Hilachas - Guatemalan Shredded Beef in Tomatillo Sauce#EatTheWorld

Hilachas is a popular Guatemalan dish made of cooked and shredded beef and it's simmered in a mildly spiced tomatillo sauce. This is usually enjoyed with it with a side of rice or fresh corn tortillas for a meal. This taste so good that you will enjoy it do try it and adjust the spice level according to your taste.

Serves 4
Ingredients
To Cook The Beef 
500 Gram Beef Steak - cut into slices
1 Cup Water
1 Onion
2 Cloves Garlic
1 Bay Leaf
1 Medium Ripe Tomato
Half Of A Small Onion
¼ Teaspoon Salt
Other Ingredients
1 Tablespoons Oil
3 Medium Ripe & Firm Tomatoes
3 Green Tomatoes/ Tomatillos
1 Green Pepper
3 Dried Red Chillies - deseeded or Guajillo chilies
Salt & Pepper, to taste
1 Medium Potato - peeled and chopped
2 Medium Carrots - peeled and chopped
¼ Cup Chopped Coriander / Cilantro 

Method

Place the beef, garlic, half of a small onion, cut the tomato into two and one cup water and salt in a large pressure cooker ( if you are using a saucepan then add more water accordingly to cook) and cook until the beef is very tender.
Remove the beef to a bowl, reserving the broth. When cool enough to handle, shred the beef with your fingers and set aside.
When cooled puree the broth and set aside.

Roast the green pepper, onion, tomato and tomatillos. When cooled remove the skin and puree along with dried red chillies and keep aside.

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium flame. Add the potatoes and chopped carrot sauté for a minute on medium high flame. Then add tomatillos puree and the shredded beef and the pureed the broth season with salt and pepper. Simmer for about 15 minutes.

Simmer and cook until the potatoes and carrots are cooked through, about 15-20 minutes or until the sauce thickens.

When done then add in the chopped coriander, adjust seasoning. 

Serve hot with corn tortillas or steamed rice.

Labels: Beef, Guatemala, Onion, Green Tomato, Peppers, Roasted Tomato, Main course, Eat the World   

Each month Evelyne of CulturEatz invites us to visit a country and explore their foods.

Check out all the wonderful Guatemalan dishes prepared by fellow Eat the World members and share with #eattheworld. Find out how to join Eat the World here and have fun exploring a country a month in the kitchen with us!

 

Amy’s Cooking Adventures: Fiambre (Guatemalan Salad)

A Day in the Life on the Farm: Pepian de Pollo  

Sneha’s Recipe: Hilachas - Guatemalan Shredded Beef in Tomatillo Sauce

Roasted Tomato Salsa Sauce - Vegan & Gluten Free

This chunky, smoky,  quite spicy salsa tastes amazing, use this as a dip, with tortilla chips, for wraps, salad or to make burrito's.

Makes  1½ Cup 

Ingredients
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
A Handful of chopped Basil leaves
3 Large Tomatoes - Roasted
2 Small Tomatoes - finely chopped
1 Medium Onion - finely  chopped
1 Medium Green or Red bell pepper - finely chopped
3 Big Cloves Garlic  - finely chopped
1 Teaspoon Ginger - finely chopped
3 Green chillies - finely chopped
2 Tablespoons Lemon juice
2 Tablespoons Tomato puree - I used tetra pack
1 Tablespoons Kashmiri Red Chilly paste or Kashmiri red chilly powder as per your taste -  I used paste

Salt to taste

Method

Roast the tomatoes on the gas flame till charred.  Peel the skin and wash them clean.  Then blend them, keep aside

Grind the ginger, garlic and green chilly to a fine paste.

In a pan, heat oil, add chopped onion,  ginger garlic- and green chilly paste.  Saute for a minute or two now add   or green bell pepper and  blended tomatoes, kashmiri red chilly paste, finely chopped tomatoes and blended roasted tomato puree, mix well and let it cook till it become a thick sauce.  Turn off the flame add lemon juice  and chopped  basil. 

Mix well and the Roasted Tomato Salsa Sauce is ready to use.

This is a spicy and a deliciously vibrant, earthy, and smoky-tasting salsa sauce you will definitely enjoy.

Labels : Salsa Sauce, Roasted Tomato, Spicy, Mexican, Basil, Homemade, Vegan, Gluten free

Homemade Ravioli - Stuffed with Spinach and Cottage Cheese in Roasted Tomato Sauce

Do you know that there is also a day for pasta? I too did not know and was quite surprised ! THE WORLD PASTA DAY – is celebrated on October 25.

