Tag: Latin American
Vori Vori de Pollo
Vori Vori de Pollo
Vori Vori de Pollo is a traditional Paraguayan chicken soup with dumplings made of masa flour and queso paraguayo. The soup also contains an assortment of vegetables including pumpkin, carrots, tomatoes, green peppers, onions, and green onions. The chicken used in this soup is bone in, not boneless. Using bone in chicken pieces adds a significant amount of flavor to the soup. I prefer to use whole chicken legs. This chicken soup is typically served in the cold months, which we have now entered in MN. If there are any leftovers, it tastes even better the next day.
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp olive oil
- 3 large whole chicken legs skinned; cut into 2” pieces
- 1 medium onion ficed
- 4 green onions chopped
- 1 green bell pepper cut into cubes
- 2 medium tomatoes chopped
- 1/2 small pumpkin seeded; peeled and cubed
- 1 large carrot sliced
- 3 quarts water
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 3 bay leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
Dumplings
- 2 cups masa flour
- 6 oz queso paraguayo
- 1/2 cup soup stock
Instructions
- Heat up cooking oil in a large stock pot over medium high heat. Brown the chicken pieces for 10 minutes in total on all sides. Remove from the pot.
- Add in the onions, green onions, green pepper, and tomatoes. Sauté for 5 minutes.
- Add in the pumpkin and carrots. Sauté for 5 more minutes.
- Add the chicken back in. Season with cumin. Pour in the water. Season with the bay leaves plus salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 45 minutes.
- While the soup is simmering, mix together the masa flour, queso paraguayo, and some of the soup stock to form a dough.
- Roll out the dough into small balls; a little larger than a grape.
- After the soup has simmered for 45 minutes, add the dumplings to the soup and continue to simmer. The soup is done when the dumplings float to the top. Turn off the heat and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Pique Macho
Pique Macho
Pique macho translates to “big portions;” and this is exactly that. This highly caloric meal can satisfy the mightiest of appetites of any stoner. Pique macho originated in Bolivia in the 70’s and has become one of their most popular and beloved dishes. It is said that a group of workers went to a restaurant in Cochobamba towards the end of closing. The chef put together all of the ingredients he had over a large amount of fries and told the customers to “Eat if you’re a man”(piquin machos in Spanish). So what all is in pique macho? Marinated sirloin, hotdogs, tomatoes, onions, jalapeños, hard boiled eggs; all over a mound of fries. It is then drizzled with mayonnaise and mustard. I chose to bake my fries instead of frying. Just trying to keep the calories under 3000. I recommend eating this meal no more than once a year if you are trying to live a long life.
Servings: 2
Ingredients
- 1 lb top sirloin sliced into strips
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1/2 tsp black pepper
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 4 hotdogs cut into 1” pieces
- 1 large jalapeños sliced
- 1 medium white onion sliced
- 1 large tomato sliced
- 2 hard boiled eggs quartered
- 1 lb french fries
- mayonnaise
- mustard
Instructions
- Marinate the sirloin with the garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper for 30 minutes.
- Heat up 1 tbsp of cooking oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Sauté the hotdogs for 2 minutes. Remove from the pan.
- Add 2 tbsp of cooking oil to the pan. Sauté the jalapeños for 2 minutes.
- Add in the onions and tomatoes. Sauté for 2 more minutes.
- Add in the sirloin. Sauté for 4 minutes.
- Stir in the hotdogs and cook for 1 more minute.
Fritada de Chancho (Ecuadorian Braised Pork)
Fritada de Chancho (Ecuadorian Braised Pork)
This Ecuadorian braised pork turns out like butter. It is so tender that chewing is barely required. A combination of boneless pork and bone in ribs are marinated in garlic and cumin, then braised for 2 hours. Once the water has evaporated, orange juice is added to the pork. It is then braised some more until the oj is gone. The pork is then browned in its own fat that it rendered out. Serve the pork with rice, beans, curtido, and avocado.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs pork sirloin or shoulder cubed
- 1 lb pork riblets
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 10 garlic cloves minced
- 1 medium white onion diced
- 4 small shallots diced
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup orange juice
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Marinate the pork with garlic, cumin, salt, and pepper for 2 hours.
- Heat up cooking oil in a Dutch oven over medium high heat. Sauté the onions and shallots for 3 minutes.
- Add in the pork. Sear for a couple of minutes.
- Pour in the water. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer for 2 hours.
- At the 2 hour mark, the water should be almost completely evaporated.
- Pour in the orange juice. Simmer until the liquid has evaporated.
- Brown the pork in its own fat that it rendered out for 5 minutes.
