A couple of weeks ago, while Rosalia, Maria Elena, and Julian were in town, we held our annual fundraiser dinner in Albuquerque. It is always a treat to gather our supporters together and share the progress that we are making with Qachuu Aloom. This year, we were excited to share the news about our new nutrition program.
Rosalia, Maria Elena, and Josselin prepared a great feast for our guests, with rice, beans, and tortitas de amaranto (amaranth pancakes), which were a hit and everyone wanted to know what was in them. We put together a recipe to share so that you can make them at home!
Tortitas de Amaranto con yuca y carne (o queso)
Amaranth Pancakes with yuca and meat (or cheese)
Feeds 6 people
Ingredients:
1 medium carrot
1 medium union
1 medium yuca (also known as cassava or manioc)
1 medium red bell pepper
2 eggs
4 ounces ground beef – for vegetarian option, use a medium round of queso fresco blanco
4 ounces of amaranth flour (about 1 cup)
Salt and pepper to taste
For the sauce:
3 pounds of tomatoes (or any amount, depending on how much sauce you want
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Wash the vegetables
2. Peel the yuca and boil until soft, drain and let cool
3. Mash the yuca into a dough
4. Peel the carrot and dice very fine
5. Dice the onion and bell pepper very fine as well
6. In a large bowl, mix the yuca dough with the vegetables
7. Beat in the eggs
8. Add the meat or cheese, 2 tablespoons of amaranth flour, and salt and pepper to taste
9. Mix well
10. Spread the remaining amaranth flour on a large plate with a pinch of salt and pepper
11. Form the dough into pancakes about the size of your palm and ¼-½ inch thick
12. Coat each pancake in the amaranth flour (as if you were breading them)
13. Heat a pan with oil and cook the pancakes until golden brown on both sides
14. Place cooked pancakes on a tray with paper towels to soak up any extra oil
15. Serve warm with tomato sauce
For the sauce
1. Slice and stew the tomatoes
2. Blend well
3. Add salt and pepper to taste
