Showing posts with label Venezuelan Food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Venezuelan Food. Show all posts

Thursday, March 31, 2011

Venezuelan Guasacaca - Guasacaca Venezolana

Foto ampliadaThere is no Fried Cassava without a good "guasacaca". In Venezuela we make the guasacaca basically with avocado, pimento (aji dulce), onion, cilantro, and oil. The Guasacaca has a strong flavour and typically is used on the grilled beef to enhance the flavours. It is also very good to eat with corn tortillas.

The Guasacaca is different from his Mexican cousin the Guacamole, the guasacaca have a good deal of ingredients that make it rich in flauvor.

I love Guasacaca, for the beef eaters the guasacaca will add an extra flavour to the beef, the avocado wit the pimentos make a unforgetable combination, try it before adding any BBQ sauce to your beef.

In Venezuela there are many type of Guasacaca, the flavour and ingredients will vary depending of the city. This recipe is from Caracas, you can eat it with cassava (fried or boiled), grilled chicken or beef ... I can tell you, after you taste it, you will want to add Guassacaca to almost everything... enjoy it.


Ingredients:
(3 cups)

1-1/4 cup of tomamatoes (peel it, remove the seeds and chop it very small, in cubes)
1cup of onions (chopped very small)
1 or 2 garlic cloves (crushed)
1/4 cup of red sweet pepper, chopped very small
1/3 cup of green sweet pepper, chopped very small
1-1/2 spoon of parsley chopped finelly
1/2 cup of wine vinegar
1 cup of oil
2-1/2 tespoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
1/4 teaspoon of pepper sauce (optional)
1-1/2 cup of avocado (mashed)
1-1/2 cup of avocado (chopped in small pieces)
Note: Do not dispose the avocado seed. Peel the avocado when you are almost ready to add it to the mix.

Method:
  1. In a bowl add all the ingredients with the exception of the avocado. Mix them carefuly with a wooden spoon.
  2. Add the mashed avocado, mix it.
  3. Add the chopped avocado mix it. Teh Guacamole is ready.
  4. Place the avocado seed in the middle of the guacamole sauce.
  5. Put it in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve it.
Note: the seed avoid the avocado get a dark color.


I would like to share another guasacaca, this typically use as a sauce to eat empanadas, in Venezuela, the empanada is typoically fried, made with corn meal, pinch the link and you will find more information about empanadas.

  • In the blender put: fresh parsley,coriander, vinigar, water and some oil. Note: this sauce is very liquid and the quality will depende of the amound of greens in the sauce, do not put too much vanigar.
  • Anotehr vertion is adding to the ingredients above, some avocado or mayones (get a better texture)

This las guasacaca is perfect for eating with empanadas, soon I will post the recipes an pictures for you to make empanadas. You can take advantage of the left over to make delicious empandas for the kids.

Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Green Papaya in Sirope - Dulce de Lechosa Verde en Almibar


The "Dulce de Lechosa Verde" is a sweet made with green papaya, papelon (sugar loaf- raw hardened sugar cane pulp), ), sugar and species. The combination of these ingredients made the papaya be firm on the outside and  creamy and soft in the inside, the species give that particular flavor that everybody love.

This sweet is typical from Venezuela and is very common during Christmas time, during this season people make this sweet and can it and give it away as a present to their friends and families. But in general you can eat "dulce de Lechosa" during the papaya season.
The best "dulce de lechosa"  for me is made by my grandmother Blasina, in fact the picture that you see above is my grand mam creation, my family brought it last time they came to visit to me from Venezuela, I was son happy, I eat a lot of this sweet for a week. Where my grandma lives there is a Papaya tree and she made a lot of "dulce de lechosa" to sell, I got my for free... Here is her recipe I hope you try it.

