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Panes con chumpe
Panes con chumpe: Salvadoran Christmas turkey rolls in spiced pumpkin-seed sauce
On Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve in El Salvador, families line up crusty rolls and fill them with turkey (chumpe) soaked in a rich, rust-coloured recado of tomatoes, toasted pumpkin and sesame seeds, mild dried chillies and warm spices, then stuff in watercress, cucumber, radish and tomato. At home, turkey legs and thighs give all the flavour of a whole bird and fit an ordinary oven. The common mistake is a thin, watery sauce; it should be thick enough to cling to the meat and soak into the bread without dripping off. Chef's tip: marinate the turkey overnight in the fridge and add its roasting juices to the recado; they carry most of the flavour.
- Total time
- 180 min
- Difficulty
- hard
- Serves
- 8
Ingredients
For the turkey
- 3 ⅓ lb turkey thighs and drumsticksbone in
- 2 tbsp mild yellow mustard
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 4 cloves garliccrushed
- 1 ½ tsp saltdivided
- 1 cup water
For the recado
- 1 onionquartered
- 1 ⅜ oz hulled pumpkin seeds
- 3 tbsp sesame seeds
- 3 mild dried chillies (guaque or guajillo)stems and seeds removed
- 3 cloves
- ½ tsp dried thyme
- 1 tsp achiote (annatto) paste
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
To serve
- 3 ½ oz watercress
- 1 cucumbersliced
- 8 radishessliced
- 2 tomatoessliced
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What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (7)
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Method
0/8 doneStep 1: The day before, rub 3 ⅓ lb turkey thighs and drumsticks with 2 tbsp mild yellow mustard, 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 4 cloves garlic and 1 tsp of 1 tsp salt. Cover and marinate in the fridge overnight.
Step 2: Heat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan). Put the turkey in a roasting tin with 1 cup water, cover with foil and roast for 1 hour 15 minutes.
75 minStep 3: Meanwhile, roast 6 ripe tomatoes, 1 onion and 1 green pepper in a dry pan or under the grill until blistered and soft. Toast 1 ⅜ oz hulled pumpkin seeds, 3 tbsp sesame seeds, 3 mild dried chillies (guaque or guajillo), 4 allspice berries and 3 cloves in a dry pan until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
15 minStep 4: Blend the vegetables, toasted seeds and spices with 1 tsp achiote (annatto) paste, ½ tsp dried thyme and 200 ml of water until very smooth.
Step 5: Uncover the turkey and roast for 20–30 minutes more until browned and the thickest part reaches 165°F. Pour off the juices and keep them.
25 minStep 6: Heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a large pan, add the recado and 2 bay leaves, and fry for 5 minutes, stirring. Add the turkey juices and the rest of ½ tsp salt and simmer until thick enough to coat a spoon.
15 minStep 7: Pull the turkey off the bones into large pieces, add it to the sauce and simmer for 10 minutes so it soaks up the flavour.
10 minStep 8: Split 8 crusty white rolls, spoon in turkey and plenty of sauce and add 3 ½ oz watercress, 1 cucumber, 8 radishes and 2 tomatoes. Serve warm.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 560 kcal
- Protein
- 40 g
- Carbs
- 52 g
- Fat
- 20 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does panes con chumpe take?
- About 180 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 150 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 8 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of ripe tomatoes?
- Tinned chopped tomatoes: a 400g tin for about 6 tomatoes (in cooked dishes, not salads).
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