Salvadorean Hotdog

What is more American than hot dogs? – At least that’s what I used to think.

I remember the first time I proudly served Carlos hot dogs. They were perfectly grilled in a nice soft bun. On the table – ketchup, mustard and relish so he could put whichever combination he liked. After we ate I asked him what he thought of our dinner. His response? “They were okay… but I like the hot dogs in El Salvador better.”

Qué qué?! Hot dogs in El Salvador? … When I was actually able to accept that they do indeed eat hot dogs in El Salvador, (and I later found out that there are variations around the world!), I refused to accept that they could be better than AMERICAN hot dogs – because hot dogs are from “AMERICA.” … {Star Spangled Banner plays in the background} … I never knew how patriotic I was until he insulted our hot dogs.

Well, over the years, I’ve come to accept that even though I’ve brainwashed him into liking peanut butter and jelly and other such American delicacies, he will always believe Salvadoran hot dogs are superior to American hot dogs. He still talks about the hot dog vendors in the streets of El Salvador in the same way one would wistfully describe a beloved girlfriend they had left behind.

I have even tried to accommodate my husband by preparing the hot dogs in a more Salvadoran fashion. Per Carlos’s instructions, this involves:

• Slicing the hot dogs in a spiral
• Making sure the hot dog is cooked well done (either grilled or fried in oil)
• Toasting the bun
• Preparing a cabbage & mustard topping

I don’t know if that is officially a “Salvadoran hot dog” – but that’s how he’s asked me to make them. Here is how I make the cabbage topping.

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Salvadoran Cabbage Topping for Hot Dogs

You need:

1/2 a small cabbage head shredded
yellow mustard
salt and pepper
oil

Method:

Heat a few tablespoons of cooking oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Add cabbage – frying while stirring for a minute. Add a few tablespoons of mustard. Continue to cook until cabbage caramelizes a bit, but don’t cook until soggy. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve on top of hot dogs.

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As for Suegra, she goes one step further – she eats her hot dog inside of a tortilla.

FUN MEXICAN RECIPES

Tired of boring lunches?  It can be tough finding new ways to use familiar ingredients. So you have to try this easy lunchtime Poblano grilled cheese sandwich with Oaxaca cheese and Spanish chorizo. The rajas or strips of charred Poblano peppers provides a mild heat to this hearty grilled cheese sandwich while the smoked Spanish chorizo adds a rich savory element making this a decadent meal perfect for sharing…if you can.

CHECK OUT OUR AMIGOS AT LATIN FOODIE

Grilled Cheese Sandwich with Oaxaca Cheese, Poblano Peppers, and Spanish Chorizo
Serves 1

Ingredients:
1 Poblano pepper
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon olive oil
3 to 4 ounces of Oaxaca cheese, shredded
¼ red onion, thinly sliced
2 slices good quality sourdough bread
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 link Spanish chorizo

Procedure:
1. Rub the Poblano pepper with 1 teaspoon olive oil and char over a flame on your stove until completely blackened. Place in a plastic bag for five minutes. Remove from bag and peel off the charred skin. Cut the pepper into thin strips and set aside.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small sauté pan; add the sliced red onion and cook until translucent about 3-5 minutes.  Reserve.

3. Thinly slice the Spanish chorizo lengthwise.

4. Lightly butter one side of the two sour dough bread slices. Heat a frying pan over medium-low heat. Place a slice of the bread with the butter down in the frying pan.

5. Assemble the sandwich in the frying pan, layering all of the ingredients. Top with the other slice of bread with the buttered side up.

6. Heat sandwich until the bread is golden brown and the cheese starts to melt. Be careful turning the sandwich over as you do not want all of the ingredients to fall out. Cut in half and enjoy.

Fried Empanada Recipe

Empanadas are a tradition in Mexico and across Latin America. These fried dough hot pockets can be filled with everything from Carne, Chicken to Pork. It’s easy to make and you’ll ove the flavor. Enjoy!

Prep Time: 1 Hour
Cook Time: 20 Minutes
Ready In: 2 Hours 20 Minutes
Servings: 24
“These fried empanadas are the best! Raisins and eggs make this recipe extra delicious believe it or not!”
INGREDIENTS:
4 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup shortening
1 1/4 cups water, or as needed

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 1/2 pounds ground beef
1 pinch salt
2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup raisins
1 tablespoon white vinegar
2 hard-cooked eggs, peeled and chopped
1 quart oil for frying, or as needed
DIRECTIONS:
1.In a medium bowl, stir together the flour and salt. Cut in shortening using a pastry blender, or pinching into small pieces using your fingers, until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Use a fork to stir in water a few tablespoons at a time, until the mixture forms a ball. Pat into a ball, and flatten slightly. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.2.Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until tender. Crumble in the beef, and season with salt, paprika, cumin and black pepper. Cook, stirring frequently, until beef is browned. Drain excess grease, and stir in the raisins and vinegar. Refrigerate until chilled, then stir in the hard-cooked eggs.3.Form the dough into 2 inch balls. On a floured surface, roll each ball out into a thin circle. Spoon some of the meat mixture onto the center, then fold into half-moon shapes. Seal edges by pressing with your fingers.4.Heat oil in a deep-fryer to 365 degrees F (180 degrees C). Place one or two pies into the fryer at a time. Cook for about 5 minutes, turning once to brown on both sides. Drain on paper towels, and serve hot.

