Salvadorean Pupusas With A Side Of Slaw And Tomato Dipping Sauce

A pupusa is a stuffed corn-tortilla, usually served with a spicy coleslaw called curtido. This recipe makes both. Pupusas originated in El Salvador, but imigrants have taken the dish to other Central American countries and beyond. Pupuserías, places where pupusas are sold and/or eaten.

Pupusas are hand-made and thick. Like all corn tortillas, they are made using corn masa. They are stuffed with one or more of the following:

* cheese (queso) (usually a soft Salvadoran cheese called Quesillo)
* fried pork rind (chicharrones)
* chicken (pollo)
* refried beans (frijoles refritos)
* queso y Loroco (loroco is a shrub flower bud from Central America)

There is also the pupusa revueltas (with mixed ingredients of cheese, pork, and beans). Pupusas are usually served with curtido and tomato sauce. They are eaten with the fingers.

Preparing the dough

There are different brands of corn masa to make the dough. MASECA, which can be found in most large American supermarkets in the international section, is one of them but there are others. Follow the instructions on the bag for making tortilla dough, and make as much dough as needed. (One pupusa uses about as much dough as two tortillas.) Once the dough has been prepared, set it aside while you prepare the filling.

1 cup water

2 cups masa harina

Three Fillings
 

Cheese

* 3 cups of shredded cheese (use hard and cream cheese mixed together; you can mix frying cheese, mozzarella and ricotta
* 3 or 4 tablespoons of heavy cream
* 1/2 to 1 cup of Loroco (this will be hard to find in the U.S. So you can use very finely chopped green peppers or scallions instead)
* salt to taste
o Or to avoid all these complications, try find a specialty store and buy queso con loroco( you won't get the authentic flavor from a pupusa if you use American ingredients)

Make a paste with these ingredients. To avoid the paste leaking, it should not be too soft.

Chicharron (Pork Rind Filling) [YEA!]

* 1 cup cooked bacon (cooked with garlic, see below).
* 4 - 5 tomatoes
* 1 green pepper
* Salt to add taste.

Cook bacon with some garlic (optional). Set fat aside but do not discard. Once cooked, grind bacon with the tomatoes, 1 green pepper, and salt to taste. Mix with some of the bacon fat until it has a soft consistency
[edit] Revueltas

Ground and fried beans (they can be canned or prepared from your favorite recipe).

When filling the pupusas add beans, chicharrón and cheese (or combine two of the three).

Making the pupusas

With two tablespoons of dough make a ball using your hands and later clap your hands until you make a round, thin (1/8 of an inch thick) tortilla. Continue making more tortillas this way. Put filling over one tortilla, cover with another and push down the sides to close them. This is the "beginners" method.

People who have experience do it this way: make a ball with the dough. Insert your thumb in the ball and make a hole in the center. Fill that hole with the filling, close the hole by pushing the dough on the sides up. Clap your hands carefully so that the filling doesn't come out and flatten the ball.

Cook on a slightly greased griddle, pan or electric pancake griddler and cook over low-medium heat (325-350°F) first one side, then the other until they are cooked. Each side will be ready when it no longer sticks to the pan (depending on the thickness of the tortillas, this might take 4 minutes or more per side).

Pupusas are topped with pickled cabbage and tomato sauce.

Curtido (pickled colesaw)

* chopped cabbage that has been quickly passed through boiling water
* medium onion, sliced
* carrot, finely shredded
* cooked green beans, not too soft (optional)
* beets (optional)
* horseradish (optional).
* red pepper, finely chopped (optional)
* vinegar or lime juice
* water
* 1 teaspoon oregano
* salt to taste

In a glass or plastic jar with wide opening mix all the ingredients. Add vinegar and water to taste. Mix with a wooden spoon (never metal). Put the mix in the refrigerator and let it rest for a week so that the ingredients pickle.

Salsa Roja

Ingredients

* Olive oil -- 3 tablespoons
* Onion, chopped -- 1/4 cup
* Garlic, chopped -- 1 clove
* Serrano or jalapeño chile pepper, chopped -- 1
* Tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped -- 2 cups
* Dried oregano -- 2 teaspoons
* Salt and pepper -- to taste
* Cilantro (optional), chopped -- 1/4 cup

Method

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium flame. Add the onion, garlic and chile and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the onion is translucent.
2. Stir in the tomatoes and oregano and simmer for about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool a bit.
3. Puree the tomato sauce in a blender until smooth, adding a little water if needed. Add salt and pepper to taste, stir in cilantro if using and serve.

