Subject: Hallacas
From: Jodie Kain <[email-masked]>
Date: 21 Feb 1997 21:07:42 -0700
Newsgroups: rec.food.recipes

>From: Runner <[email-masked]>
>We would like a Venezuelan recipe for hallacas.  Thank you.

Hallacas

serves 6

1.5 lb diced beef
1.5 lb diced pork
2 cups water
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup canned chickpeas
3 Tb olive oil
4 tomatoes, chopped
4 onions, chopped
2 green peppers, chopped
1/2 tsp dried ground chili peppers
4 Tb chopped parsley
4 tsp salt
3 Tb vinegar
1 tsp sugar
2 tsp capers
1/2 cup seedless raisins
1/2 cup sliced stuffed olives
3 cups corn meal
4 cups boiling water
1/3 cup butter
2 eggs, beaten

Combine the beef, pork, water, and garlic in a saucepan. Bring to a boil
and cook over medium heat for 45 minutes. Drain and chop coarsely. Add the
chickpeas, mixing lightly.  Heat the oil in a large skillet. Add the
tomatoes, onions, peppers, chili, parsley, 2 tsp of the salt, vinegar,
sugar, and the meat mixture. Cook over low heat for 15 mins, stirring
occasionally. Add the capers, raisins, and olives. Mix lightly. Set
aside. 

Mix the corn meal with a little cold water. Add to the boiling water in a
saucepan, stirring constantly. Add the butter and remaining salt. Cook over
low heat for 15 mins. Remove from the heat and add the eggs, beating until
a smooth dough is formed. Butter a 3-quart round or square baking dish.
Line it with 2/3 of the corn meal mixture and pour the meat mixture into
it. Spread the remaining corn meal on top. Cover the dish with a piece of
foil and tie it. Place in a pan of water. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 1
hour.

In Venezuela the dish is prepared in the form of tamales. Banana leaves are
used for wrapping the hallacas, but foil or parchment paper will serve as a
substitute. Cut 10-inch squares of either paper. Spread about 4 Tb of the
corn meal dough in the center and press as thin as possible. Place 2 Tb of
the meat mixture on the dough and fold over, sealing the edges as well as
possible. If the dough breaks, patch it with a little more dough. Fold the
paper around the hallacas carefully and tie it securely. If foil is used,
it is not necessary to tie it. Boil in a large saucepan of salted water for
1.5 hours. Serve in the papers.

~~~
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