Huasteca-Style Green Pepián

The dishes of huasteca and other northerly parts of Veracruz state are characterized by plain basic seasonings. Since my own instinct is for complex “layered” flavors, I often have to re-attune my palate to appreciate the purity of many of the specialties of the region. Such was the case with this version of a pepián (the celebrated pumpkin seed–chile sauce of Mexico) that I encountered at Doña Virginia restaurant in Pánuco. As with some especially good Italian country cooking, there