Celebrating the "Hispanic Kitchen"

Beef "Tamales"

By: jenn  "These are just like the tamales my Abuelita used to make for special occasions. This recipe makes a lot, but if you're going to go to all the trouble of making tamales from scratch, you might as well have a party! You will need butchers' twine and a large pot with a steamer basket to make these. May be frozen up to 6 months in heavy-duty resealable plastic bags. To reheat, thaw in refrigerator and then steam or microwave until heated through." 

Photo by Lavalady

Ingredients

• 4 pounds boneless chuck roast
• 4 cloves garlic
• 3 (8 ounce) packages dried corn husks
• 4 dried ancho chiles
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon white vinegar
• salt to taste
• 3 cups lard
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 9 cups masa harina

Directions

1. Place beef and garlic in a large pot. Cover with cold water and bring to a boil over high heat. As soon as water boils, reduce heat to a simmer and cover pot. Let simmer for 3 1/2 hours, until beef is tender and shreds easily. When beef is done, remove from pot, reserving 5 cups cooking liquid and discarding garlic. Allow meat to cool slightly, and shred finely with forks.
2. Meanwhile, place corn husks in a large container and cover with warm water. Allow to soak for 3 hours, until soft and pliable. May need to weight down with an inverted plate and a heavy can.
3. Toast ancho chiles in a cast iron skillet, making sure not to burn them. Allow to cool and then remove stems and seeds. Crumble and grind in a clean coffee grinder or with a mortar and pestle.
4. Heat oil in a large skillet. Mix in flour and allow to brown slightly. Pour in 1 cup beef broth and stir until smooth. Mix in ground chiles, cumin seeds, ground cumin, minced garlic, oregano, red pepper flakes, vinegar and salt. Stir shredded beef into skillet and cover. Let simmer 45 minutes.
5. Place lard and salt in a large mixing bowl. Whip with an electric mixer on high speed until fluffy. Add masa harina and beat at low speed until well mixed. Pour in reserved cooking liquid a little at a time until mixture is the consistency of soft cookie dough.
6. Drain water from corn husks. One at a time, flatten out each husk, with the narrow end facing you, and spread approximately 2 tablespoons masa mixture onto the top 2/3 of the husk. Spread about 1 tablespoon of meat mixture down the middle of the masa. Roll up the corn husk starting at one of the long sides. Fold the narrow end of the husk onto the rolled tamale and tie with a piece of butchers' twine.
7. Place tamales in a steamer basket. Steam over boiling water for approximately one hour, until masa is firm and holds its shape. Make sure steamer does not run out of water. Serve immediately, allowing each person to unwrap their own tamales. Allow any leftovers (still in husks) to cool, uncovered, in the refrigerator.

   

Gambas Pil Pil (Prawns, Chilean Style)

By damasio "Rich, golden garlic cloves and a splash of pisco flavor juicy prawns in this Chilean version of a classic Spanish tapa."



Photo by AllRecipes



Ingredients

• 10 cloves garlic, peeled and slightly crushed
• 1/2 cup grapeseed oil or olive oil
• 1 1/2 pounds large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 cacho de cabra pepper, or Anaheim pepper, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons pisco or brandy
• salt to taste
• cayenne pepper to taste
• 1 lime, cut into wedges, for serving

Directions

1. Place the garlic cloves and grapeseed oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Let the garlic slowly turn golden brown as the oil becomes hot; continue cooking until the garlic has turned golden-brown, and the oil is quite hot.
2. Add the shrimp, stir to coat with oil, and cook for 15 seconds before stirring in the chile pepper. Continue to cook until shrimp is pink and firm. Pour in pisco, and cook for 30 seconds to let the alcohol evaporate. Season with salt to taste, then pour the mixture into a serving dish. Serve sprinkled with cayenne pepper, and garnished with lime wedges.

 

Peruvian Lomo Saltado

By: Perricholi  "This is a traditional, very easy dish to make. I might add that it's very popular with finicky kids and adults as well."  

Photo by KM

Ingredients

• 1 (16 ounce) package frozen French fries
• vegetable oil as needed
• 1 pound beef tri tip, sliced 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 large onion, sliced into strips
• 3 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and sliced into strips
• 1 yellow chili pepper (preferably Peruvian aji amarillo)
• 1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
• 1 dash soy sauce to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Directions

1. Prepare the bag of French fries according to package directions.

2. While the French fries are cooking, heat the oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Season the sliced meat with salt and pepper to taste. Fry the meat until just cooked, and the juices begin to release. Remove the meat from the frying pan, then cook the onions, with additional oil if needed, until they are transparent. Stir in the tomato and aji amarillo; cook until the tomato softens. Pour in the vinegar and soy sauce, add the French fries, cover, and cook until the beef is done, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and sprinkle with chopped parsley to serve.

   

Argentinean Meat Empanadas

By: Liliana  "My original version for the Argentinean recipe. Rich and delicious. Any meat can be used for this recipe, just be sure to cut it up into tiny pieces."

Photo by Bianca



Ingredients

• 1/2 cup shortening
• 2 onions, chopped
• 1 pound lean ground beef
• 2 teaspoons Hungarian sweet paprika
• 3/4 teaspoon hot paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar
• 1/4 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup pitted green olives, chopped
• 2 hard-cooked eggs, chopped
• salt to taste
• 1 (17.5 ounce) package frozen puff pastry sheets, thawed

Directions

1. In a saute; pan melt the shortening and add the chopped onions. Cook the onions until just before they begin to turn golden. Remove from the heat and stir in the sweet paprika, hot paprika, crushed red pepper flakes and salt to taste.
2. Spread the meat on a sieve and pour boiling water on it for partial cooking. Allow meat to cool. Place meat in a dish add salt to taste, cumin and vinegar. Mix and add the meat to the onion mixture. Mix well and place on a flat to dish to cool and harden.
3. Cut puff pastry dough into 10 round shells. Place a spoonful of the meat mixture on each round; add some of the raisins, olives and hard boiled egg. Avoid reaching the edges of the pastry with the filling because its oiliness will prevent good sealing. Slightly wet the edge of the pastry, fold in two and stick edges together. The shape should resemble that of a half-moon. You should have a 2/3 to 1/2 inch flat edge of pastry to work with. Seal by twisting edge, step by step, between thumb and index finger, making sure to add pressure before releasing the pinch and moving on to the next curl. Other sealing procedures like pinching without curling or using a fork to seal will not prevent juice leaks during baking, and empanadas must be juicy.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Place empanadas on a parchment paper lined baking sheet. Be sure to prick each empanada with a fork near the curl to allow steam to escape during baking. Glaze with egg for shine and bake until golden, about 20 to 30 minutes.