Ingredients:
(15 portions)

12 cup of water
1/2 spoon of baking soda
15 cup of water
1-1/2 kg of papelon (you can substituid for brown sugar)- available in mexican food/latin american food stores
1/2 kg of sugar
20 species nails

Method:
  1. Peel the green papaya, remove all the seeds and cut the papaya at 1/2 to 1 cm of thickness and 10-12 cm of lenght.
  2. (Optional) Put the papaya already cut on a board, take it outside to the sunshine, for 2 to 3 hours, before cooking.
  3. In a big pot made of stainless steel place the papaya, already cut, an cover with water, 12 cup of water, and the  baking soda. Cover the pot with a lid. Place it on the stove and bring it to the boil, at high fire, for 2 or 3 minutes.
  4. Rinse the papaya, put it on a colander and rinse it con cold water (from the tap) and put it aside.
  5. In anothe big pot pour the 15 cups of water, add the papelon (brown sugar) and the sugar. Bring it to boil and cook for 15 minutes. Pass the liquid throught a fabric strainer.
  6. Using the same big pot from the item 5.  Pour back the liquid (wash the pot first) and add the papaya that you put aside, and the species. Let it boil, cook uncover  for 1 hour and 30 minutes, until the liquid become in a thick sirop, but not very thick (still liquid). The papaya at this point shoul look shiny.
  7. Remove from the stove, remove the species nails. Let it get cool in the same pot.
  8. When the papaya is cool, pour the papaya sweet in individual glass containers, Let it get cold before put it in the refrigerator.
  9. This sweet can be in the refrigerator for about two months.


Monday, March 28, 2011

Yuca Frita - Fried Cassava


Cassava Root


Cassava is a root native of South America, but is cultivated also in Africa. This root is very versatile, it can be boiled, steamed, fried (after being boiled or steamed).

Cassava or "Yuca" as we call it is very common in Venezuela, you can find it in all supermarkets and markets, fresh and nice.  In my case I used to get cassava  from my parents' house back yard, since my parents get retired they started to plants some provisions, plantain and fruits... without mention that they got some chickens too.

I would like to share a very nice and easy recipe that can be used as even in your party serve with "guasacaca", tartar sauce, tamarind sauce.  You can find cassava  pre-boiled, selected  and packed, a very good option when you do not know how to select a fresh good cassava. Like me, I buy the frozen cassava  and it always came out perfect.


FRIED CASSAVA

Fried Cassava with Guasacaca and Beef
Ingredients:
  • 1 pack of frozen cassava (16 oz.)
  • salt to taste
  • water
  • Cooking Oil
  • Kitchen paper

Method:

  1. If you are using fresh cassava, cut the ends, clean it very good, remove any dirt, peel it, use a small sharp knife to make a vertical cut in the cassava and then peel it with your hand with the help of the knife.  Wash it again, and cut it in pieces (the length that you feel comfortable with)
  2. If  you are ussinf frozen cassava, take them out of the pack.
  3. Using a pot, pour water enough to cover the cassava, bring it to boil and add salt. Add the cassava, make sure that the water cover the cassava, Let it cook until the cassava is soft but firm.
  4. When the cassava is ready, rinse it. and let it cool.
  5. Cut the boiled cold cassava lenthwise.
  6. Pour oil in a fry pan, let it get very hot, place the pieces of cassava in the hot oil.
  7. Let the cassava get light golden before you turn it to the otherside.
  8. Turn it again and let t get more color, then turn to the other side.
  9. Rest the fried cassava on paper, let the excess of oil be drained.
  10. Serve hot  with any of these: white cheese and butter, guasacaca, tartar sauce, tamarind sauce, pink sauce (mix of tomatoes sauce and mayonaise) or meat.
Check our guasacaca recipe!!! the best

Monday, March 21, 2011

Mango Jelly (Jalea de Mango)

Mango is originally from India but you can find this tree in Venezuela, Peru, Mexico, Spain, Costa Rica, Paraguay, China, Colombia and Italy. This tree do not require to much water, so it can survive in very dry climate and resist fire

A very important note for many is that mango is low in calories and provides to our body a good amount of antioxidants, vitamin C and B5. Mangoes are good for the hydrates of carbon metabolism and help to heal skin problem.  It is easy to digest and could help you to go naturally to the toilet if you eat too many.

 You can find mango from May to July.