Sweet Raisin Tamale Recipe

Arroz Gandules Recipe

This is a traditional Puerto Rican Recipe brought to you by our Amigos at Rican Recipes

Ingredients

1 lb. raw medium or long grain rice

1 15 oz. can gandules (pigeon peas)

2 1/2 tbsp. sofrito*

2 envelopes sazón seasoning with achiote 

2 tbsp. Manzanilla olives

1 1/2 tsp. capers

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 8 oz. can tomato sauce

1 envelope onion soup* (my secret)

16 oz. water

Directions Place the vegetable oil, sofrito, sazón with achiote, gandules, olives, capers, onion soup and tomato sauce in a big pot.

Thoroughly wash rice and add to the other ingredients.

Pour water over the ingredients and stir well.

(Water should be about 1 inch above the ingredients).

Boil on medium high until all the water is absorbed.

Reduce heat to low and cover the pot with aluminum foil* and lid.

Cook for 35-40 minutes, depending on your stove.

Serve with pasteles or tostones.TipsIf you use onion soup, it will give your rice a better flavor and there is no need to use salt.

Rule of thumb: Add 1 1/4 tbsp. of sofrito for every cup of rice you are cooking.

Placing aluminum foil over the pot of rice. It gives the grains a chance to all pop evenly.

(Another one of my secrets).

Potato Pie Con QUESO Dulce

This is a great recipe on The Hispanic Food Network we know you’ll love. It comes from Costa Rica. Where the scenery, food and people are as beautiful as the coast line they live on. This Sweet Pie with Queso will warm the soul.
FROM OUR AMIGA AT LAYLITA’S RECIPES

En Español [1]

This recipe for sweet potato patties stuffed with cheese is a variation of the popular Ecuadorian potato llapingachos. Llapingachos [2] are usually made with regular potatoes and are cooked on a griddle until crispy brown on each side. The sweet potato patties are great to serve for breakfast or brunch. You can also serve them with additional side dishes to make a full lunch meal, or make them bite size to serve as appetizers. The sweet potatoes are boiled and mashed, then mixed with a refrito or sofrito of onions and achiote/annatto. The mashed sweet potatoes are then stuffed with cheese – you can use your choice of quesillo, queso fresco, mozzarella, or any cheese that you like -, and formed into patties. Cooking the patties on the griddle is a little bit tricky since they are very delicate and fragile. My recommendation is to make sure the griddle is very hot and try to only turn them once, they are less likely to crumble if they get a nice sear. They take about 5-7 minutes on each side, but this might vary based on the griddle you are using. After the first one, you’ll probably have a better idea of how much time they need on each side. If you don’t have a griddle, you can also use a frying pan, it’s just a little harder to flip them over.

These llapingachos de camote or sweet potato patties are served with an Ecuadorian savory peanut sauce or salsa de mani. I also served them with some cebollas encurtidas or lime pickled red onions on top – the tanginess of the onions combines perfectly with the creaminess of the peanut sauce and the sweetness of the sweet potato. You can also add some avocado slices or diced avocado on top. If you want to make this a complete meal, serve it with some lettuce leaves, tomato slices, fried eggs or eggs cooked on the griddle, and some chorizo sausages.

Related recipes:

Recipe for salsa de mani or peanut sauce [3]

Recipe for cebollas encurtidas or pickled red onions [4]

Print [5]
Sweet potato patties stuffed with cheese {Llapingachos de camote}

Yield: ~ 12 medium sized llapingachos
Recipe for sweet potato patties stuffed with cheese, or llapingachos de camote, made with mashed sweet potatoes, onion and achiote refrito, and cheese. Serve topped with peanut sauce and pickled red onions.

Ingredients

• 6-7 sweet potatoes, about 3 pounds, peeled and cut in large chunks
• 2 tablespoon oil or butter
• ½ cup finely chopped white onion
• 1-2 teaspoons ground achiote
• 1 cup grated quesillo, queso fresco or mozzarella cheese – or a mix
• Salt to taste

To serve:

• Salsa de mani or peanut sauce [6]
• Curtido de cebollas or lime pickled red onions [7]
• Aji or hot sauce
• Avocado slices
• Fried eggs and grilled chorizo (for a complete meal)

Instructions

1. Boil the sweet potatoes until soft, about 20 minutes.
2. Heat the oil or butter over medium heat in a frying pan, add the onions and achiote, cook until the onions are soft, about 5 minutes.
3. Mash the sweet potatoes with the onion achiote mix, add salt to taste.
4. Cover the mashed sweet potatoes and let it sit at room temperature for about an hour.
5. Make small golf size balls with the sweet potato mash.
6. Make a hole in the middle of each ball and fill it with the grated or crumbled cheese.
7. Gently shape the dough into thick patties and let rest in the refrigerator for about ½ to 1 hour (if you have the time).
8. Cook the patties on a hot griddle until browned on each side, about 5-7 minutes per side – adjust based on the temperature of your griddle. Turn them gently as they are very delicate.
9. Serve with salsa de mani or peanut sauce [6], lime pickled red onions, avocado slices and hot sauce.

