Traditional Latin American dishes add spice to your meals
Elotes Mexicanos (Mexican grilled street corn)
Mexican cuisine uses diverse flavors to make plain corn creamy, savory and even spicy. Elote is a typical Mexican street food. You’ll see it everywhere in the streets of Mexico City, sold next to tacos on street carts. The sweet, tender corn kernels are covered by soft Mexican crema. A small layer of cotija (dry Mexican cheese) is sprinkled on top as a light savory layer. And finally, the chili powder on the outermost layer gives the ultimate explosive taste with every single bite.
Ingredients:
6 to 8 medium ears sweet corn, husks removed
½ cup Mexican crema (Substitute: sour cream)
½ cup mayonnaise
½ cup chopped cilantro
1 clove garlic, minced
¼ tsp. ground chipotle pepper, to taste
2 tsp. finely grated lime zest from 1 lime
2 tbsp. lime juice (from 1 lime)
½ cup cotija cheese, crumbled (Substitute: grated Parmesan or crumbled feta)
Lime wedges, to serve
Directions:
In a bowl, whisk together the crema, mayonnaise, cilantro, garlic, chipotle pepper, lime zest and lime juice. Taste and season the mixture with salt if needed. Set aside.
Place the husked corn directly onto grill grates. Grill the corn for about 3 minutes, undisturbed, or until kernels begin to turn golden brown and look charred. Turn corn over and repeat. When all sides are browned, remove from the grill.
Using a brush or a spoon, coat each ear of corn with the crema mixture. Sprinkle with cheese and additional chipotle pepper, if desired. Serve immediately with extra lime wedges.
Source: Simply Recipes
Argentinian Beef Empanadas
Ingredients:
3 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
2 lb. ground beef (20% fat)
2 medium onions, chopped
2 small red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
3 tbsp. ground cumin
2 tbsp. sweet paprika
1 tbsp. dried oregano
¼ tsp. cayenne pepper
1½ cups low-sodium chicken stock or broth
2 tsp. sugar
½ cup raisins
3 packages (12 each) puff pastry dough for turnovers/empanadas
½ cup pitted green olives, rinsed well and cut in half lengthwise
Directions:
Heat 2 tbsp. oil in a large pot over high heat. Cook ground beef, breaking up with a spoon, until browned but not completely cooked through, 6-8 minutes. Transfer beef to a medium bowl with a slotted spoon, leaving as much fat in pan as possible.
Reduce heat to medium and cook chopped onion and pepper with remaining 1 tbsp. oil, stirring, until tender but not browned, 6-8 minutes. Season vegetables with salt and black pepper, cumin, sweet paprika, dried oregano, and cayenne pepper. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add chicken stock and reserved beef, along with any accumulated juices to pot. Stir in sugar, 4 tsp. salt and ¼ tsp. black pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring and scraping up any brown bits if needed. Stir in raisins. Transfer to a medium bowl, cover, and chill at least 3 hours. (Note: Beef filling can be made 3 days ahead and refrigerated until ready to use.)
Preheat oven to 375°. Let puff pastry dough sit at room temperature 15 minutes to temper. Remove 6 rounds from package, keeping plastic divider underneath, and arrange on a work surface. Place 2 tbsp. filling
in the center of each round. Top with 2 olive halves. Brush water around half of outer edge of each round.
Using plastic divider to help you, fold round over filling and pinch edges to seal. Using a fork, crimp edges. Remove plastic and transfer empanada to a parchment-lined sheet tray, spacing 1” apart. Repeat with remaining rounds (about 12 empanadas on each tray).
Bake empanadas, rotating tray halfway through, until golden brown and slightly darker around the edges, 25-35 minutes. (Unbaked empanadas can be made 3 months ahead, and frozen on a sheet tray.)
Source: EatingWell
