Catracho Cooking

Typical Honduran food

Nacatamales

Ingredients:

• maize flour
• pork meat
• pork butter
• chopped or liquefied sweet
• pepper, onion and cilantro
• garlic
• salt and pepper
• achiote
• baked potatoes cut in small squares
• raisins
• olives
• baked rice
• capers
• plantain leaves and mecate.

The Dough

Combine half of the maize dough with salt, pepper, and achiote and the other half without achiote so that the nacatamal will have two colors. Add water and melted pork butter, cook everything afterwards leaving the dough a little firm.

The “Recado”

Liquefy the onions, tomatoes, sweet peppers, and garlic all together. Once they are liquefied mix them with the dough, and add more salt and pepper and a bit of spicy chili if you wish.

The Meat

The pig meat is marinated with the liquefied ingredients and it is put to cook until it is soft.

The Rest of the Ingredients

The potatoes are cooked in small squares and the rice is prepared like always. The other things as they are.

Time to put together this “Hot Tamale”

Put a big spoonful of the two types of dough in the center of the plantain leaf, the size of the nacatamal is your decision. Dig a hole in the dough and put a piece of pork meat, the “recado,” the rest of the vegetables and the rice. Wrap the tamale with the dry plantain leaf and tie it with the “mecate” or small piece of thin rope. Now they are ready to cook! Put several plantain leaves on the bottom of the pot and then put the nacatamales by layers covering them with water. In three hours, more or less, and with strong fire they can be ready to eat.

Some eat the nacatamal with drops of hot chile and lemon. Some serve with chili and drops to it as lemon. This is a Honduran tradition that is always served on the table and we hope that someday you can enjoy this delicacy and, if you have already tried it, send your commentaries on the matter.

Classical Rompopo

Ingredients:

• 1 litre milk
• 12 egg yolks
• 55g sugar
• 30 g cinnamon sticks
• 2 cloves
• 2 peppercorns
• 250 ml strong white liquor (aguardiente or rum)

Preparation

In a big pot, boil milk together with sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves. In a bowl separate yolks and whites, and beat the yolks until they change colour. Cook the milk and yolks at medium heat, stirring constantly until the mixture loses its egg flavour. Let it cool and add the liquor. Keep eggnog in a sterilized glass bottle and refrigerate. Do not add ice when serving eggnog. It is a creamy sweet beverage, perfect for a cool evening.

Rice and Beans by Karen Montes

Rice and beans is a dish that has a unique preparation depending on the area . The main ingredients are rice and beans of course, but for example in the center area they add it a prepared tomato sauce, in the Caribbean zone like SPS, Ceiba, Trujillo they add it the special ingredient coconut milk.

Ingredients

• 1 cup of already cooked beans
• 1 1/2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 fresh celery , finely chopped
• 1 onion finely chopped
• 2 cups unsweetened coconut milk
• 1 cup uncooked rice
• 1 1/4 cup water
• 3 tbsp of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 tablespoon sugar
• Salt and ground black pepper

Preparation:

Prepare the rice as you always do but instead of adding just water you have to combine 1 cup of coconut milk with 1 cup of water for 1 cup of rice. Then in a medium saucepan fry with the oil the rest of the ingredients for 5 minutes then add the other cup of coconut milk. Cook covered over medium heat until all the liquids are absorbed, about 15 minutes. Serves six and is ready in about 1 hour.

San Pedro Sula Simmered Beef

Use this as a decilious taco or tortilla filling.

(6) Servings

• 1 lb. bottom round of beef (any good cut will work).  Trim any excess fat
• 2 T. olive oil
• 1 small chopped onion
• 4 cloves minced garlic – (we are heavy on garlic; you can back off)
• 1/8 C white flour
• 1 can (14-15 oz.) stewed tomatoes (preferably with green chilis)
• 1 can (7 oz.) diced green chilis (fresh is even better – poblanos are mild and work well)
• 1 jalapeño – diced (carefully washing hands after dicing)
• ¼ C water
• 1/4 C red wine (increase water amount above if you as a 'purist' choose not to use wine)
• ½ t. oregano
• 1/2 t cumin
• Salt to taste.  Don't overdo. 

If you are using canned vegetables, often the salt from them is sufficient.

Preparation:

Cut meat into 1 inch pieces.  Brown meat in olive oil. Add onion and garlic, cooking until soft.

Sprinkle the flour over the browned meat; cook 2 minutes. Then, add remaining ingredients.  Stir. cover and simmer on very low for 1 to 1.5 hours, checking and adding water/wine as needed. Stir occasionally (every time you yell at the kids seems to work well).

To serve, garnish with sour cream (or plain, unsweetened yogurt) on tortillas/tacos with cheese, lettuce, diced tomatoes, your favorite finishings.

Pan de Coco

The recipe is really simple

the yeast dough is made with coconut milk and further coco flakes are added to the dough. The dough is then made into little rolls and backed. They will then be served lukewarm on a mirror of pineapple, papaya or mango mousse together with a bowl of coconut ice cream. You could also use lemon balm to garnish the dish.

Tres Leches

Amount for 1 backing tray -Ingredients

• 300 grams flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 200 grams sugar
• 1 pinch of salt, 1/2 packet of vanilla sugar
• 125 grams butter
• 6 eggs
• 2 cups (225 ml) condensed milk
• 1 cup (225 ml) milk
• 1 spoon rum
• 500 ml cream
• 1/2 packet vanilla sugar
• 1 Spoon sugar

Preparation

Preheat oven to 175°C. Stir together butter, sugar, salt and vanilla sugar until frothy and then stir in egg after egg and then flour and baking powder. Put the dough into a greased backing form or tray and bake it in the oven for about 30 minutes. Leave it to cool and pierce several times with fork. Now whisk together condensed milk, milk and rum and put it over the cake until it is well soaked with mixture. You might not need to use all of the mixture. Cover it with cling film and leave it in the fridge for about 3 hours.

Whisk cream with vanilla sugar and sugar until stiff and put the mixture on to the cake. Now you can cut the cake into squares and decorate it with fruits or a pinch of cinnamon.