Hallacas Recipe on blog

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Hallacas Recipe

Prep: 2 hrs 30 mins

Cook: 2 hrs

Total: 4 hrs 30 mins

Servings: 12 servings

Yield: 12 Hallacas

If you're familiar with Mexican-style tamales, hallacas are very similar. Hallacas are from Venezuela, and like tamales, they are made with a corn meal-based dough. They are wrapped in natural packaging and then cooked in a large pot of simmering water. Unlike tamales, however, the dough is made with pre-cooked corn meal flour (like P.A.N.) flavored with annatto instead of masa harina or fresh masa. Annatto seeds come from the achiote tree. It adds a mildly peppery, nutty, floral flavor, and tints foods an orange or bright yellow color.

Another difference is that hallacas are wrapped in banana leaves rather than corn husks. Their flavorful filling often includes raisins, capers, and olives. Mexican tamales are sometimes wrapped and cooked in banana leaves as well. Banana leaves should be thawed at room temperature before using. Once thawed, rinse the leaves and gently wipe them clean in the direction of the leaf's vein. Pat the leaf dry with paper towels (again, in the direction of the leaf) before using.

Hallacas are most often cooked around Christmastime. The entire extended family gathers to make them, grandparents, aunts, uncles cousins, and this makes hallacas both a much-anticipated dish and a ritual for the holidays.

"Hallacas are one of those dishes you make for a special event or holiday. I would really recommend enlisting the help of family or friends to form an assembly line when building these. I love the flavor and aroma the banana leaves give these hallacas. Your house will smell incredible after making these." — Jacqueline Tris

Ingredients

For the Dough

1 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons annatto seeds

3 1/2 cups pre-cooked corn meal, such as P.A.N., more as needed

3 cups water

For the Guiso Filling

1/4 medium coarsely chopped white onion

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

3 1/2 ounces diced bacon

1/2 coarsely chopped red bell pepper

9 ounces boneless pork leg, diced into small pieces

9 ounces boneless beef shank, diced into small pieces

3 cups water

1/2 cup red wine

2 teaspoons sea salt

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh parsley

1/2 cup raisins, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup pitted green olives, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup capers, rinsed, drained, and coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon paprika

For Assembling the Hallacas

Banana leaves, thawed if frozen, and cleaned

1 small white onion, sliced crosswise into rings

1 small red bell pepper, sliced lengthwise into 1/4-inch strips

1 cup pitted green olives, coarsely chopped

1/2 cup capers, coarsely chopped

3/4 cup raisins

Steps to Make It

Make the Masa

Gather the ingredients.

Heat the oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat for 3 minutes, then add the annatto seeds, remove from the heat, and let cool, about 30 minutes. Swirl the oil to mix. Strain and discard the seeds. Reserve half of the oil for the masa and half for the filling.

Add corn meal to a large bowl with 2 cups of water and 1/2 cup annatto-infused oil. Stir to combine, then knead the mixture in the bowl by hand.

Gradually add enough of the remaining water a bit at a time and continue kneading until the dough is smooth, and soft enough to shape into a ball without any cracks on the surface. Cover in plastic or with a damp towel until ready to use. Alternatively, if the dough is too wet, add more corn meal 1 teaspoons at a time until you reach the proper consistency.