Sunday, November 16, 2014

Croquetas de arroz (Rice croquettes)

This is another simple, yet delicious and original recipe. Families in Uruguay (including my family) usually cook this meal when they have rice left overs. My grandmother used to said that croquetas will taste a lot better if were made of rice from a day before. We usually eat croquetas as an appetizer or as a side.

Ingredients
1 1/2 cup of rice (previously boiled)
1 egg
1 cup of bread crumbs
about 2 tablespoons of minced parsley
7 slides of ham
4 tablespoons of parmesan cheese
5 tablespoons of 4 cheese italian
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 teaspoon of nut meg
corn oil

Directions
In a medium bowl combine the rice, parsley, chopped ham, parmesan cheese, italian cheese, nut meg, salt and pepper. Mix all the ingredients until well combined. Heat oil in a medium size frying pan to medium low. Whisk the eggs for about 3 minutes and place the crumbs in a large plate. With the rice mixture make small oval balls, like the size of a ping pong ball or a little bit bigger. Then soak the ball into the eggs and then roll it over the crumbs. When the oil is hot, place the croquetas in the frying pan until golden brown. In a large plate put paper towels and once the croquetas are done place them there so the towels can absorb some of the oil


Milanesa a la napolitana (breaded cow meat with mozzarella and ham on top)

The Uruguayans are known for their good soccer kills and love for meat. Well, here is a recipe that of course has meat and in every Uruguayan house is eaten at least once a week. We usually accompany the milanesa with potato salad, french fries or green salad. It's a really simple meal which can be done in 30 minutes and it can also be found in any Uruguayan restaurant.


Ingredients
2 veal cutlets (about 1/4 inch thick)
1 egg
1/2 cup of Italian style bread crumbs
1/2 cup of can tomato sauce
2 slices of ham
6 slices of mozzarella
dried oregano to taste
salt to taste
pepper to taste
Goya adobo all purpose seasoning (optional)
oregano to taste
1/4 cup corn oil

Directions
In a small bowl whisk the eggs for about 3 minutes. Heat the oil in a medium size frying pan to medium low. Season the meat with salt, pepper and Goya seasoning. Put half of the bread crumbs in a large plate and grab one the veal cutlets and soak it into the eggs (make sure the egg completely covers the meat). Then place the veal cutlets on top of the bread crumbs and add some more bread crumbs on top of the veal cutlets. Press the meat firmly into the crumbs until well covered from both sides.Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F for later use. When the oil is very hot place the meat in the frying pan until golden brown. In a large plate put at least three paper towels to place the milanesas there so the oil could be absorb. Add three drops of oil into a baking tray and place the milanesas there, then on top add the tomato sauce, ham, mozzarella and oregano. Put them into the oven for approximately 5 minutes or until the cheese begins to  melt.

Saturday, November 8, 2014

Alfajores de Maizena (Cornstarch Cookies)

I'm not a big fun of sweets, but this dessert is delicious! It's perfect to eat it with hot chocolate or coffee. In Uruguay it's very common that children help their mothers make these cookies since they are kind of fun to make and so easy

Ingredients
2 1/2 cups of corn starch
1 2/3 cups of flour
2 teaspoons of baking powder
3/4 cups of sugar
1 cup of butter
3 egg yolks
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
2 teaspoon of lemon zest
Dulce de leche (milk caramel)
1 bag of grated coconut

Directions
Preheat oven to 350° F. Place the butter in a medium bowl and put it in the microwave for 12 seconds. Then add the sugar gradually beating until the mixture is light and fluffy. Then add the egg yolks, one at the time and beating after each addition. Add the vanilla and lemon zest and continue beating until obtaining a smooth cream. Sift together the cornstarch, flour, baking powder and salt. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture, beating thoroughly and making a dough. With a rolling pin extend the dough over a little bit of flour and until approximately 1/2 inch thick. With a cookie cutter, cut circles and the repeat all again with the remaining dough. Spread butter evenly into a baking sheet and place the cookies with enough space between one another because they will spread. Bake the cookies for about 15 minutes and let it cool for approximately 30 to 45 minutes. When cool, spread dulce de leche on the bottom half of the cookies and make a sandwich with other cookie.

Squeeze the sandwiches so that some of the dulce de leche is squeezed outsides. Grab a medium size plate and put some of the grated coconut and roll the sides of the "sandwich" into the coconut.

Tortilla de Papas (Potato Omelet)

This is definitely one of my favorite dishes! I could eat tortilla de papas everyday! As many other Uruguayan dishes, this dish is originally from Spain. I love it because even though it's simple you can add different ingredients to it and make it your own tortilla. In Uruguay this dish is a main entree and we usually accompanied it with a side salad or hot dogs.