In Venezuela you can find different types of mangoes, some of them are small that we call "mango du-du" that has the size if a plum or very large mangoes that we call "mangas", we have the one that we call "criollo" or "hilacha" that you can find abundantly, I remember that I lived in a house were we had about 5 mango trees, in San Tome. And we have "injertos" that are the product of  combination of different types of mangoes, this is the one that you can find in the groceries. Mangoes are so abundant in some areas in Venezuela that you are tempted to think that mangoes are from  South America, but not, they were brought by the Spanish during the colony and now is part of our culture, food and desserts.

Jalea de Mango ( Mango Jelly) is a desert that almost every Venezuela has made or eat, this is one of our typical desserts. It is the combination of mango, sugar and lime juice. Very easy to make and it is a great dessert at any time.

JELLY MANGO RECIPE

10 - 12 green mangoes (2-1/2 - 3 kg)
14 cups water
3/4 Kg sugar
2 teaspoon of lime juice

Method:
  1. Wash the mangoes very well.
  2. Place the mangoes in a big pot with enough water to cover them.
  3. Cook the mangoes until the mangoes skin break, about 20 minutes.
  4. When ready take the mangoes out of the pot, place them in a strainer and let them get cool.
  5. Take the skin off the mangoes with your hands, the skin still have pulp, use a mesh strainer to  get all the pulp from the skin. Remove the pulp from the seed using a spoon, pass all the pulp through a mesh strainer. Put the pulp aside.
  6. Weight the pulp using a kitchen scale, you need only 1 kg (2.2. lb) of mango pulp. All ingredients in this recipe are based on 1 kg of mango's pulp ( you can make juice with the rest if you got more that 1 kg) 
  7. Use a heavy pot to make the mango jelly. Put the pulp in the pot, the sugar and the lime juice. Mix well. Let it boil with  high fire, stir constantly with a long wooden spoon, when stir DO NOT do it in  circular way, to avoid the crystallization of the sugars or burning. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes.
  8. Remove from the fire, pour it in a heat resistant glass mold (Pyrex), previously dampened (use warm water)
  9. Let the mango jelly get cool and turn over the mango jelly on a tray.
Note: You can use a single square tray or individual trays. The consistency of the Mango Jelly allows you to cut pieces of the jelly very easy.


Delicious Mango Marmalade on FoodistaDelicious Mango Marmalade

Mango Jelly on Foodista

Friday, January 28, 2011

HOW TO PREPARE AREPA

Last night I was so hungry, but I did not know what to eat, sometimes I feel for something very homey, and that day I was feeling for some comfort food, something that make me smile while I eat it. The funny thing about comfort food is that there is not a type of food, it is any kind of food that give you comfort.

I started to imagine, the arepa filled with queso de mano (hand cheese-white),  avocado, and  stew stripped beef... wake up!!! I told myself, I am not in Venezuela, and all those flavor are out of reach right now. What a disappointment!!. One moment, I have corn flour (available here and in the US) and I can fill it up with anything available here, it will be closer to what I was feeling in my mind.

You may be wondering by now, what "arepa" is. Let me explain you, an arepa is a dish made of ground corn dough or precooked corn flour (more common use, brands like: Promasa and Pan) this type of flour is very well known in Colombia and Venezuela.

The arepa is a flat round , unleavened patty made with cornflour (cornmeal) which can be grilled, baked or fried. The characteristic of the arepa vary from region to region. It may vary by color (white or yellow corn), flavor, size, thickness and also the food it may be stuffed with, virtually you can eat arepa with any kind of filling. It is either topped or filled with meat, eggs, tomatoes, salad, cheese, shrimp, or fish.

My favorite type of arepa is fried (sorry) ... I try to do not eat it like this too ofter, but it is so crunchy  and when I bite it, that explosion of flavors plus the crunchiness it is just wow! For more healthier options, make  arepa baked or grilled. Not fat.

In this edition, of course, I present my favorite way of cooking arepa, FRIED, crispy, crunchy, fat, and oily but delicious...

