by Becca Bloom
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Seco de Pollo
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes (6-8 in a slow cooker)
Yield: For 8 people
Seco de pollo is the first meal Jessica enjoyed on arriving to Ecuador at Abuelita’s Kitchen. It’s best described as chicken in a stewed sauce and is a typical dish enjoyed all over Ecuador. Jess thought it was delicious and I think you will too!
Ingredients:
8 pieces of chicken (thigh, breast… whichever you prefer)
2 teaspoons of ground cumin
2 tsp ground paprika (In Ecuador, we use achiote seeds or ground achiote. If you have that, great! If not, paprika works just as well.)
2-3 tablespoons of oil
1 onion, quartered
6-8 garlic cloves
1 to 2 cups of beer (Pilsener is the beer of choice here, but any light/mild flavor will do. You can substitute chicken broth if you prefer.)
1 cup of orange juice
4-6 tomatoes (1 pound), quartered
2 bell peppers, seeds removed and cut into chunks
1 bunch cilantro, save some to add at the end
1 bunch parsley leaves, save some to chop finely and add at the end
2 tsp dry oregano or 2-3 fresh oregano sprigs
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
1. Heat the oil and brown the chicken.
2. Blend together: paprika, cumin, salt, pepper, onion, garlic, beer, orange juice, tomatoes, bell peppers, cilantro, parsley, and oregano until smooth.
3. Pour the blended mixture over the chicken. Bring to a boil.
4. Reduce the heat and cook on low heat for about an hour.
*If the chicken is cooked, but sauce isn't thick yet, remove the chicken pieces, turn the heat to high and cook the sauce until it thickens (10-15 minutes).
*Once the chicken is cooked, taste the sauce to adjust salt/spices. If the flavor is slightly bitter from the beer, just add some freshly squeezed orange juice/lemon juice.
5. Once the sauce has thickened, add the chicken pieces back to the pot.
6. Serve over white rice.
Time-Saving Tip: Use a slow cooker! Put the uncooked chicken pieces and blended mixture in the slow cooker for 6-8 hours. The sauce will need thickening, so just follow the notes in step 4 until you get your desired consistency. This recipe is very forgiving, so feel free to adjust according to your taste.
Mammy’s Goofballs
Prep Time: 10 minutes for the dough and frosting
Cook Time: about 3 minutes per goofball
Yield: 30-40 (If you’re anything like me, you never get the same amount twice!)
This treat is perfect for satisfying a doughnut craving when you don’t feel like leaving home. Warning: It’s almost impossible to stop after one. Make sure you’re not alone in the room with them!
Dough Ingredients:
2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon or nutmeg (If you can’t decide, use a dash of both. I do.)
1/4 cup oil
3/4 cup milk
1 egg
Oil for frying (approx. 1-1 1/2 cups)
Frosting Ingredients:
1/2 square unsweetened chocolate (4oz)
1/4 teaspoon vanilla
1 1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 tablespoons milk
Instructions:
1. Mix together: all listed ingredients except for the frying oil. The dough should be slightly sticky.
2. Heat the oil to 350°F (or until the dough sizzles when it’s dropped in). While you can deep fry, it’s not necessary so long as half the ball is covered with oil.
3. Make teaspoon-size balls and scrape them off the spoon into the preheated frying oil. They’ll look small, but they grow as they fry.
4. Fry until golden brown (about 1 1/2 minutes) and flip them over to the other side for the same amount of time or until golden brown.
5. Melt the chocolate in the microwave or a small saucepan and mix it with all the frosting ingredients.
6. Dip the goofballs in the frosting while they’re still warm.
7. Enjoy! Buen provecho!
Baked Beef Empanadas
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Yield: 1 dozen medium-sized or 2 dozen small-sized empanadas.
These are the empanadas that nearly won Abuelita first prize in the food fair! There are many varieties of empanadas, but these are baked and much friendlier on the waistline than their fried version. I always make a double-batch and put them in the freezer for on-the-go breakfasts or a hearty snack.