Easy Mexican Meatballs With Chipotle

Albondigas al Chipotle

Ingredients:

• 1/2 pound ground pork
• 1/2 pound ground beef
• 1/4 cup dry bread crumbs, plain
• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup onion, finely chopped
• 10 to 12 roma tomatoes
• 2 dried ancho chilies
• 2 to 3 chipotle peppers in adobo

Directions:
In a medium mixing bowl, mix together the ground pork, ground beef, bread crumbs, egg, garlic, onion and cilantro.  Season with salt and pepper.  Mix ingredients until well combined.

1 Shape meat mixture into 1-1/2 inch balls.  Place on a plate and refrigerate until ready to use.

2 Place the tomatoes and dried ancho chilies in a medium saucepan or pot.  Fill saucepan with enough water to cover the tomatoes.  Bring to boil, over high heat.  Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

5 Remove the stems and seeds from the chilies.  Place cooked chilies in a blender cup with the chipotles.  Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked tomatoes to the blender cup.  Puree the chilies and tomatoes until smooth.

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4 Pour puree mixture into a 2 quart saucepan.  Add 1-1/2 cups of the liquid in which the tomatoes were cooked.  Season with salt and mix well.

5 Brink sauce to a boil over medium heat.  Carefully add the meatballs to the sauce.  Cover and let simmer over medium-low heat for about 30 minutes.  Serve over cooked spaghetti or Sopa de Arroz Blanco (white rice). Enjoy!

For a Torta de Albondigas al Chipotle (Chipotle Meatball Sandwich) serve meatballs and sauce over a toasted bolillo roll.  Top with your favorite cheese (I like queso fresco and/or Oaxaca cheese.) and broil in the oven for a few minutes until the cheese melts.  Top with fresh chopped cilantro.  Enjoy! 
VISIT THE HFNTV YOUTUBE PAGE TO SEE THE VIDEO
FROM OUR AMIGA AT LESLIE’S KITCHEN

Favorite Hispanic Food Network Food Blogs

These are some of my favorite Hispanic food blogs. Through extensive research I’ve compiled the best blogs on the web. Here you’ll find everything from Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican and Spanish Recipes…to everything in between. If there’s a food blog that you like please let us know in the comment box. Click here to find you next favorite Hispanic blog.

Arroz Con Gandules Recipe

Any special occasion meal in Puerto Rico would not be complete without Arroz con Gandules. Afterall, Rice with Pigeon Peas is Puerto Rico’s national dish. This recipe is a rice and pea dish seasoned with sofrito and diced ham

See Also: Yellow Rice and Corn- Arroz Amarillo y Maiz- Yellow Rice and Pink Beans
Moros y Cristianos Recipe – Black Beans & White Rice
INGREDIENTS

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup sofrito
• 1/2 cup chopped ham (or cooked pork pieces)
• 2 cups rice
• 4 cups water
• 1 packet sazón
• 1 15-ounce can Pigeon Peas/Gandules (drained and rinsed)

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 45 minutes

• Total Time: 55 minutes

PREPARATION1. Heat olive oil in a 6-quart pot. Saute the sofrito and chopped ham for 1 minute.2. Add the rice, water, sazón and gandules.

3. Bring to a boil. Let boil for 2 to 3 minutes.

4. Cover, reduce heat to medium low, and cook for 35 to 40 minutes.

Tip: Do not use a lid with a vent that allows the steam to escape. Never lift the lid while cooking.

5. When finished cooking, stir the rice before serving. It should be light and fluffy.

Servings: 4 to 6 people.

Mexican Carne Asada Recipe

This is another easy Mexican Recipe we know you’ll love!

Makes 6 to 8 servings

ingredients

• 8 poblano chiles
• 2 bunches green onions (about 12), dark green tops trimmed
• 2 pounds skirt steak, cut crosswise into 6-inch-wide pieces
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• Coarse kosher salt
• Corn or flour tortillas
• 2 avocados, peeled, pitted, sliced
• Lime wedges
• Salsa

preparationPrepare barbecue (high heat). Grill chiles and onions until charred all over, about 3 minutes for onions and 5 minutes for chiles. Transfer onions to plate; tent with foil. Transfer chiles to large bowl; cover with plastic and let stand 15 minutes. Peel and seed; cut into 1-inch-wide strips. Transfer to plate; tent with foil.

Rub steak with garlic; sprinkle with coarse salt and pepper. Grill until cooked to desired doneness, about 3 minutes per side for medium. Transfer to work surface; cool 5 minutes. Grill tortillas until warm and slightly charred, about 10 seconds per side. Cut steak crosswise into strips; transfer to plate.

Serve steak with tortillas, chiles, green onions, avocado slices, lime wedges, and Salsa Mexicana.