Additional Resources

Latin American Recipes for Christmas Season 2017

Buñuelos de Rodilla (Mexican Christmas Fritters) Recipe
(From Maria del Mar Sacasa - www.seriouseats.com)
Ingredients:

1 cup water
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon aniseed liqueur (optional)
3 cups all-purpose flour, sifted twice
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup lard or unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces and chilled
2 large eggs, beaten and at room temperature
8 cups vegetable oil
For the Syrup:
1 (4 ounce) cone piloncillo or 1 cup packed dark brown sugar or 1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cinnamon stick
1 tablespoon aniseeds or 3 star anise pods

Directions
In saucepan, bring water, sugar, and liqueur (if using) to simmer over medium heat, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and cover to keep warm.

Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in large bowl. Using fingertips, rub lard or butter into flour mixture until mixture is crumbly. Work eggs in with fingertips until incorporated, then, gradually add the warm sugar water, adding enough to make a cohesive dough.
Knead the dough on a clean, dry work surface until smooth, 10 to 15 minutes.
Cover dough and let rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, cover a clean, dry work surface with several clean kitchen towels.
Divide the dough into approximately 1-inch pieces and roll each one into a ball. Using a rolling pin (dough should be smooth but not sticky—flouring the work surface is not necessary), roll each ball into a 6- to 7-inch diameter circle—each buñuelo should be thin enough to be translucent.
Arrange the dough circles on the towel-lined surface and let rest 45 minutes. Turn the circles and allow to dry an additional 45 minutes. Dough will feel papery to the touch after the drying period.
Line 2 baking sheets with 2 layers paper towels.
Heat oil in a Dutch oven or large skillet with high sides over medium-high heat until temperature registers 350°F. (Oil should be 1- to 1 1/2 inches deep). Fry buñuelos 1 to 2 at a time until golden one side, 30 to 60 seconds. Turn over with tongs, and fry until opposite side is golden, 30 to 45 seconds.
Transfer to prepared trays and repeat with remaining dough.
For the Syrup: Combine piloncillo, brown sugar, or sugar, water, cinnamon, and aniseeds to boil over medium-high heat in medium heavy-bottomed saucepan, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until mixture is syrupy, 5 to 7 minutes. Strain syrup, discard solids, and drizzle over buñuelos or serve alongside.
Serve buñuelos with warm syrup.

Special Equipment
rolling pin, several kitchen towels, Dutch oven or large skillet with high sides, tongs, 2 baking sheets, paper towels, large heavy-bottomed saucepan, deep-fry thermometer, strainer

South American Buñuelos:
(from www.thespruce.com)
What You'll Need

1 1/2 cups drained cottage cheese (or whole milk ricotta cheese or shredded queso fresco)

1/2 cup white salty cheese (such as feta or farmers cheese)

3/4 to 1 cup cornstarch

1/2 cup sweet yuca starch (tapioca starch)

1/4 light brown sugar

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)

2 eggs

1 tablespoon butter (softened)

6 cups vegetable oil for frying

How to Make It

Crumble or grate the two cheeses together, making sure that they are grated very finely.
Mix the cheese, cornstarch, tapioca starch, brown sugar, baking powder, salt, eggs, and butter in a large bowl until well-blended.
Knead the dough until it is smooth. It will be soft but should not be sticky and firm enough to shape into balls. Add more cornstarch if the dough seems too wet. If the dough seems too dry or crumbly, add a small amount of milk (1 to 2 teaspoons at a time) until it is smooth.

Take about 2 tablespoons of dough into the palms of your hands and shape the dough into a very smooth ball.
Heat several inches of oil in a heavy pot to 325 F.
Add the bunuelos, a few at a time, and cook. They will sink to the bottom, then rise and expand.
Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, or longer if needed, turning them occasionally until they are golden brown.
Drain on a plate lined with paper towels. Dust with powdered sugar, if desired
Serve warm or at room temperature.

PAN DE JAMON - FROM VENEZUELA
(recipe by Marian Blazes from thespruce.com)

What You'll Need1/2 cup warm water
1 tablespoon rapid rise yeast
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 stick butter, softened, plus 2 tablespoons of melted butter
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 - 1 teaspoon salt
1/2 pound smoked ham, very thinly sliced
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup sliced olives
1 egg yolk

How to Make It

Place the warm water in the bowl of a stand mixer. Sprinkle the yeast over the water and let stand for 5 minutes. Add 1 cup of the flour, the butter, and the egg, and mix well using the dough hook attachment. Add the softened butter and another cup of flour and mix well. Add remaining ingredients and knead until smooth, adding a bit of extra flour if the dough is too sticky. When well kneaded, the dough should be soft, shiny, and smooth.