Goat Cheese & Chorizo Rolls!

Repe lojano or green banana soup

Colombian Potatoes with Cheese Sauce

Ingredients:

• 3-4 pounds red potatoes
• 3 shallots or 1 small white onion
• 1 bunch scallions
• 1 teaspoon chile powder (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 medium tomatoes, diced
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1 tablespoon flour
• 3/4 cup cream
• 6 ounces whole milk mozzarella, or other salted white cheese that melts well

Preparation:

Ingredients

• Lettuce leaves, queso fresco slices or cubes, hard boiled eggs, avocado slices, slices of mild hot peppers, finely chopped scallions, finely chopped cilantro or parsley, tomato and onion curtido, aji criollo

Instructions

1. Peel the potatoes, cut them in half and boil until soft, about 30 minutes. Drain and save until the refrito is ready.
2. In the same pot that the potatoes were cooked, prepare a refrito by melting the butter over medium low heat and adding the diced white onions, diced garlic, achiote powder and some salt. Cook until the onions are translucent, about 7-10 minutes.
3. Add the potatoes and milk to the refrito and use a potato masher to mash the potatoes until they are smooth and creamy.
4. Mix in the crumbled queso fresco and cream, taste and add additional salt if needed
5. Serve immediately, can be served in individual plates or in a large serving bowl garnished with lettuce leaves, queso fresco cubes, quartered hard boiled eggs, avocado slices, slices of peppers, chopped scallions and chopped herbs. The tomato onion curtido and aji sauce can be served on the side and added according to each person’s preference.

Empanada Dough

'This turned out great with minor changes. I made this with two whole eggs instead of as called for and used 2 cups all purpose flour with one cup whole wheat flour. It was really pliable and ended up making around 18 empanadas from roughly 5 1/2 inch circles. I made two batches and baked one and fried one and as always the fried ones were a million times better but the baked were good for being baked. I will use this as my go to recipe next time I make empanadas.'

Emeril's  Spicy Duck Empanadas with Fire Sauce and Cilantro Cream

Puerto Rican-Style Roasted Pork Shoulder with Rice and Black Beans

This is one of those do-the-night-before recipes, but it sounds great!

Peruvian Potatoes with Spicy Cream Sauce 

Ingredients
4 medium Russett potatoes
8 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 2 cups)
1/3 cup evaporated milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 tablespoon seeded and finely chopped jarred aji amarillo peppers or fresh habanero
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1/2 lime, juiced
Salt
4 large lettuce leaves (such as Bibb or romaine)
3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and sliced
10 black olives pitted and sliced (Kalamata or Botija Peruvian olives)
2 tablespoons freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions
Place the potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook for 30 minutes or until a paring knife slides into the potatoes without any resistance. Drain the potatoes and let them cool slightly. Slice the potatoes into 1/2-inch rounds and set aside.

Combine the cheese, evaporated milk, oil, chile, garlic, and the lime juice in a blender and puree until smooth. The sauce should be creamy and pourable. If the sauce is too thick, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the sauce is thinned out.

Arrange the lettuce leaves on a platter and top with the sliced potatoes. Pour the sauce over the potatoes. Garnish with slices of hard boiled egg and olives. Garnish with chopped parsley. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Chuño Phuti (Dehydrated-frozen potato side dish)

Ingredients:

½ pound dried chuño
2 teaspoon salt to cook chuño
¼ cup oil
½ cup white onion, finely chopped
¼ cup tomato, peeled and finely chopped
1 fresh cheese, crumbled
3 whole eggs
1 teaspoon salt

Preparation:

One night before preparing, put chuño to soak in lukewarm water.

On the following day, peel chuño, removing all its rind. Cut chuño into four parts and rinse with water several times until the bitter flavor disappears.

Put chuño to cook with enough water and the two teaspoon of salt. Once cooked drain all of its water.

In a separate pot put the oil. Place the pot over moderate heat. Once it warms up, add the onion. Stir fry until the onion is golden. Add the tomato and salt, mix and let cook for about five minutes. Add the eggs and mix again.

Add chuño already cooked, mix well and let cook for about five more minutes.

Finally, before serving, add the cheese and mix very well over low heat.

