HONDURAS

COUNTRY	HONDURAS
Dishes	Baleadas, Homemade Refried beans, Ponche de Pina, Mango Avocado Salsa (all vegan)
Time	1.30 hrs
Effort	6/10
Rough cost	£10

COUNTRY	HONDURAS
Capital	Tegucigalpa
Population	9,587,522 (95th largest)
Land mass	112,492 km2 (101st largest)
Languages	Spanish
Religions	87% Christianity

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Honduras is a Central American country bordered to the north by a large section of the Caribbean sea. The region has ancient roots of important Mesoamerican cultures, like the Maya. However, such indigenous people were colonised by the Spanish Empire in the 16th century. Honduras gained back its independence in 1821 but was left to suffer from a poor economy and political instability since.

Honduras does have a rich material output which includes items such as coffee, tropical fruit, sugar cane, and textiles. Its cuisine features some of these staples and is a rich mix of Spanish, Caribbean and African cuisine.

We made refried beans, which is traditionally made with a special type of Honduran red kidney bean, however, this recipe was delicious just with red kidney beans from wherever you can get them! We then used these beans to make baleadas, which are a classic North Honduran street food. These were delicious and we served them with a fresh salsa and ponche de Pina – a warm alcoholic Pina colada punch!

RECIPES

Homemade Refried Beans

INGREDIENTS

2 cups dried red kidney / pinto beans, dry (soaked in water for 3-6 hours or overnight*) OR 2 tins of the same beans
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 tsp sunflower / veg oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped finely
1 tbsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cumin

METHOD

Step 1 is to cook the dried beans, if you are using them.
Heat the oil in a large frying pan and fry off the onion for about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir for 2 minutes.
In a food processor, blend the beans into a chunky paste. Then add in all the other ingredients and the onion – garlic oil and blend the mixture to a nice smooth consistency.
Heat your pan back up and transfer the beans to the pan. Allow the bean paste to cook on one side for a few minutes until a little crispy at the edges and then ‘flip’ the mixture as best you can.
Serve as it is, with rice OR in your baleadas!

Baleadas

INGREDIENTS

Flour Tortillas

4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 – 1 ¼ cup milk or water (bit of both)
¼ cups butter / oil, softened

Baleadas

Tortilla
Sour cream *dairy-free
Refried beans (homemade)
Grated cheese *dairy-free
Coriander
Avocado
ETC.

METHOD

In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder and salt. Then mix in ½ cup of milk or water. Work this into a dough with your fingers, adding a little water or milk as needed.
Then turn the dough out onto a floured worktop and knead for 5-10 minutes, until it is soft and smooth, but not sticky. Cover the dough and let it rest for 30 mins – 1 hour.
To cook the tortillas, heat an un-greased griddle or skillet on a medium heat.
Cut the dough into 8 equal portions and roll each into a ball. Then roll each ball into an 8 ½ inch round, ¼ inch thick.
Place the raw tortillas onto the skillet and cook for 1 minute on each side, until lightly golden-brown in spots and slightly puffy.
When the tortillas are cooked, you can get cracking with your baleadas!
ASSEMBLY: spread re-fried beans onto the tortilla as a base, then fill with toppings and fold up + ENJOY!

Honduran Mango Avocado Salsa

INGREDIENTS

1 mango, chopped
2 avocados, chopped
1 small red onion, finely diced
1 tomato, finely diced
lime juice
salt + pepper (+ a bit of chilli flakes if you fancy)

METHOD

Prepare everything and then whack it in a bowl. Let it sit for about 30 mins before serving to allow the flavours to develop!

Ponche de Poni

INGREDIENTS

2 pineapples, blended to juice (or pineapple juice)
3 cups water
2 tsp cloves
3 cinnamon sticks
2 tsp whole allspice
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup coconut milk
optional: 50 mls light rum

METHOD

If you are using fresh pineapple, blitz up the fruit and let it stand in water overnight. Or, as we did, just use pineapple juice.
Then put the pineapple liquid into a large saucepan with the coconut milk and all the spices. Boil it for 5 minutes.
Serve the drink hot, adding rum if you fancy!

Muchos gracias and see you in Hungary!