Alcapurrias
Ingredients
Meat:
5 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2 tablespoons sofrito
1 pound ground beef sirloin
6 tablespoons tomato sauce
1 tablespoon adobo seasoning
1/2 tablespoon salt
6 to 8 green olives
Fritters:
1 1/2 pounds taro root
3 green bananas
2 tablespoons annatto oil, plus additional for the wax paper
1 1/4 tablespoons adobo seasoning
3/4 tablespoon salt
Canola oil, for cooking the fritters
Hot sauce, optional
Directions
Place a skillet over medium heat and add the canola oil, onions and sofrito. Cook 1 minute, then add ground beef, tomato sauce, adobo, salt and olives. Mix well and let cook until brown, about 6 minutes. Set aside to cool.
With a knife, cut the skin off the taro root and peel the bananas. Grate the taro root and bananas on the small holes of a box grater. Mix them with the annatto oil, adobo and salt in a bowl. Refrigerate for 1 hour, since the chilled dough is easier to assemble.
To assemble the fritters, use wax paper as your base. Cover the center with some annatto oil. Take a heaping 1/4 cup dough and set it in the center of the paper. Spread thinly, then add 3 tablespoons ground beef mixture to the center. Wrap both ends of the paper over each other to make a cylinder-shaped fritter. Push down on the dough to seal the meat inside the fritter. Make sure the dough is sealed completely on both ends and the center. If there are holes, seal them with extra dough, using your finger.
Heat several inches of canola oil in a Dutch oven or deep-fryer to 350 degrees F.
Slide the fritters into the hot oil for 5 to 6 minutes. Place them on a plate with a paper towel so the grease is absorbed. Serve immediately with hot sauce if desired.