Puerto Rican seasoning salt

Sazón means "seasoning" in Spanish. In Puerto Rico, it also refers to a seasoned salt that is used everywhere in Puerto Rican cooking. The seasonings add not only flavor, but also a subtle orange hue to many dishes. Many island cooks use the store-bought Goya-brand version. Here is a homemade approximation.

Makes about 1/3 cup
Ingredients

Ground coriander -- 1 tablespoon
Ground cumin -- 1 tablespoon
Ground annatto seeds or paprika -- 1 tablespoon
Garlic powder -- 1 tablespoon
Salt -- 1 tablespoon

Method

Mix all of the ingredients together and store the sazón in an airtight container. It will keep fresh for about 3 months.
In recipes, use about 1 1/2 teaspoons for each packet of sazón called for.

Haitian spicy, tangy onion sauce

Makes 2 to 3 cups
Ingredients

Olive oil or butter -- 3 tablespoons
Onions, minced -- 2
Garlic, minced -- 4 to 6 cloves
Habanero or Scotch bonnet peppers, minced -- 3 to 6, depending on your tolerance
Lime juice or vinegar -- 1 cup
Water -- 1/2 cup
Salt and pepper -- to taste

Method

Heat the oil or butter in a medium saucepan over medium flame. Add the onion, garlic and peppers and saute until the onion is cooked through and translucent, but not browned, about 4 to 5 minutes.

Stir in the lime juice or vinegar and water and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer for 5 to 8 minutes.

Remove from heat and serve warm or at room temperature over fish or grilled meats.

Other Additions: Substitute minced shallots for some of the onion. Add some minced red or green bell pepper for extra color. Stir in one or two tablespoons of tomato paste when you add the lime juice or vinegar to give the sauce a ruddy color and extra body.

Soak the minced onions first in the lime juice for about 30 minutes. Then squeeze them as dry as possible, reserving the juice. Proceed with the recipe as directed.

If you happen to have Haitian pikliz pickled vegetables in your refrigerator, the pikliz vinegar is perfect for making sos Ti-Malice.

Peruvian potatoes with chile-cheese sauce

Papa a la Huancaína, or potatoes Huancayo-style, is one of the most famous dishes of Peruvian cuisine. Boiled potatoes are topped with a slightly spicy, rich and creamy cheese sauce and are served cold or at room temperature as an appetizer or side dish.

Mangú(Dominican mashed plantains), served with escabeche

Chipotle Vinegar

2 chipotle chiles, stemmed, seeded, and halved

1 3/4 Spanish sherry vinegar

Toast chiles on med. for 2 min. Add vinegar, bring to a simmer for 2 to 3 min.

Pour into airtight container, allowing 24 hours or more before using.

Ancho-Cumin Oil

2 ancho chiles, stemmed and seeded

1/.4 cup cumin seeds

3 cups extra-virgin olive oil

Toast chiles and cumin ’til fragrant. Add oil until moderately warm. Pour into airtight container.

LOCRO DE ZAPALLO / Acorn Squash Stew

Ingredients :

1 lb (1 ½ k) squash (acorn or similar) peeled, cut in pieces
1/3 cup oil
1 medium size onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, grounded
2 teaspoons ground ají amarillo fresco / fresh yellow aji (chili)
1 teaspoon oregano
¾ cups peas
3 potatoes, skinned, cut in 4
2 corns, cut in slices
½ cup evaporated milk
¾ cup farmers cheese (ricotta, feta), diced
3 olives, pitted and halved
Salt
Pepper

Preparation:

Heat oil in a pan and sauté onion, garlic, ají and oregano. Cook a few minutes and add squash, peas, potatoes, and corn.

Cover pan, lower heat and simmer until ingredients are cooked.

Add milk and fresh white cheese. Mix. Correct seasoning.

Serve with strips of fresh white cheese, olives and white rice.

Peruvian Steak, Rice & Beans

Tacu tacu is a meal in itself - a filling, nutritious, hard-working man's lunch plate special. It's thought to have originated as a way for the African slaves to make an economical meal out of leftovers, and it is certainly now recognized as an Afro-Peruvian specialty. Traditional tacu tacu consists of a rice and beans pancake, a thin "sábana" (sheet) of steak, and a side of fried plantain, all topped off with a fried egg. It may sound complicated but it's actually easy to make and really good. There are excellent seafood versions of tacu tacu as well.

