1/2 taza de Mayonesa
1/3 taza de vinagre blanco
1 cucharadita de aceite vegetal
2 cucharadas de Karo (almibar de maiz) (Corn Syrup)
2 cucharadas de queso parmesano, rallado
2 cucharadas de queso Romano, rallado
1 diente de ajo, molido
1/2 cucharadita de especias italianas (Italian Seasoning)
1/2 cucharadita de perejil, picado fino
1 cucharada de jugo de limón
Azucar (opcional)

Mezcla bien en un processador. Si está demasiado agrio, le puede ajustar el sabor con un poco de azucar..

Empanadas De Yuca

INGREDIENTS:

WRAPPING:

1/2 cup Achiote seeds (for color)
1 cup oil
1 package banana leaves (warmed or at room temperature)

MASA:

4lbs fresh yuca, grated**
1 cup milk
2 packets sazon
5 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon salt or Homemade Adobo

FILLING:

1 tablespoon oil
1 cup Basic Sofrito
1 cup tomato sauce
1 can sliced pimentos, drained
1 can garbanzos, drained
1/2 cup capers and olives
1 teaspoon adobo
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper (to adjust to taste)

DIRECTIONS:

PREPARE MASA:

Combine all masa ingredients in very large bowl or pot and mix thoroughly. Color should be consistent and a light orangy yellow. If making the day before, cover and place in refrigerator.

PREPARE FILLING:

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in pan.
Add sofrito, tomato sauce, oregano, cumin, cilantro, olives and capers. Sautee a minut or two until fragrant.
Add chopped chicken or pork and simmer until well done, about 15 minutes. Sometimes I add a cooking spoon of the SAUCE ONLY (make sure to not include any pieces of the filling) to the masa for flavor.

***PREPARE WRAPPING:

Simmer 1 cup of oil with 1/2 cup of aciote sees in small saucepan for 3 minutes. When ready, oil should be red in color. Strain oil into small bowl. Discard seeds.

Break off about 10 pieces of foil the length of your arm. Cut banana leaves in 10 pieces each just about two inches shorter than the length of your arm. Place one piece of banana leaf on top of each piece of foil in a neat stack in front of you so that they alternate.

Behind that, should be the bowl of achiote, the bowl of masa at room temperature, the bowl of garbanzos, the bowl of pimentos, and the pan of meat placed on the table.

BEGIN ASSEMBLY PROCESS:

Spread 2 tablespoons of achiote oil (or cooking spray for the health conscious) in center of banana leaf.
Spread 1 cooking spoon of yuca mixture on leaf, flattening out.
Spread 1 cooking spoon of meat without sauce (as dry as possible) over yuca mixture.
Top with a few pimentos and garbanzos.
Top with 1/4 or 1/2 cooking spoon of masa on top of pimento and garbanzos.
Fold over the banana leaf from top to bottom but do not seal ends.
Fold foil (very very lightly flattening out contents as you go along) the same way but lightly seal the ends of the foil if you will be freezing this later use. If baking then do not seal the ends. Select the ones you are using and freeze the rest. They keep for ages.

COOKING PROCESS:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
Line oven with foil (in case of any drips from open ends of empanadas). Bake empanadas for a total of 45 minutes. Make sure to turn over half way through the baking process. If they are frozen, then they must be baked for 75 minutes.

TIPS:

This recipe can be made in one day but if you want to do this the lazy way do the following:

DAY ONE: Prepare Masa and prepare meat filling.

DAY TWO: Assemble

**Pre-grated yuca can be found in the frozen vegetable aisle of your supermarket. They come in 4lb bags. This DRAMATICALLY cuts down on preparation time and grated fingertips. If you insist on using fresh Yuca, be my guest. It must be peeled and grated on the finest holes of a cheese grater by hand or grated with the finest grating plate of a food processor.

***You might want to use your kitchen table if your counter isn’t big enough to spread out. Placing everything in an assembly line will make the process quicker and easier.

Croquetas de Arroz

Ingredientes:

2 tazas de agua
1 cubito de gallina
5 cdas. de mantequilla
1 taza de arroz
1 sobre de crema de guisantes
2 tazas de leche en polvo preparada
4 dientes de ajo
1 cebolla grande
4 huevos
1 taza de queso parmesano rallado
4 tazas de nestum arroz

Preparación:

Lleve al fuego el agua con el cubito de caldo y 2 cdas. mantequilla, cuando esté hirviendo agréguele el arroz, baje el fuego y tápelo dejándolo hasta que esponje y seque.

