Recipe Bollos Pelones (Stuffed Venezuelan Corn Dumplings)

[karadekoolaid]

Ingredients.
For the meat stuffing:
225 gms minced beef (or pork)
3 slices bacon, finely diced
1 small red pepper (or 8 "ají dulce - sweet chiles), finely diced
1 medium white onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium tin chopped tomatoes
6-8 green olives, diced
2 tbsps small capers
1 cup red wine
Salt, pepper, pinch of cumin
For the dough:
(approx.) 325 gms "Harina PAN" (Venezuelan arepa flour) or polenta flour
600 mls stock (Chicken, beef, or veggie)
1 tbsp oil
For the Sauce:
1 small onion, diced
1 small red bell pepper, diced
1/2 tin tomatoes + 2 tbsps tomato paste
2 tsps minced garlic
Salt

Method:

• In a large pan, pour in a little oil and sauté the onion, peppers and garlic until they begin to soften.
• Add the chopped bacon and minced beef and fry gently until well cooked.
• Now add all the other ingredients for the meat filling and cook, stirring occasionally, until the mixture is almost dry. Set aside.
• Pour the corn/arepa flour into a large bowl and add the stock and oil. Mix together until the ingredients come together as a thick dough. Leave to rest for about 5-10 minutes.
• For the tomato sauce, gently fry the onion, red pepper and garlic together until soft. Add the tomatoes, salt and tomato paste and cook until soft. Blend the sauce until smooth, adding a little extra hot water to thin the sauce a bit.
• Take a piece of dough and roll into a ball a bit bigger than a golf ball. Flatten the ball and fill with some of the meat mixture, Close up the ball carefully and set aside. Make all the dumplings like this.
• Meanwhile, boil a large pan of salted water. Drop the dumplings gently into the water and cook for about 15 minutes, or until they float to the surface. Remove carefully with a slotted spoon and set aside to drain for a while. The dumplings will firm up a bit.
• Serve covered in the sauce.
• 

 

[CraigC]

I make a stuffed potato dumpling for sauerbraten called Kartoffelclosse (German). I've never made Papa Rellena like the Cubans do. I do like Arepas, so I will probably try your recipe! Have you ever had Puerto Rican Mofongo made with plantains in a pilon?

 

[karadekoolaid]

Have you ever had Puerto Rican Mofongo made with plantains in a pilon?

Yep.Spent a week in Puerto Rico in 1997 and got fed all sorts of stuff!

 

[Timenspace]

Drop the dumplings gently into the water and cook for about 15 minutes, or until they float to the surface.

Oh wow, corn flour, right along my alley, I've just copied the recipe into my notes, will try to cook them as soon as possible, thank you! It must be amazing.