce and cook over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring constantly – pipián must not boil hard or it may split; thin with more broth if too thick and season with salt.

6. Add the chicken, heat through together for 10 minutes and serve sprinkled with the reserved seeds, with rice and warm tortillas.

Tip: If the sauce does split slightly, whizz it smooth again quickly with a stick blender and a splash of cold broth.