Recipe & Directions:
(For 2 arepas)

In a bowl pour 1 cup of water.
Add salt to taste.
In the picture I show the cornmeal package, the brand is Promasa, from Empresas Polar. It is produced in Venezuela and in Colombia. But you can use any other brand. Just make sure that the corn flour is precooked.

Add the flour little by little to little having control of the consistency of the mix (masa).  
Mix the corn flour with the water to avoid the formation of lumps.

Knead the mix. Make sure that you do not leave any lumps. The masa should be soft but firm. The corn flour will absorb  the water. Add more water if the mix become to dry and it lose the soft and firm consistency.
The mix is ready when you are able to mold it  easily. Remember soft, firm and free of lump is the description of a good quality MASA.

Now that you have you MASA ready made. We are ready to make our AREPA.

Now we are going to play with our masa, it is very easy 1) Take a portion of the MASA, enough to make a ball that can fit in your hand. Make a ball  2) Close a little bit your hands on the ball that you just made an try to make a diamond shape figure. 3) with your hands flat the masa, as thin as you want.  See pictures below

Tips:
  • If you want a real crispy arepa, make the arepas as flat as possible.
  • Open a little hole in the middle with your finger, this will help the arepa to cook faster in the center (fried)
  • As the picture shown the size of the arepa will be more or less the size of your hand. (see picture below)

                                  1)                               2)                            3)


4) After you have made the hole in the center of the arepa, the arepa is ready to be fried.  Wet your hand to smooth the shape of the arepa or if the MASA  has got dry. 5) Place the AREPA in a fry pan with very hot oil at medium - high  fire. Let fry one side until you see around the arepa became golden, then the arepa is ready to be flip to the other side, use a folk to do this. 6) Fry the arepa until both side are golden and crispy.



                                   4)                               5)                            6)

7) When the arepa is ready, place the arepa on a plate with napkins and let the excess of oil drain.
8) Let it get cold a little bit before cut it in half. Use a napkin and a knife to cut the arepa. Be careful, since the arepa is very thin it can brake easily.


9) Add butter, margarine or mayonnaise or nothing. Add any filling that you prefer, cheese, ham , baked pork, chicken salad you chose. I eat my arepa with turkey ham and butter.




The Arepa is very crispy and crunchy, I promise you that the flavor is delicious and the dish is very simple. Ideal for breakfast or for a quick lunch.






Arepas


Corn Flour on Foodista
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Cornflour on FoodistaCornflour

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Baked Ham with Pinapple

As a part of the Venezuelan Christmas menu, we have the baked ham with pineapple. Many people may think how come the dinner has pork and also ham?... well Venezuelans like meat, and our Christmas Menu is full of meat, and we love pork.... so you will see pork in the hallaca (do not worry you can make the hallaca with chicken), in the Pan de Jamon (Ham Bread), roasted pork and now baked ham (pork ham)... that's why after he holiday we have to go to the gym and try to burn those calories hat we put on... But Christmas it just once per year, so enjoy the excess... and be happy... try a little bit of everything, you do not need o eat all, but do not deprive yourself in this time of the year... Merry Christmas and good eating!!
If you want to have a variety of meat in the dinner try Baked Turkey, Roasted Pork, Baked Ham and the hallacas could be make of a mix of chicken, beef and pork.... Hum!!! nice..

BAKED HAM WITH PINEAPPLE

1 ham precooked , about 5 kg
2 tins of 600 grams each one of sliced pineapple
500 grams of papelon (syrup with sugar and water, light brown)

Directions:
  1. Turn on the oven at 400 F
  2. Put in a bowl the liquid from the tin (sliced pineapple) and in other bowl the pineapples.
  3. In a big pot put the liquid from the pineapple can, 1-1/2 cup, add the papelon (in another pot mix sugar and water and make a syrup, use brown sugar, about 2 cups) - mix together the two syrups and put the pot on the stove, let it boil and cook until you get a thick syrup, use a wooden spoon to stir the mix.
  4. Put the ham in a baking pan, deep. Cover the ham with half of the syrup made, passed thought a strainer.
  5. Cover the top and the sides of the ham with the pineapple, support the pineapple with wood sticks (you can decorate also the pineapple with cherries), pour the rest of the syrup on the ham with the pineapple.
  6. Put the baking tray with the ham in the oven and baked for 1 hour, about 12minutes per kilo of ham, pour syrup on the ham time to time during the baking time from the same baking tray. Turn-on the broiler of your oven and bake it for 5 to 10 more minutes.
  7. after this time, take the ham out of the oven and let it get cold before cutting it. Cut it in slices, place the slices on a tray and decorate it with the pineapple.