I tasted Ravioli in a restaurant and loved it so much and decided that, must try this at home. I had written this recipe after watch a Television cookery show and then knew that it involves adding semolina for texture and firmness so that it can retain its shape. But rolling this pasta required a lot of energy, but still made it and everyone enjoyed it. Last year my beta's mother Reena gifted me a pasta machine for Christmas. After that everything changed, now I make my pasta at home, freshly made pasta is really different from the store brought one in taste, texture and most of all it has no oil or preservatives. Thank you Reena for this wonderful gift.

Whenever I, decide to make ravioli we always do it together because we make it in large quantities for two families and two meals. My beta and his sister will want to take it for tiffin. We really enjoying making it. So let's go to the recipe.

Sending this to Mir, who is hosting my Kid's Delight, themed on "Pizzas, Pastas n Noodles".

Ingredients
For the ravioli dough
1/2 cup semolina - the superfine variety
1/2 cup maida
1/8 tsp salt
1/4 cup hot water

For the filling
250 Grams Paneer - Freshly made
1 Big Bundle of Palak - blanched and chopped
1 Teaspoon Garlic powder
1/2 Teaspoon Oregano
A pinch of salt

For the sauce
12 Tomatoes - large, firm and ripe
12 Flakes Garlic - finely chopped
1 Large Onion - finely chopped
2 Tablespoon Tomato Ketchup
1 Teaspoon Mixed Italian Herbs
1 Teaspoon Chilli flakes
1 Teaspoon Oregano
2 Tablespoon Fresh Parsley - finely chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste
12 Basil Leaves

1/4 Cup Olive oil
Cheese - grated for serving
Method

In a small mixer jar add the 1/4 cup water and the semolina, mix well keep it aside for an hour or more. Then grind to fine paste.

Simply mix the two flours together and then begin to add warm water if required, mixing until you obtain a stiff dough. Once you obtain a workable dough, knead on a lightly floured surface for 10 to 15 minutes until the dough is very smooth and stiff. Wrap in plastic wrap and let is rest for 15 minutes.

In the meantime prepare the filling

Mix the filling ingredients and keep aside.

If you are using a pasta roller, take your flattened tennis ball-sized piece of dough (remember to keep the rest of your dough covered with the cling film so it doesn't go dry and crusty). Push it through the pasta roller on the widest setting. Fold it, then repeat 3 times. Once you have a rough square shape, start working it through the machine, taking it down one setting at a time, until the thinnest (or last but one) setting. If your pasta is too sticky, it won’t go through smoothly, so add a little flour to each side before you put it through the roller.

Place your sheet of pasta on a floured surface. Put a small portion of the filling in half of the ravioli rounds. Dip your finger in water and apply it to the edges of each ravioli.

 

Place the other half ravioli rounds over it and cut with a cookie cutter or a knife ( see pics). 

Pick it up and press lightly to ensure that it is sealed. Place it on a well floured surface. Allow them to dry out for at least 20 minutes. 

Boiling the ravioli
Place a large vessel of salted water on heat. Allow to boil. Lower the heat and slip in the prepared ravioli rounds in the water and cook for 3-4 minutes. They will sink immediately and start floating in a minute or two. Flip them over once if required. Remove them from the water with a slotted spoon and allow to drain, toss them with some olive oil so that they do not stick.

For the Sauce 

Wash and dry the tomatoes. Sprinkle the garlic flakes, along with it. Apply olive oil and roast in oven at 250 C until the skin starts tearing. Remove from oven and keep aside until cool. Peel off the skin then chop half and puree the other half. Fry a large onion minced well in olive oil, add the roasted chopped garlic cloves. Add salt, pepper powder, tomato ketchup, the herbs and let it simmer for 15 minutes. When the sauce it slightly thick then add the torn fresh basil leaves, chili flakes, oregano and fresh parsley stir. Switch off the flame.

Serving
Place the warm ravioli in the serving plate. Top with the warm sauce. add grated cheese on top and serve. Toss it in the sauce and relish. 

We had the ravioli for dinner one serving with cheese and one with little cheese. The verdict, my hubby and me like it without cheese because the creaminess of the filling was just yum.

Check out the Blogging Marathon page for the other Blogging Marathoners doing BM#46.

Notes :

Do not overfill the ravioli. While sealing the ravioli, you need to ensure that there are no air bubbles in it. If there are air bubbles, the ravioli will float immediately while boiling and burst.

To ensure that you get it right, prepare a single ravioli round and slip into the water. Check .. it sinks and then floats.


Labels: Pasta & Noodles, Healthy, Blogging Marathon, Ravioli, Roasted Tomato, Sauces, International Cuisine