Passport & Plate - Golfeados
Venezuela | Friday, March 6, 2015 | 3 photos
Ingredients
1 Kg all-purpose flour
250 gr melted butter?
50 gr granulated dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water?
200 gr sugar?
500 cc water
250 cc canola or corn oil ?
4 eggs
2 tablespoons sweet aniseed?
2 cups grated papelón (the molasses-like by product of sugar cane processing) or brown sugar. You can find papelón (also called panela) in Latin food markets.
1/4 Kg (125 gr) grated white salty cheese, soft and fresh
How to prepare this recipePreheat the oven to 350o F.
In a small bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water and set aside.
In a large bowl put 2 cups of flour and make a hole in the middle.
Incorporate the 500 cc of water and the yeast and cover with the rest of the flour. Wait until the flour start getting dry and cracked.
Incorporate sugar, melted butter, the eggs one by one and mix until dough is easy to handle.
Knead dough on lightly floured surface for 5 to 10 minutes. Place in well-greased bowl, cover and let rise until doubled in size, usually 1 hour.
When the hour is up, knead again and use the rolling pin to extend it on the floured table top until you have a half-inch-thick rectangle.
Coat the dough with butter and spread it with 2 tablespoons of aniseed (rub the seeds in your hand in order to increase the flavour), 1 cup of papelón and the grated white cheese.
Make a cylinder-shaped roll with the dough and cut it into smaller rolls to form approximately 3/4-inch golfeados.
Place the golfeados on a greased baking sheet. Cover with a kitchen cloth and let rest for half an hour.
In a small pot over medium-low heat, prepare the syrup with 1 cup of papelón, 1/2 cup of water. Stir constantly. Once you have a syrup consistency, remove from the heat and set aside.
Bake the golfeados for 20-25 minutes or until light golden brown. Take them out and thoroughly coat them in the papelón syrup, sprinkle with grated cheese and bake for another 5 minutes.
The story behind this recipeThis venezuelan treasure is a sweet roll that brings together sweet and salty in an irresistible little bun but to me it is more than just that, it brings together an explosion of memories from my home and my mother in just a bite.
When I was a little girl, the best time of the day was when I arrived from the beach with my sisters and cousins and we perceived the smell of the sugar cane (papelon), the anise and the cheese coming from our summer house kitchen. My mother (Elsa) was the artisan of this glorious snack that unleashed a combination of irresistible flavors in our mouth. We were really happy at that time.
Now I lived in Montreal (Canada), too far from Venezuela, the beach and the sun and my mother passed away 15 years ago… but when I need to feel like I’am back home and taste the flavours from my childhood I take the old recipe book from Elsa, I invite my friends and prepare the golfeados with a good and strong coffee or hot chocolate and we feel warm, cozy and we remember the best moments from our beautiful country. We feel happy again!