Ingredients:

5 slices of bacon
1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon chile powder or chile paste (or to taste)
1 1/2 cups cooked beans (canned are fine)
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
20-25 saltine crackers
4 pieces of very thin steak (for stir-fry)
4 tablespoons butter
Vegetable oil for frying
2 bananas or plantains
4 eggs
1/3 cup of thinly sliced onion for garnish

Preparation:

Saute the bacon until crispy.

Remove bacon (save for another use), and use the bacon grease left in the pan to sauté the chopped onion with the chile powder (or chile paste), until soft and golden.

Stir in the beans and mash them with a wooden spoon until they are pretty well broken up. Add the rice and stir.

Cook, stirring, until the rice and beans are heated through. Remove from heat, let cool, and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Process the saltine crackers in a food processor to make fine crumbs. Set aside 1/2 cup of the crumbs for later use.

Sprinkle a layer of crumbs on a cutting board, and place a piece of steak over the crumbs. Sprinkle the steak with salt and pepper, and pound the steak with a meat pounder until flat and thin. Flip the steak over and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Repeat with the rest of the steaks.

Heat butter and 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a skillet until hot, then sauté steaks for 2 minutes on each side, or until desired doneness. Remove from heat and place steaks on a plate. Cover them with foil and keep them warm in a low temperature oven until ready to serve.

Cook the rice and bean panackes: Shape the cooled rice and bean mixture into 4 flattened, football-shaped patties. Press them into the remaining saltine cracker crumbs, covering both sides.

Using the same skillet that cooked the steaks (uncleaned), heat 2 - 3 tablespoons of oil. Add the patties (1 or 2 at a time if necessary) and cook, 2-3 minutes per side, until golden brown and crispy on the outside. Remove patties from heat and cover with foil to keep warm.

Peel the bananas and slice each in half crosswise. Slice each piece in half lengthwise, to make 8 pieces. In a clean skillet or pot, fry the banana (or plantain) slices in an inch of vegetable oil. Sprinkle with salt and set aside.

Assemble the tacu tacu: On each plate, place one of the rice and beans patties. Top it with a piece of steak. Place a slice of fried banana on each side of the plate.

In a large skillet, melt 2 tablespooons butter until hot. Crack the eggs into the skillet and fry for 3 to 4 minutes. Top each piece of steak with a fried egg.

Garnish with some thinly sliced onions and serve.

Griots (Haitian grillots -- fried, glazed pork)

Griots is a rich, flavorful dish and is one of Haiti's most popular, invariably served at parties and family gatherings. Cubes of pork are soaked in a sour orange marinade and then slow-roasted until tender. The tender morsels are then given a finally fry in oil until delectably caramelized.

This recipe uses a mixture of orange and lime juice in place of the hard-to-find sour orange juice. Also spelled grillots, griyo, griyot or griot.

Ingredients

Pork shoulder, cubed -- 4 pounds
Onion, thinly sliced -- 1
Green or red bell pepper, thinly sliced -- 1
Scotch bonnet peppers, chopped (optional) -- 1 or 2
Shallots, thinly sliced -- 2 or 3
Garlic, chopped -- 3 or 4 cloves
Thyme -- 2 teaspoons
Salt -- 2 teaspoons
Pepper -- 1 teaspoon
Oranges -- 2
Limes -- 3
Oil -- 1/4 cup

Method

Add the pork and all the other ingredients except the oil to a large, non-reactive bowl and mixt together well. Refrigerate for 4 to 24 hours to let the meat soak up the marinade.
Oven to 375°F. Place the pork and its marinade into a large roasting pan and cover tightly with a lid or aluminum foil. Place in the oven and roast for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until the pork is tender.

Remove the roasting pan from the oven. Remove any extra liquid in the pan, putting it into a saucepan, and set aside. Add the oil to the pan and stir it into the meat. Return the roasting pan to the oven and let the pork cook for 20 to 30 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Any liquid will evaporate away and the meat will begin to fry in the oil and brown.

While the meat is frying in the oven, place the saucepan with the reserved liquid on the top of the stove and boil it down until it is well reduced and thickens. Remove the roasting pan from the oven and mix the reduced sauce into the browned pork. Serve hot with with sos ti-malice, banan peze and a side of pikliz.

Variations

Use sour orange juice if you can find it. Or substitute pikliz vinegar for some of the orange and lime juice if you like.
Griots can also be made on the stovetop. Use a large Dutch oven with a tight-fitting lid.
Finely chopped scallions can be substituted for the shallots. Use four or five scallions.

