Mélange Travel & Lifestyle Magazine October 2018 | Page 132

Eva’s Favourite
Belizean Dish
“Relleno De Especias”
“When I look back to family
gatherings for Christmas,
birthdays, holidays, home
comings or anniversaries,
this dish certainly stands
out above the rest. It is
a Mestizo Dish that leans
more towards the Spanish
Culture with a bit of Mayan
Influence. “Mestizo” is a
name given to a person of
the culture whose heritage
is derived via a mix of the
Maya and the European
Spanish Conquistadors.
They predominately settle in
Corozal District and Orange
Walk District of Belize. They
are also found in Southern
Yucatan of Mexico. This Dish
is not only significant to the
culture but also marks the
shared heritage and trade
Between Yucatan and Belize.
This soup features an Edam
Cheese that was imported
via the Caribbean trade
routes from the Netherlands
via Belize and on to the
Yucatan Peninsula. They
make a similar dish in
Yucatan Called “Queso
Relleno”. My Recipe is a
slight variation of the classic
and made the way “Granny
Eva” made it for years
and her mother made it
previously. “
Relleno De Especias
“ Queso Relleno” Stuffed Cheese
1 Whole Edam Cheese
1.5Lbs Ground Steak (or Pork)
1Tbsp Capers minced
2tbsp Caper brine
1 Tbsp Minced Garlic
1/4 Cup Raisins
1/8 tsp Cumin
½ Cup chopped Spanish olives
¼ cup minced gold onions
The Soup
3- 4Lbs Chicken cuts marinated
1Tsp olive oil
2 Cups Olives
2Tbsp Capers
2 Leaves Dried oregano
9 Threads of Saffron bloomed
½ Cup Olive brine / Or dry white wine
1 head garlic roasted
1 small piece of cinnamon
½ cup Raisins
2Lbs Golden Onions
1-gallon water
1 chicken bouillon cube
Marinade for chicken
Salt & Pepper
1Tbsp Vinegar
¼ tsp Thyme leaves /or one stalk
3 Threads Saffron Bloomed
Serve soup with 1Lb Corn Tortillas
METHOD
For the “Queso Relleno”
Remove the red wax from the
cheese. Cut a circle into the
top of the Edam cheese to
create an opening.
Proceed to hollow out the
center of an Edam cheese
with a spoon to form a shell.
Similar to carving a pumpkin.
Reserve the cheese bits for
other uses. Be care full not to
carve a hole into the wall of
the cheese.
In a frying pan seat a bit
of olive oil and sweat the
minced garlic, onions, capers
and olives, Cook until onions
are translucent. Remove from
skillet and reserve for later.
On medium heat brown the
ground steak, season with
cumin, salt, and pepper.
Add the raisins to this
mixture and cook for 3
minutes covered. Return the
onion and olive mixture to
frying pan and mix with the
meat.
Add 2tbsp of the caper brine
to the mixture, cook covered
for 4 minutes. Let filling cool.
Stuff the hollowed cavity of
the cheese with the filling.
Press firmly to compact the
mixture.
Wrap the cheese ball in a thin
layer of cheesecloth. And set
aside.