Lleve al fuego el contenido del sobre de crema de guisantes con la leche moviendo hasta que espese. Sofría en la mantequilla (3 cucharadas) los ajos y cebollas picaditas, agréguelas a la crema con los huevos, queso y nestum; mezcle con el arroz y forme con las manos humedecidas las croquetas.

Fríalas en abundante grasa caliente.

Receta para 40 croquetas grandes.

Arroz con Bacalao

Ingredientes:

300 gr. de bacalao salado
perejil fresco picado
azafrán
2 tza. de arroz parboiled
1 lata de tomates salvia
1 cebolla mediana
3 dientes de ajo finamente picados
pimienta al gusto.
1 pimentón
1/4 tza. de aceite de oliva

Preparación:

Lave muy bien el bacalao y póngalo a remojar el día anterior, cambiando el agua 2 o 3 veces más.

En el momento de la preparación escurra el bacalao, ponga a hervir agua y cuando arranque el punto de ebullición introduzca el pescado. Déjelo cocinar unos minutos, saque del agua y deje reposar. Prosiga a eliminar la piel, las espinas, desmenúcelo y resérvelo.

Lleve un caldero al fuego con el aceite, ajo, azafrán, la cebolla y el pimentón finamente picados. Deje sofreir un poco y agregue el bacalao. Mientras se integran los sabores licúe los tomates y agréguelos al caldero conjuntamente con 4 tazas y media de agua, salvia y pimienta. Cuando rompa el hervor agregue el arroz sin lavar, deje que rompa nuevamente el hervor y deje cocinar a fuego bajo, tapando y removiendo de vez en cuando.

Cuando el arroz se haya cocinado, que debe quedar jugoso y no seco, agregue rociando, una copita de jerez.

Pasteles
(pa-ste-les)
(makes 36)

Filling:

A-2 pounds lean pork meat, without bone
6 tablespoons jugo de naranja agria (sour orange juice)

B-Crush and mix in a mortar:
4 sweet chili peppers, seeded
4 fresh culantro leaves
2 large cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons whole dried oregano
1 tablespoon salt

C-Cube finely:
1 pound lean cured ham
1 green pepper, seeded
1 onion peeled

D-1 1/2 cups seeded raisins

E-1 can (1 pound) garbanzos (Chick-peas), liquid included
1 cup water

F-24 olives, stuffed with pimientos, finely chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons capers
6 tablespoons Achiote Coloring (cook anais seed in 1 cup vegetable oil)

Wash and dry pork meat rapidly and cut into very small cubes. Mix meat cubes with the sour orange juice.Add ingredients included in B to meat.Add ingredients included in C and the seeded raisins. Mix together well.In a saucepan, bring to boil ingredients included in E. Drain the liquid over the meat mixture. Remove skins from chick-peas and add chick-peas to the meat mixture.Add olives and capers.Add ingredients included in F, mix well, cover, and set in regrigerator until the masa is ready.
Masa (Paste)

A-4 pounds white yautia, peeled
4 pounds yellow yautia, peeled
15 green bananas, peeled and rinsed in salted water
2 cups lukewarm milk

B-1 1/4 cups (10 ounces) Achiote Coloring
2 1/2 tablespoons salt

Wash, drain and grate the yautias and bananas. Crush gradually in a mortar yautias and bananas. Mix in a bowl with lukewarm milk to make a smooth paste. (If using an electric blender, crush gradually yautias and bananas with lukewarm milk. Set in a bowl.)Add the Achiote Coloring and salt, mix well, cover, and set aside to make the pasteles.
To Shape and Cook the Pasteles

Use 20 bundles of plaintain leaves. They should be long and wide.With a knife, remove the central ridge to give greater flexibility to the leaves. Divide leaves into pieces, about 12 inches square. Wash and cleen leaves with a damp cloth.Place 3 tablespoons of the masa on a leaf and spread it out so thinly, that it is almost transparent. Place 3 tablespoons of the filling in the center of the masa.Fold the leaf one half over the other to make a top and bottom layer of plaintain leaf and enclose the contents in it. Fold it over once more.Fold the right and left ends of the leaf toward the center.Wrap in a second leaf placed on the diagonal.Tie the pasteles together, in pairs, with a string, placing folded edges facing each other.In a large vessel, bring to a boil 5 quarts water with 3 1/2 tablespoons salt. Add 12 pasteles and boil, covered, for 1 hour. Halfway, turn over pasteles. When cooking period is finished, remove pasteles from the water at once. Repeat process with rest of pasteles.

Note: Parchment cooking paper may be used in place of plaintain leaves.