Pikliz (Haitian spicy pickled vegetables)

Ingredients

Cabbage, shredded -- 1/2 head
Carrots, peeled and chopped into small pieces or grated -- 2
Onion, thinly sliced -- 1
Scotch bonnet peppers -- 2 to 6
Garlic cloves -- 4 to 6
Salt -- 2 teaspoons
Peppercorns -- 8 to 10
White or cane vinegar -- 3 cups

Method

Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl and toss well to mix. Place all of the vegetables into a clean 2-quart glass jar. Pour in enough vinegar to cover the vegetables, tamping them down to remove any air bubbles.

Store the pikliz in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours before serving. It will keep in the refrigerator for a month or two.

Llapingachos (Ecuadorian potato-cheese patties)

Llapingachos (yah-peen-GAH-chos) are a popular side dish in the highlands of Ecuador. They are often served with fried eggs and a simple salad of lettuce, tomato and avocado. Sometimes sausages and a side of rice are added to make a full and typically Ecuadorian meal.

Ingredients

Russet potatoes, peeled -- 2 pounds
White cheese, shredded (see variations) -- 1 cup
Scallions, chopped finely -- 6
Salt -- to taste
Achiote powder (see notes) -- 2 teaspoons
Oil -- 1/4 cup

Salsa de Maní (Peanut Sauce)

Cool, always think of SE Asia when I see peanut sauce, nice to see it in another region.

Milk -- 1 1/2 cups
Onion, thinly sliced -- 1/4 cup
Natural peanut butter -- 1/3 cup
Salt -- to taste

Method

Place the potatoes in a large saucepan, cover with salted water and bring to a boil, uncovered, over medium-high heat. Cook the potatoes until a knife pierces them easily.

Drain the potatoes and set them aside to steam dry for 3 to 4 minutes.

Mash the potatoes until smooth or put them through a ricer. Season to taste with salt. When cool enough, form 1/3 cup portions of the mashed potatoes into balls and set on a baking sheet. Chill for at least 20 minutes; this will make the patties much easier to handle.
While the potatoes are chilling, start your maní sauce. Simmer the milk and sliced onion in a small saucepan for about 10 minutes. Do not boil. Strain the onions from the milk and discard. Whisk the peanut butter into the warm milk and season to taste with salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer until thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. The sauce should be the consistency of heavy cream. Add a little more milk or peanut butter as needed. Set aside.

Remove potatoes from the refrigerator. Mix the cheese and scallions together and stuff each ball with about 1 tablespoon of the mixture. Flatten the balls with your hands to form patties.

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Sauté the patties, a few at a time, until browned on each side. Remove to a warm oven until all patties have been sautéed. Serve topped with the salsa de maní.

Sounds Delicious!!! :)

Costa Rican Vinagre Chilera Recipe

The only thing that appears on a Tico table more frequently than Salsa Lizano is Chilera (you'll have to ask for salt and pepper outside of tourist restaurants). Our friend Roman taught us how to make it over the course of few weeks at his coffee farm in San Francisco. This is my personal favorite recipe to make (tamales are my favorite to eat).

El Vinagre Chilera Recipe
1 bunch of bananas (15-20 lbs)
2 heaping handfuls of the hottest chili peppers you can find
6 large carrots
4 large onions
2 large yellow or orange sweet peppers
1 head of cauliflower
½ lb (250 gr.) green beans
one or two 750 ml guaro, or similar clear, glass, small neck bottles and half a dozen 300 ml small neck glass bottles.

Technically, what you pick up at the supermarket is called a hand of bananas. Bunches are the whole stalk and weigh in at 15-75 pounds. To make banana vinegar, hang the bunch in the sun with a bucket below. After a day or two, they'll start "cooking". Over three to five days, the peels will be reduced to black shells and the bucket will fill with sweet thin syrup.

Transfer the syrup to the glass bottles and stopper loosely (the fermentation will shatter the bottles if they are corked tightly). Stand in a cool shaded location to ferment for about a week. This is a "sour dough" type of fermentation, using whatever collection of microbes happens to have dropped into the bucket while you were collecting the banana juice. When the bubbling stops, move the bottles back into the sun for a few days to UV sterilize the contents.

Chop the vegetables so they just fit through the neck of the small bottles. Loosely pack each bottle full of hot peppers and vegetables then fill with the banana vinegar and cap. Store in a cool place for at least two weeks before using.