Dough Ingredients:
3 cups, all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
6 oz unsalted butter (That’s 1 1/2 sticks.)
1 egg
1/4-1/2 cup milk or water
1 egg, set aside (This is for later … It does NOT go in the dough.)
Filling Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 cup onion (any color will do), diced small
1/2 cup green onions, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
1 Tbsp paprika
1/2 Tbsp ground cumin
1/4 cup cooked peas
1/4 cup diced, cooked carrots
2 hardboiled eggs, diced
1 Tbsp peanut butter (While this adds a lovely taste to the filling, please omit it if you’re allergic!)
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions: First, let’s do the filling.
1. Dice the carrots and put them in a pan to boil with the peas. Boil until the vegetables are soft, not mushy. Also, boil the eggs until they’re firm (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and set aside. Dice the eggs when they’ve cooled enough to handle.
2. Add the ground beef to a pan and mix with the onions, garlic, cilantro, paprika, and ground cumin. Cook until the beef is brown, the onions are soft, and most of the liquid has evaporated. (If the ground beef is too fatty, you may have to drain it.)
3. Mix the diced eggs, peas, and carrots into the beef mixture along with the peanut butter, salt, and pepper.
Next, let’s make the empanada dough.
1. In a food processor or mixer, mix the flour and salt together.
2. Add the butter let it blend into the flour.
3. Add the egg and milk/water (little by little — until you get a clumpy dough that won’t stick to your hands).
And now, let’s put them together.
1. Lightly dust your counter with flour and roll out the dough into a thin sheet (just as you would a pie crust).
2. Cut out the dough to your desired size. You can use a salad plate, a wide-rimmed glass, or freestyle it. The point is that it be a circle large enough to stuff with some of that yummy filling.
3. Plop a spoonful of filling into the middle of the circle. It’s easier to seal the disc if it’s not overstuffed, but there’s nothing worse than an under-stuffed empanada. You’ll have to eyeball it until you get the right proportion. (For what it’s worth, mine are ALWAYS overstuffed.)
4. Fold the disc in half over the mixture and seal with your fingers or press with a fork. If you really want them to seal, you can brush some egg white along the insides of the edges. It’s like glue!
5. Here’s where you’ll use that extra egg you set aside. Whisk it up into an egg wash to brush over the top of the empanadas before baking to give them a crispy texture.
6. Preheat the oven to 375°F and bake for 18-25 minutes (it varies depending on the size of your empanadas). They’re done once they’re a golden brown color. Buen provecho!
Time-Saving Tip: Buy empanada dough in the Latin food section of your grocery store! You can also do like Sylvia and make the
filling ahead of time to store in the fridge. The dough can be made ahead as well, but only lasts up to 2 days in the fridge.
Banana Crumb Muffins
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: about 20 minutes (varies from oven to oven)
Yield: 12
Abuelita didn’t want to like these muffins, but she scarfed down a whole batch. Then again, it’s hard not to like any dessert with gooey chunks of chocolate melted inside… These freeze really well, so I always make extra.
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 cup chocolate chips (or more… Abuelita likes to double the chocolate!)
3 mashed bananas (the riper, the better)
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1/3 cup melted butter
For the crunchy topping:
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp cinnamon (Adjust this according to your taste. I love cinnamon, so dump it in.)
1 Tbsp softened butter, soft
Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F.
2. In one bowl, mix together the: flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and chocolate chips.
3. In another bowl, mix together the: mashed bananas, sugar, vanilla, egg, and butter.
4. Mix the wet and dry ingredients together.
5. In yet another bowl, cut the ingredients together until you get crumbs.
6. Divide the batter into a greased, 12-muffin tin and sprinkle with the crumb topping.
7. Bake for 20 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Enjoy!
Beef Quinoa Soup
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Yield: For 8-10 people
Ecuador is famous for its variety of soups. This hearty, quinoa soup is one of my absolute favorites!
