One Family's Return Trip: Empanadas Vallunas

By -
From the NOT TO MISS CUISINE files, comes the delicious Empanada Valluna. They are different from the Empanadas that my mother-in-law makes. For those, you can use the following link to her recipe:

http://raisingcolombiankids.blogspot.com/2008/12/abuelita-carmens-colombian-empanadas-de.html.

The Valluna version of the empanada are equally as delicious, but they taste different. They have meat and potatoes like those I was familiar with, but the spices are different. The woman that made them told me she uses tomillo (thyme) as one of the spices. This spice was definitely not on the list for my MIL's empanadas. These deep-fried delights are really not to be missed if you want to have a truly cultural Valle experience.

Here is the recipe -- as with any recipe in Colombia -- no one knows how much of anything to use. I hope to test this out in the future, but for now, if you give it a try, and it works out, let me know the measurements you used:

STEP #1 -- Prepare the MEAT
In about 8 cups of water place the following spices: Bay Leaf, Thyme, Oregano, Cumin, and Salt. All were to be AL GUSTO which means TO TASTE.
Add the following to the water 1 pound of pork and 1 pound of beef. Boil until cooked , then drain and break the meat into tiny pieces.

STEP #2 -- Prepare the POTATOES
Cut up a large onion and fry it in quite a bit of oil. Then add 1 pound of cubed yellow potatoes (yukon gold) and 1 pound of cubed red potatoes and cook. Add the meat, and when the potatoes are cooked, remove from the heat.

Step #3 Follow the same recipe for the MASA

3 cups AREPA HARINA (La Venezolana, Goya Masarepa or PAN) -- Arepa Flour
3 - 4 cups boiling water (start at add more water if necessary)
1-2 teaspoons of Colór (This is a yellow spiced food coloring I can only find in Colombia. So, while you are there stop at Carrefour, Exito, or some other store and pick up a few packets of COLÓR. It is a powder that is orange in color. If you do not have Colór, try using "Sazón con Azafran" by Goya, or just buy Yellow Arepa Harina.)
Salt to taste (I usually do not add much salt).

Mix the water and flour and then let it cool a little. When warm, knead until you can form a nice ball. It SHOULD NOT BE STICKY. If it is sticky, you will need to add more flour. It should also not fall apart easily. If your dough is crumbly, you will need to add more water. Unfortunately, each brand of flour is a little different, so this is not an exact science.

STEP 4: Prepare and Fry the EMPANADAS
Plastic Wrap
Rolling Pin
Large frying pan or pot
Corn Oil

Once your dough is ready, place some on a large piece of plastic wrap. Roll out the dough into a thin layer about 1/4" thick. In order to see how to make the empanada look like a half moon, I am sending you to the following You Tube video. The woman's recipe is a bit different, but the process of making and cooking the empanada are the same.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jWnOOz3imck

Here is a website where you can purchase the AREPA HARINA or try going to a local Latino Market.
http://www.ecuadorianfooddelivery.com/shop/Arepas,_Arepas,_Harina_PAN,_Harina_de_Maiz,_Corn_Meal

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Popular Colombian Names

By -
Recently, I was asked to write a post on Colombian names, and popular Colombian names. I had a hard time finding a list, but eventually I did find one. According to I.N.E. - Instituto Nacional de Estadística, -- unfortunately, when I found this it doesn't say the year -- the most common Colombian boys names across all ages are: 1 JUAN CARLOS 2 CARLOS ALBERTO 3 ALEXANDER 4 ANDRES FELIPE 5 LUIS FERNANDO 6 DIEGO FERNANDO 7 JHON JAIRO 8 CARLOS ANDRES 9 ALEJANDRO 10 JUAN DAVID The girls are: 1 SANDRA MILENA 2 LUZ MARINA 3 CAROLINA 4 PAULA ANDREA 5 CLAUDIA PATRICIA 6 MARIA EUGENIA 7 PAOLA ANDREA 8 DANIELA 9 LILIANA 10 MARTHA CECILIA Just as here, names go through ebb and flow. Fourteen years ago when we were married, I attended several baby baptisms and met numerous friends of my husband. At the time, it seemed like everyone was naming their kid Juan CAMILO (boy) or Maria CAMILA (girl). I met dozens of them. Then, about 7 years later, I heard tons of SANTIAGO, JULIAN, SEBASTIAN and FE
Read more

Muisca Indigenous Names, from Hunza (Tunja)

By -
In response to this week’s posts on names, I have received several e-mails asking about the names of famous Colombians and their stories and about Indigenous names. I plan to spend the next three days sharing some of them. Also, I will continue to post more in the future and you will be able to find them all by clicking on the NAMES link the LABELS section to the right of the blog. Name: AQUIMÍN ( pronounced: ah key MEAN) or AQUIMINZAQUE (pronounced: ah key mean ZAH kay) When the Spanish arrived on the plains of Bogotá, 1536, they found a great nation. In fact, it was the third largest group of indigenous inhabitants in America. They called themselves the Muiscas , which meant ‘the people’. Their language was called Chibcha . The Muiscas were not a united group, but rather a collection of city states. The majority of the power was held by two main cities – what today are called Bogotá and Tunja (in Boyacá). These two cities were mortal enemies and each enlisted the loy
Read more

La Madremonte

By -
Image
The myth of the Madremonte (Mother Mountain), and I do say myth though many campesinos in Colombia believe in her today, has it's roots in the indigenous cultures of Colombia and is known throughout much of Colombia including Antioquia, Caldas, Arauca, Caqueta, Amazonas, Guainia, and perhaps more departments. The Madremonte looks like a large woman. She has large, bony hands, large teeth and Betty Davis Eyes -- which on closer examination glow. Her body is covered in leaves and moss. Her hair is a tangled mess of plants and moss which often covers her face. She lives in the mountains and jungles, (in Antioquia and Caldas she lives in swamps where streams are born. People who claim to have seen her, usually report to have done so near thickets and bushes in jungle like areas. Others report having heard her bloodcurdling screams and groans on stormy nights. She rules the winds, the rains, and all the vegetation, and her role is to protect nature. She punishes those who invad
Read more