For the last nine weeks, I have been participating in the Culinary Tour Around the World, hosted by Joan of Foodalogue, on a journey south of the border. We have virtually traveled and learned about cuisines of Mexico, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Jamaica, Haiti, and Cuba. This week is the last stop and it is in Puerto Rico.
I have prepared these scrumptious Puerto Rican fritters, called Alcapurrias, made with a batter of taro (yautía) and green bananas (guineos verdes), and stuffed with either a meat (pino) or seafood filling. These snacks are popular at the beaches of Puerto Rico.
Ingredients: (recipe adapted from What4eats.com)
1 pound taro root
4 green bananas
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1/2 onion, minced
1/2 pound Ground beef
1 teaspoon ground paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon oregano
Salt, pepper to taste
1/2 cup stock
1/3 cup raisins
1 tablespoon flour
Vegetable oil
Directions:
Peel taro root and green bananas and grate into a large bowl. Add salt and spices and mix well. Place in a food processor and pulse until batter is smooth. Place in a refrigerator to chill.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Heat the oil in a sauté pan over medium heat. Sauté the onions until they are translucent, 3-4 minutes. Add the paprika, cumin, and oregano, and sauté one minute more. Add the ground beef, salt and pepper and cook, breaking up the beef until it is cooked through, 5-7 minutes. Stir in the stock and raisins and bring to a simmer. Sprinkle flour all over and mix well. Simmer for another 5-8 minutes or until lightly thickened. Adjust seasoning, remove from heat and set aside to cool.
Cut parchment paper into a round slightly larger than your hand. Put about 1/2 cup of the batter onto the round and spread it out a bit. Place 2-3 tablespoons of the filling in the middle of the batter. Using the round, fold the batter up and around the filling, completely enclosing it. Form the batter into a smooth, oval round and set it aside. Continue with the remaining batter and filling until it is used up.
Heat about 2 inches of oil in a large pan or deep fryer to about 370°F. Drop a few of the alcapurrias at a time into the oil and fry until well browned on one side. Flip and brown well on the second side. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and repeat with the remaining alcapurrias. Serve hot.
