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Bollitos pelones
Bollitos pelones: beef-stuffed corn dumplings simmered in tomato sauce
Bollitos pelones are proper home cooking from central Venezuela: little balls of corn dough tinted with onoto, stuffed with a spoonful of spiced minced beef and simmered in a light tomato sauce until the dough firms. Mothers make them for school-day lunches with white rice, and they reheat well. The common mistake is stirring the pot, which breaks the balls apart. Chef's tip: give the pan a gentle shake instead of stirring, and don't touch them for the first 10 minutes.
- Total time
- 75 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the filling
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ onionfinely chopped
- 2 cloves garliccrushed
- 2 ají dulce (sweet chilli peppers)chopped
- 10 ½ oz beef mince
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tbsp tomato purée
- 1 tsp saltdivided
For the dough
- 1 ½ cups warm water
For the sauce
- 1 onionchopped
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 ¾ lb chopped tomatoes2 tins
- 1 ¼ cups water
- 1 pinch sugar
- ⅓ oz fresh corianderchopped
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Heat 1 tbsp vegetable oil and fry ½ onion, 2 cloves garlic and 2 ají dulce (sweet chilli peppers) for 5 minutes. Add 10 ½ oz beef mince, ½ tsp ground cumin, 1 tbsp tomato purée and half of ½ tsp salt and fry, breaking it up, for 8 minutes, until browned and no pink remains (160°F). Cool.
13 minStep 2: Mix 1 ½ cups warm water, 1 tbsp annatto (onoto) oil or ground annatto and the rest of ½ tsp salt, then work in 9 oz pre-cooked white cornmeal (harina de maíz precocida) and knead into a soft, smooth dough. Rest for 5 minutes.
7 minStep 3: Take a golf-ball piece of dough, flatten it in your palm, put a heaped teaspoon of filling in the centre and close it into a smooth ball. Repeat to make about 16.
15 minStep 4: For the sauce, fry 1 onion and 2 cloves garlic in 2 tbsp vegetable oil in a wide pan for 5 minutes, add 1 ¾ lb chopped tomatoes, 1 ¼ cups water and 1 pinch sugar and bring to a simmer.
8 minStep 5: Lower the bollitos into the sauce in one layer, cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes, shaking the pan now and then, until the dough is firm and cooked through when one is cut open.
20 minStep 6: Scatter with ⅓ oz fresh coriander and serve with rice.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 520 kcal
- Protein
- 24 g
- Carbs
- 62 g
- Fat
- 19 g
- Fibre
- 5 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bollitos pelones take?
- About 75 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 45 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
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