Ingredients:
1 cup diced onions
1 teaspoon ground achiote (paprika is a great substitute)
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 garlic cloves, diced
2 peeled, diced tomatoes (about 1 cup)
1 lb. beef chunks (boneless chuck roast is the best for tenderness)
10 cups water
4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 cup peas (If you want your soup more veggie-heavy, add up to a cup!)
1/2 cup carrots (See note above)
1 cup uncooked quinoa (yields over 2 cups when it’s cooked … enough for taste-testing)
4 tablespoons fresh parsley (dried works great, too)
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro (for this herb, fresh is best)
Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions:
1. Mix the first 6 ingredients (onions, achiote, cumin, pepper, garlic, and tomatoes) in a soup pot with 1/2 cup of water. (This is when I start cooking the quinoa so it’s ready to add in step 5.)
2. Cook until the mix is soft. In Ecuador, this mixture is called: refrito. It makes a wonderful soup base!
3. Cut the beef into bite-sized chunks and add them to the refrito, stirring occasionally until the beef is cooked through.
4. Add the water and potatoes and bring to a boil. Let the potatoes boil for 5 minutes, then add the peas and carrots. Boil for another five minutes or until all the veggies are nice and tender.
5. Add the cooked quinoa and enough salt to suit your taste buds.
6. Top with parsley and cilantro. Enjoy!
How to cook quinoa:
1. Rinse the quinoa in a fine strainer under cold water really well. This is important because it gets rid of the bitter residue.
2. Bring to a boil for 15 minutes with the lid on. (Liquid to quinoa ratio is 2:1. If you want extra flavor, cook it in your favorite broth along with some diced garlic and green onion. Yum!)
3. Turn off the burner and let it rest for 15 minutes. Resist the temptation to lift the lid!
4. Fluff with a fork and enjoy!
Banana Coffee Cupcakes
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes + time to cool (very important unless you like melty frosting)
Yield: Debatable. I get anywhere from 16 to 24.
Bananas are one of the main exports from Ecuador, so it only makes sense that Jessica would take full advantage of the bountiful fruit. Seriously though, these are DELICIOUS!
Dough Ingredients:
1-1/2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3 medium-sized bananas. The riper, the better.)
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup milk (I’ve also used sour cream or yogurt as substitutes and they worked beautifully.)
Frosting Ingredients:
1/3 cup softened butter
2-1/2 cups powdered sugar
2 to 3 tablespoons strong coffee (You can use instant coffee dissolved in milk if you don’t have any brewed.)
Instructions:
1. Mix together thoroughly: bananas, butter, sugar, and eggs. Then, add the rest of the dough ingredients and mix.
2. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease the muffin tin(s) or line it with baking cups. Fill the tin or cup until about half-full.
3. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean.
4. While that’s baking, it’s the perfect time to make the frosting.
5. Beat the butter and powdered sugar together, adding the coffee slowly until you get the desired consistency for your frosting.
6. Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting them generously (Believe me, there’s plenty of icing to go around!).
7. Enjoy! Buen provecho!
Quick Tip: If you hate frosting individual cupcakes, simply make this into a sheet cake. Grease a 13x9 inch baking dish and bake for 35-40 minutes. Once it cools, dump all the frosting on top and spread. Easy peasy!
About the Author
Becca Bloom is a budding detective, inquisitive world traveler, developing storyteller, and blossoming cozy mystery writer.
She loves happy endings and laughter and makes sure to include both in her novels.
Born and raised on the beautiful Oregon coast, she now lives high in the Andes Mountains of Ecuador with her husband and twin kids.
Other Books by Becca Bloom
Cabs, Cakes, and Corpses: Murder on the Equator, Book 1
Rum Raisin Revenge: Murder on the Equator, Book 2
Cold Case Crumble: Murder on the Equator, Book 3
Diamonds and Doughnuts: Murder on the Equator, Book 4
Chocolate Cherry Cheater: Murder on the Equator, Book 5