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1
Cook the guiso
90 Mins
Medium heat, then low simmer
Heat the olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Fry the chopped onion, red pepper and garlic for 5 minutes until soft, then add the beef, pork and chicken and fry for 8 minutes until browned on the outside. Stir in the tomato, red wine, Worcestershire sauce, cumin, oregano, black pepper, 6g of the salt, the panela, 30g of the capers, 60g of the chopped olives and 60g of the raisins. Turn the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 90 minutes, stirring now and then, until the meats are tender and the sauce is thick and dark. Taste and adjust the salt — the filling should be boldly seasoned, as the dough is mild.
If the guiso looks watery after an hour, take the lid off for the last 20 minutes so it thickens; a runny guiso leaks out of the parcel.
Done when: Meats tender enough to shred with a fork, sauce thick enough to mound on a spoon.
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2
Make the annatto dough
20 Mins
Warm stock, about 60°C (140°F)
Melt the lard in a small pan over low heat, add the annatto seeds and stir for 3 minutes until the fat turns deep orange-red, then strain the seeds out and discard them. Put the cornmeal and 4g of salt in a large bowl, pour in the warm stock and the hot annatto oil, and knead for 5 minutes until you have a soft, smooth, golden dough that holds together without cracking. Cover and rest for 10 minutes so the cornmeal fully hydrates.
The dough should feel like soft playdough: if it cracks at the edges, knead in a splash more warm stock; if it sticks to your hands, it needs a minute longer to rest.
Done when: Smooth golden dough that spreads thin without tearing.
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3
Assemble the hallacas
60 Mins
Room temperature
Lay a softened banana leaf flat, shiny side down, and brush it lightly with a little annatto oil. Spread about 100g of dough into a thin rectangle, about 1 cm (1/2 in) thick, leaving a border of leaf all round. Spoon about 80g of guiso down the centre, then lay the garnish on top: 2 onion rings, 2 pepper strips, 1 whole olive, a pinch of capers, a few raisins and a strip of bacon. Fold the two long sides of the leaf over the filling, fold the ends in like an envelope, and tie the parcel firmly with two lengths of string, one each way. Repeat to make 12 parcels.
Keep a small bowl of water nearby to wet your fingers — it stops the dough sticking and lets you smooth the edges of each rectangle.
Done when: Flat rectangular parcels, firmly tied, with no filling peeking out at the folds.
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4
Boil the hallacas
60 Mins
Boiling water, 100°C (212°F)
Bring a very large pot of salted water to a rolling boil. Lower the parcels in gently — they should sit in a single layer or two loose layers, never packed tight — and boil for 60 minutes, turning once halfway through. The meats inside were already cooked in the guiso, so this step sets the dough and lets the leaf flavour soak in; make sure the parcels stay covered with water the whole time, topping up with boiling water if needed.
Put a small plate on top of the parcels to keep them under the water, and keep a kettle of boiling water ready for topping up.
Done when: Leaves darkened and glossy; a parcel opened to check shows firm, set dough that pulls cleanly away from the leaf.
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5
Rest and serve
15 Mins
Serve hot; reheat to 74°C (165°F)
Lift the parcels out, drain well and rest for 15 minutes so the dough firms up. Cut the strings, open the leaf at the table and eat the hallaca straight from its leaf while it is hot, with pan de jamón and ensalada de gallina on the side.
Open the leaf away from you — a puff of steam escapes when the fold is lifted.
Done when: Steaming hot all the way through, dough firm but tender.
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Open the leaf at the table and eat the hallaca while it is hot — the annatto dough first, then the dark, sweet-savoury guiso with its olives, capers and raisins, all perfumed by the banana leaf.
Venezuela
3h
France
Vietnam