Mayan style toasted pumpkin seed dip

Recipe kindly provided by Miri Lewis whose blog The Great Cookery Adventure features a wide selection of vegetarian and vegan dishes.                   Mayan style toasted pumpkin seed dip Recipe Type : Side Cuisine: Vegetarian/vegan Author: Miri Lewis Prep time: 10 mins Cook time: 5 mins Total time: 15 mins Serves: 6 This dip is absolutely delicious, it is simple and just works in that way that ancient and authentic recipes do: toasty, wholesome, citrus-fresh and ever-so-slightly bitter. Toasting pumpkin seeds transforms them in the most wonderful way. They become crunchy and fragrant, with a complex roasted nutty flavour. The quantities given here make enough for a smallish bowlful, or rather, enough as part of a Mexican/South American mezze-style dip selection for about 6 people. The original recipe uses a food processor, but I decided to use my mortar and pestle, and then an immersion blender. This probably kept the texture a bit rougher, which I liked, and was less complicated for washing-up purposes. But really, I just love using my mortar and pestle – it is rough stone and heavy, and makes me feel a bit more authentic. Ingredients 1 cup plus 1 tbsp pumpkin seeds 2 tbsp olive oil ½ onion, finely diced (or use a whole one if it is small) 1 jalapeño, seeds and white pith removed, and finely diced 2 cloves of garlic, crushed Small handful fresh parsley (equivalent to about 1/3 cup) Small handful fresh coriander leaves 2 tbsp fresh lime juice zest of half an orange salt Instructions Heat a large frying pan and toast the pumpkin seeds in a single layer (no oil), tossing occasionally, until they crackle and pop. Some will jump out of the pan in an over-excited kind of way. You may need to do this in stages if your pan isn’t big enough. Saving a few of the seeds for garnish, grind the rest to powder in a pestle and mortar and add to a large bowl. You will definitely need to grind them in stages. Heat 1 tbsp of the olive oil in the frying pan, add the diced onion and jalapeño, and fry over a medium heat, stirring occasionally. Once it starts getting a little softened and translucent, add the garlic and fry for a few minutes more, and then add to the bowl with the pumpkin seed powder. Add the parsley, coriander, lime juice, orange zest, 1 tbsp olive oil, pinch of salt, and 1/3 cup of water to the bowl with the ground pumpkin seeds and fried things, and use an immersion blender to puree everything together to a rough, humous-like texture. Taste and add a little more salt if needed. Serve at room temperature, scattered with the reserved toasted pumpkin seeds and a little drizzle of olive oil. 3.2.1255