Ingredients
6-7 medium potatoes peeled
1/2 cup of chopped scallions
5-6 large eggs
3 tablespoons of olive oil
1/2 cup of 4 cheese Italian
3 teaspoons of salt

Directions
Cut the peeled potatoes as if you were going to make french fries, approximately 1/8 inch thick. Bring a medium frying pan to medium-high heat and add the oil and then the potatoes. Remove the potatoes before they turn golden brown, if some potatoes are not cook through it's totally fine because we will put them back to the pan. In a medium size plate put two paper towels and place the potatoes there so the paper towels can absorb some of the oil. Let them cool for about ten to fifteen minutes. In a medium bowl crack the eggs and beat by hand with a whisk or fork, then add the scallions and cheese. Then add the potatoes to the eggs mixture and mix together with a large spoon. Add salt and try to taste the mixture so you can tell if more salt is needed. Remove oil excess from the frying pan we used to fry the potatoes and just leave about 3 drops of oil in the pan. Heat it to medium-high, pour the mixture and spread out evenly. When the tortilla is cook around the edges then that means it's time to turn it over. Don't panic, it's easy! Take the frying pan to a sink and place a frying pan cover upside down over the pan. With one hand on the frying pan handle and the other on top of the pan cover to hold it steady, quickly turn the frying pan over and the tortilla will fall into the pan cover. Slide the tortilla into the frying pan and let it cook for 3-4 minutes. Let the tortilla sit for about 2 minutes before serving.

Saturday, October 25, 2014

Bunuelos de Lechuga (Lettuce Fritter)

This is one of my favorite dishes. It's real simple to make and it tastes delicious. In my house my mom is the one who always cook this dish.

Ingredients
12 lettuce leaves
2 cups of flour
3 teaspoons of baking powder
1 teaspoon of salt
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of parsley
2 teaspoons of olive oil
2/3 cup of milk
2 cups of corn oil (to fry)

Directions
In a medium size bowl combine the flour, baking powder and parsley. In a separate bowl mix the eggs, milk and olive oil. Add this mixture gradually to the dry mixture and blend it well with your hands. Washed the lettuce and make sure to dry it well with paper towels. Chopped the lettuce into thin strips and add it to the mix. Heat a medium size sauce pan with the corn oil to low/medium and when it's hot grab a tablespoon to get the mixture and pour it into the oil. Make sure to not make the fritters too big, because it will turn out crispy in the outside but uncooked in the inside. Is also important to fry the fritters in a low/medium temperature so it will cook evenly.


Sunday, October 19, 2014

Pasta Frola

Pasta Frola is a recipe originally from Greece; however, it's very traditional in Uruguay. The traditional Pasta Frola is filled with jam called dulce de membrillo (quince paste) that not every country has it and the ones that does it barely tastes the same as the Uruguayan one. It can also be filled with dulce de leche (caramel), but I personally prefer the one with dulce de membrillo. In my family the expert of Pasta Frola is my sister. Every time we have craving for this delicious tart, we would ask my sister to make it.

Ingredients
2 cups of flour
1 tablespoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/2 cup of sugar
3 tablespoons of butter
1 teaspoon of vanilla
1 1/2 cup of dulce de membrillo (14 oz)
2 tablespoons of milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of lemon zest

Directions
In a medium bowl combine flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Then add the butter and blend it well with the dry ingredients. Whisk the eggs, milk, vanilla and lemon zest. When it's well blended pour the that mix into the dry ingredients mix and knead the dough until it turns consistent. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and let it sit while you work on the dulce de membrillo. Cut the dulce de membrillo into small squares and put it into a bowl. Add hot water and mix it with a fork until a paste consistency is formed. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and butter a 8 inch tart pan. Roll out 3/4 of the dough in a floured surface and place it in the pan. Then spread the dulce de membrillo mix. Roll out the rest of the dough and cut thin strips to make a lattice pattern over the top of the tart. Bellow is a picture on how the tart should look before putting it in the oven.

When the pattern is ready, put the tart in the oven until golden brown, approximately 30 minutes.

Monday, October 13, 2014

Tortas Fritas (Fried Cakes)

This recipe is not a main dish, but a snack. There are two ways of making Tortas Fritas, sweet or savory. This dish brings out another Uruguayan tradition. We usually cook Torta Fritas only on rainy days. When it's raining, we all know it's time to enjoy the deliciousness of Tortas Fritas. We usually cook them in the afternoons and make enough to eat the next day. On top of the Tortas Fritas you can spread butter, jam, dulce de leche (caramel) or simply eat them without anything.
Today's recipe will show you how to cook savory Uruguayan Tortas Fritas.

Ingredients:

2 1/4 cups flour
3/4 teaspoon of salt
2 1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
2 tablespoons of butter
5 tablespoons of vegetable shortening
1 cup of milk

In a large bowl mix the flour, salt and baking powder. Once those ingredients are mixed, add the butter and 2 tablespoons of vegetable shortening. Combine all the ingredients with your fingers until well blended. Then add milk gradually and kneading gently as you add it. The dough should be ready after 3 to 4 minutes when it reaches a smooth dough consistency. Roll dough about 1/4 inches thick and with a knife cut the dough in rectangles, approximately 3 inches wide and 5 inches long. Heat a large skillet to low/medium and add  3 tablespoons of vegetable shortening. When the shortening has melted and is really hot add the dough rectangles. Fry the Tortas Fritas until golden brown on both sides. In a plate, put two or three paper towels and drain the Tortas Fritas. If you would like sweet Tortas Fritas, just sprinkle sugar as soon as you get them out of the skillet. Tortas Fritas should be served hot.