PAN DE JAMON (HAM BREAD )

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The Pan de Jamon (Ham Bread) is part of the traditional Venezuelan Christmas Menu, in Venezuela, people make their own Pan de Jamon, but you can also find a good quality Pan de Jamon in the bakery, and some people make this bread at home to sell to their friends or neighbors.

The Pan de Jamon (Ham Bread) is a soft bread filled with jam and /or bacon, raisins, olives (stuffed with sweet pepper).

Together with the hallaca, the Pan de Jamon represent Christmas, when you see a Pan de Jamon out of the season in somebody house it is like they bring you the feeling of Christmas.

This recipe is not complicate, take a litle bit of time but it is worthy, if you now how to make bread, it will be much easier for you, but do not miss to try this bread. Out of the Christmas season, you can make small version of this bread and carry it to work for breakfast ... and it is simple delicious... I hope you enjoy it.

100% Venzuelan...




(3 breads, 24 to 30 portions altogether)

INGREDIENTS

1 spoonful of leavening (yeast);
1/2 cup warm water ;
1 teaspoon of sugar ;
1-1/2 cup of milk at room temperature;
1 kilo of flour;
5 spoonfuls (75 grams) of margarine;
6 spoonfuls, (90 grams) of butter;
1- 3/4 teaspoon of salt ;
6 spoonfuls, (100 grams) of sugar;
3 eggs;
1 kilo of cooked, ground ham chopped, you can use slices of ham too;
3/4 cup of raisins;
30 olives medians (seedless)- chopped;
1 spoonful of butter;
2 egg yellows;
2 spoonfuls of water;
1/8 teaspoon of salt .

PREPARATION

1. In a bowl put the leavening (yeast), the warm water and the teaspoon of sugar.  Mix them slowly, cover the bowl with a cloth and let rest it in a warm place until it rises, about 20 minutes


2 In a big bowl pour the milk and add the mixture from the step 1. Mix together. Add 1/2 kilo of flour and is mixed with your fingers. It is put in a site without airflows, cover it with a cloth and it is let rest until rising, 4 hours.


3. In the same bowl add the of the flour, mixing it with the fingers, if the mixture is very dry, adds 2 spoonfuls of cold milk. Cover it  with a cloth and one puts in the refrigerator by 6 to 8 hours or until the following day.


4. Remove the mix from the refrigerator, put it on a table, and add margarine, butter, the salt, the sugar and the eggs one by one, knead the mix until everything is all together. In the end, when the mix is well united, bat rising and dropping repeatedly from the stop until all the mix is come off of the table and the hands, around 50 times.


5. Divide the mix in three equal parts to make breads.


6. Sprinkle with flour the table  and extend each part of the mix with a roller pin, extends until being of 1/2 to 1 centimeter of thickness and in rectangular form. Cut it with a nife to get the shape.


7. Divide the ham, olive and risins in three parts, add to the extended mix at 2 or 3 centimeters of the edges.



8. Roll the mix with all the stuff inside, close the ends of each bread. Place them in a metal tray, coer the metal tray with a very thin layer of butter. Cover the bread with a cloth for 2 hours, without airflows.


9. Meanwhile preheat the oven at 400 degrees.


10. Put the tray in the oven for 15 minutes, brush the the bread with a mixture of 2 beaten egg yellows with 2 spoonfuls of water and 1/8 teaspoon of salt  and continue baking for 5 minutes more until being gilded superficially. Remove them from the oven and put them on a grill to cool.
Repeat the baking process for the other 2 breads.





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