Place the dough in an oiled bowl. Cover with plastic wrap, set in a warm location, and let rise until doubled in bulk (about an hour and a half).
Divide the dough in half. On a lightly floured surface, roll half of the dough into a large rectangle (about 10 x 12 inches). Brush the dough with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter. Place half of the ham slices over the dough, leaving a 1-inch border all around. Sprinkle half of the raisins and half of the olives around over the ham.
Tightly roll up the dough lengthwise (starting with the long edge), sealing the last part of the dough to the roll with some water. Place roll, seam side down, on a parchment-lined baking sheet, and tuck the ends under slightly. Repeat with the other half of dough.
Mix the egg yolk with a teaspoon of sugar and brush the mixture onto the rolls with a pastry brush. Lightly cover the rolls with oiled plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place for about an hour.
Bake bread at 350 F for 30 to 40 minutes, until golden brown.
Remove from oven, and let it cool slightly before slicing.

HALLACAS RECIPE
Ingredients For The Filling (Guiso Crudo)(from http://www.quericavida.com)
4 1/2
lbs beef Save $
4 1/2
lbs pork meat
2 1/2
lbs bacon
2
onions, diced
6
sweet peppers, diced
2
medium red peppers, diced
1
cup green onions, chopped
8
garlic cloves, finely chopped
1
tablespoon oregano
2
tablespoons salt
1
tablespoon cumin
1
tablespoon powdered garlic
1
tablespoon ground pepper
1 1/2
bottle (25.4 oz) red cooking wine
12
lbs plantain leaves, smoked
1
cup vegetable oilIngredients For The Dough1
cup pork fat rendering (to cook the annatto)
1
cup anatto (achiote)
3
packages (2 lbs each) precooked white corn flour
15
cups low sodium chicken broth
4 1/2
cups butter (9 bars), at room temperature
Salt to tasteIngredients To Assembly Hallacas1/2
cup vegetable oil
4
medium onions, chopped in rings
3
red peppers, cut in thin strips
4
cups parsley, in sprigs
1 1/2
cups black raisins
2
cups chickpeas, cooked
1/2
cup capers
2
cups seedless olives, stuffed with red pepper
2
packages bacon, chopped in small chunks (2 inches)
1
roll cotton yarn
Nutrition
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Expert Tips

1Making guiso: Cut the beef, pork and bacon in small pieces. Place everything in a large container or pot, covered with a lid. Add the onion, sweet pepper, green pepper, green onion and garlic. Season with oregano, salt, cumin, powdered garlic, ground pepper, cooking wine and vegetable oil. Mix well and let macerate overnight, preferably in the fridge. Every now and then stir again with a wooden spoon and cover the pot so the flavor concentrates more.
2Preparation and cleaning the leaves: Wash the leaves with water; clean them well with a damp cloth and dry them with a dry one. Divide the leaves in two types: one that's the main one (the biggest one) which is where you have to place the dough and hallaca filling and the second leaf (smaller one) tha covers, encloses and protects the tamal while is cooking. You should remove the center stem from the leaves, since this prevents them from bending easily. Be careful not to break the leaf while you remove the stem, with the help of scissors.
3Making the dough: Heat up a saucepan at medium heat. Add the pork fat and annatto grains. Let the pork fat dissolve and the annatto to render its color. Remove from the stove and let cool. In a large container, add the corn flour and incorporate little by little with the chicken broth, and the softened butter. Knead vigorously and add the pork fat with annatto and salt to taste. The dough has to be soft and with a yellow color. Divide the dough in 50 equal balls.
4Assembly: Dampen a large leaf with a bit of vegetable oil. Place one ball of dough in the middle of a leaf. Extend the dough in a circular motion with your hands until it is of a 1/4 of an inch thick. Add one tablespoon and a half of guiso with its juice in the center of the dough. On top of the filling, place 2 onion rings, 1 pepper strip, one parsley sprig, 3 raisins, 2 chickpeas, 2 capers, 2 olives and a small piece of bacon.
5Continue folding the leaf. Take the wider edges and attach them upward. Create a fold until it is completely sealed. Fold the other two ends towards the inside and wrap it with the smaller leaf. Tie the hallacas with the previously cut yarn (of approximately 1 meter and a half lenght). Cross them three times in each direction (horizontal and vertical) and close with a knot or bow.
6In a large pot, boil 8 gallons of water at high heat. Place the hallacas, cover and cook them to low heat for a period of an hour and a half. Repeat the process with the other hallacas or you can use two pots at the same time.
7Remove and drain them, preferably in the vertical position. Let cool and refrigerate until you are ready to eat. Since they take a lot of work, the custom is to prepare large quantities of hallacas. These tamales can be kept in the frige for up to 4 weeks.
8When you need to heat the hallacas again, boil water in a deep pot at high heat. Add the hallacas you wish to reheat (make sure the water is covering them). Lower the heat to medium and cook for 20 minutes. Remove the pot from the stove. Drain the hallacas, cut the yarn, remove the leaf and enjoy!