68. Curaçao

Pan Sera (Hard Bread)

Country: Curacao
Course: Bread
Makes: 5 breads 

Ingredients:

• 1 2/3 tsp active dry yeast
• 4 cups flour
• 2 tsp sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/3 cup + 1 tbsp shortening
• 1 cup water

Directions:

1. Sift together the flour, sugar and salt. Now add the shortening and water and knead for 20 minutes.
2. Divide the dough up so that each piece weighs roughly 7 ounces. Roll into balls and then cover with a towel and let rise in a warm place for 10 minutes. Flatten each ball with your hand and score the tops with a knife or fork.
3. Grease a baking sheet and sprinkle with flour. Transfer the breads to the baking sheet and bake at 250 degrees until done.

Karni Stoba (Beef Stew with Green Papaya)

Country: Curacao
Course: Main
Makes: 4 servings 

Ingredients:

• 1 lb stewing beef, cut into 1-inch pieces
• pinch of nutmeg
• 1 tsp cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 4 tbsp vegetable oil
• 2 onions, finely chopped
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 large tomato, roughly chopped
• Hot water to cover
• 1 large potato, peeled and cubed
• 1 lb green papaya, peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 tbsp tomato paste

Directions:

1. Season the meat pieces with the nutmeg, cumin and salt and pepper. Add the soy sauce.
2. Heat the oil over a hot flame and brown the meat on all sides. Add the onion, pepper, garlic and tomato. Add enough hot water to cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover. Simmer for an hour or so, or until the meat is tender and the sauce is thick.
3. Meanwhile, boil the potato until just fork-tender. Drain and set aside. Steam the papaya pieces for about 15 minutes, or until soft (I just used my electric steamer).
4. When the meat is ready, add the potato, papaya and the tomato paste. Cook for another five or 10 minutes or until heated through. Serve over steamed white rice.

Tutu

Country: Curacao
Course: Side
Makes: 8 to 10 servings 

Ingredients:

• 1 lb black-eyed peas, dried
• 6 cups water
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 cup coconut milk
• 1 3/4 cup yellow corn meal
• 2 tbsp butter

Directions:

1. Soak the black-eyed peas for 2 hours, then drain and add to a pot with the water and garlic. Bring to a boil over a medium flame, adding more water as necessary until the peas are tender.
2. Add the salt, sugar and coconut milk and continue to cook for 10 minutes or so. Now gradually add the cornmeal (you may need to put in a little more water to make it the right consistency). Keep stirring until the cornmeal is done and is roughly the same texture as polenta (this should take 20 minutes or so). Add the butter and stir until well-incorporated.
3. Put the tutu on a plate and press it between another plate. You should have a flat pizza-like shape when you are finished. You may need to put a little bit of water on the plates to keep the tutu from sticking.

PASTECHI

• Tuna filling
• 2 cans with tuna chunks (300 grams of tuna)
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 3 cloves of garlic
• 1 small tomato, diced
• ½ teaspoon of paprika powder
• 1 teaspoon of piccalilli
• ½ tablespoon of capers
• 1 tablespoon of raisins
• 
  
• Pastechi dough
• 1 tablespoon of oil
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 500 grams of flour
• ½ teaspoon of salt
• 1 tablespoon of sugar
• 7 grams of baking powder
• 150-200 ml of water
• *Sunflower oil to fry the pastechi's

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Tuna filling
2. Drain the tuna cans of oil, or water and shred with a fork into smaller chunks
3. Heat the olive in a skillet on medium heat
4. Add the onion and garlic, cook until the onions are translucent
5. Add the tomatoes and cook until the tomatoes begin to soften
6. Add the tuna and sprinkle the paprika powder over the tuna
7. Mix the onions, tomatoes and tuna well
8. Add the piccalilli, capers and raisins and mix well with the other ingredients
9. Remove the skillet from heat
10. Let cool off
11. Pastechi dough
12. Mix the oil and butter to a paste in a small bowl or cup
13. In a large bowl add the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder and mix well
14. Add the oil and butter mixture and a little bit of the water
15. Start kneading the dough, add more water if needed, until the dough comes together
16. Roll the dough in a ball and cover with clingfilm and set aside.
17. Assemble
18. Cut the dough in about 12-15 equal sized pieces, and shape into balls and cover
19. On a lightly floured surface roll out the dough in a 10-15 diameter round that is +/- 0.5 cm thick
20. Fill the dough in the center of the round with 1 tablespoon of filling
21. Leave a border at the edge of about 1 cm
22. Brush the edge of the dough with a little bit of water and fold one half over the filling
23. Seal by pressing down the edges with your fingers or a fork.
24. Heat oil in a deep pan
25. Carefully place max. 2 pastechi's in the oil and cook on each side till golden brown
26. Remove and drain on kitchen towels

Curaçao Coconut Candy / Kokada

Ingredients

• 2 dried coconut
• 1 lb of sugar
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon of rose essence
• 2 cup of water
• Optional Food coloring if you desire to color the candy

Preparation

1. break the coconuts and take out the coconut meat
2. Remove the dark skin from the coconut meat
3. Shred the coconut meat
4. In a pot, put the 2 cup of water on medium to high heat and add the rose essence and the vanilla extract
5. Keep stirring the mix until the water starts to crystalize
6. As soon as the sugar mixture start to crystalize slowly pour the shredded coconut into the cooking sugar water.
7. Keep stirring until the mixture becomes thick.
8. After having the thickness desired lower the heat on the pot.
9. With a wooden spoon, scope out the mixture in desired quantity and put them on a baking pan and let it cool down.

Coloring Hints :

• To change color of candy from white to any other color, add food coloring to mixture before adding coconut
• For dark brown coloring, leave the skin on the coconut meat before shredding and use brown sugar instread of regular sugar.

Candy Thickness :

• If you desire to make bigger and harder candies, use 2 lbs of sugar instead of 1 lb

Water start to Crystalize :

• To know if water started to crystalize, you can use a spoon and takesome of the sugar water and drip it into a  water cup. If the water takes a little bit to drop from the spoon and took a little bit to desolve in the cup, mean the water started to crystalize and is ready to pour the coconut. 

Curaçao Liqueur

(Good Eats: "Instant" Pancake Mix)