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Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Pastelitos - Honduran Meat-filled Pastries

We've been celebrating Honduras at our house this week (lots of deep frying). I'm ready to go on a diet, but before I do, let me just tell you how yummy these things are...crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside, with a delicious cabbage salad on top . . . something that you can indulge in once . . . in a great while!

Our friend, Karen, from Honduras came to help us make "pastelitos" for the multicultural celebration this week. We made about 50 or more of these little puppies and I've still been making them every day with the left-over dough.

This recipe is taken from a cookbook my sister-in-law, Ana, sent me. We had some help making it this weekend so we'll see if the recipe makes sense.

You'll need:

2 C dough prepared with corn flour (maseca)
1/2 tsp "achiote"
1 tsp salt
1 C corn oil
1 C meat filling

Season the dough with salt and add the "achiote." Divide it in 15 portions and make the tortillas 3 inches in diameter.

Place 1 Tbsp meat filling on the bottom half of each tortilla. Fold the tortilla in the form of half-moon. Seal the edges moistening with water, pressuring with the fingers to prevent the filling from coming out.

In a small pan, heat the oil and cook the pastries at medium heat until golden on both sides. Place them over paper towel and serve warm.



Meat filling includes:

1 C ground beef
2 Tbsp corn oil
1/2 c chopped onion
1/4 c chopped ripe tomato
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 C water with 1 Tbsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 tsp hot chili sauce
1 large potato cut into small pieces (we used rice and it was delicious!)

In a medium pan, heat oil and cook the garlic cloves and the onion for 3 minutes or until translucent. Add the meat and cook stirring constantly so it does not cluster. Cook the potato in the salt water until tender then add it to the meat with any remaining water. Add the tomato and season with pepper, salt, thyme, Worcestershire and the hot chili sauce. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Uncover the pot and cook at medium heat until the water consumes completely. Place in the refrigerator to cool.

Top pastries with a salad of finely chopped cabbage, pico de gallo or a warm and spicy tomato sauce, and dry cheese.

9 comments:

  1. Thank you so much for this recipe. My boyfriend has been wanting me to make him a bunch of foods from Honduras, and this was one of them. Thankfully you put pictures up and write it out step by step, unlike most. Thanks again!

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  2. I thank you for the recepe...but my question to you is...
    What is the recepe for the dough?

    My boyfriend is from Hondoras and I would love to have the recepe for tortillas and the dough.

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  3. Chrissy, If you buy a bag of maseca, there should be instructions on how to make the dough - it would be the same as for tortillas. If I remember correctly, you just add water a little at a time until it is the right consistency - a dough that doesn't stick to your fingers and you can form into tortillas.

    Let me know how they turn out!

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  4. I'm a Honduran expat in NYC, literally eating the 1st batch of pastelitos per ur friend's recipe and I must say, this too me back home Daisy!

    Thanks a million, I knew how to make this in my mind but the step-by-step on ur blog made it work! I mean, I'm writing this at 3:30 am -- just finished working. We're gonna have to give u a Catracha by Blog Award! xxoo, Maya Santos

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  7. Que bueno Maya! I'm glad you loved them. I'm packing right now to head to Honduras for the hoidays and am hoping this can be on our menu one of the days we're there. I love Honduran cuisine! Merry Christmas!

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  8. I am going to make these for 160 people. With the quantities in your recipe, can you tell me approximately how many it makes, so I know how much to increase? Thank you.

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