The World Cup final is fast approaching and it’s almost time to start planning for the parties that come with the game. There are bound to be a lot of parties, so you need to make sure you have the best snacks to draw the crowd to your house to watch the game. Luckily, we’ve got a few tips for awesome snacks that will definitely draw in a crowd.
Beef Brisket and Picadillo-Stuffed Empanadas
This is a great little snack because it makes about 2 dozen and can be snacked on when tension rises. Saveur gives us a great recipe to share with everyone else.
Ingredients
- 4 cups flour
- 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, cubed
- 1 ½ tsp. kosher salt, plus more to taste
- ½ cup olive oil
- 1lb. beef brisket
- 5 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 medium carrots, halved crosswise
- 2 large white onions, 1 quartered and 1 minced
- 3 tbsp. chile powder
- 1 ½ tbsp. finely chopped oregano leaves
- 2 tsp. ground cumin
- 1 cup raisins
- ½ cup sliced pitted canned black olives
- ½ cup dry sherry
- ¼ cup sugar
- ¼ cup pine nuts
- Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- Canola, for frying
Directions
Make the dough: combine flour, butter, and salt in a large bowl, and using your fingers, rub butter into flour until pea-size crumbles form. Add 1 ½ cups warm water and stir until dough forms. Knead into the bowl until smooth, about 4 minutes. Wrap in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Meanwhile, heat ¼ cup olive oil in a 6-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Season beef with salt and pepper, and add to pan, cook, turning once, until browned on both sides, about 8 minutes. Add garlic, carrots, quartered onion, and 6 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until beef is very tender, about 2 ½ hours.
Remove from heat, and let beef sit in saucepan until cool enough to handle, about 30 minutes. Transfer beef to a cutting board, and reserve 1 cup cooking liquid; discard remaining liquid and vegetables or reserve for another use. Shred meat into thin strands, and then finely chop; set aside.
Wipe the saucepan dry, then heat remaining olive oil over medium-high heat; add minced onion, and cook, stirring, until golden brown, about 12 minutes. Add chile powder, oregano, and cumin, and cook for 1 minute. Add reserve beef and cooking liquid along with raisins, olives, sherry, sugar, and pine nuts; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until raisins are plump and meat has absorbed most of the liquid, about 20 minutes; set aside to cool.
Divide dough into 24 balls, and place on a work surface; using a small rolling pin or the heel of your hand, flatten each ball into a 5” disk, brush edges with water, and place 2 tbsp. filling in the center. Fold disks in half to form half-moons, and seal edges together using the times of a fork. Refrigerate empanadas for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight.
Pour oil to depth of 2” in a 6-qt. saucepan, and heat over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer reads 350o. Working in batches, fry empanadas until browned and crisp, about 6 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain before serving.
Chile and Lime Steak Tortas
MyRecipes.com provides us with an awesome recipe. It’s a snacking version of the classic Mexican sandwich that you are sure to love.
Ingredients
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 ½ teaspoons ancho chile powder
- 4 teaspoons vegetable oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 pound flap meat or skirt steak, cut into 3 to 4 in.-wide strips if needed
- 8 small dinner rolls, split
- 1 cup shredded jack cheese
- 1 avocado, sliced thinly
- 2 cans (4 oz. each) sliced jalapenos, drained
- About ¼ cup Mexican crema or sour cream
Directions
Mix lime juice, chile powder, oil, and salt in a medium bowl. Add steak, turning to coat evenly with marinade. Chill at least 30 minutes and up to 3 hours.
Heat grill to high (450o to 550o). Cook steak, covered, turning once, until grill marks appear and steak is slightly pink in the center, about 4 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board, tent with foil, and let rest 10 minutes, then slice thinly to fit in rolls.
Open rolls and sprinkle each with about 2 tbsp. cheese. Grill rolls, cut sides up and covered, until crisp and cheese starts to melt, about 1 minute.
Fill rolls with steak, avocado, half the jalapenos, and drizzle of crema. Serve with remaining jalapenos on the side.
Tacos Al Pastor
These tacos are a great way to fill up your guests. This recipe from Epicurious serves about six to eight people.
Ingredients
- 1 large white onion, halved
- 1 pineapple, peeled, cut crosswise into ½-inch-thick rounds
- ½ cup fresh orange juice
- ¼ cup distilled white vinegar
- ¼ cup guajillo chile powder
- 3 garlic cloves, halved
- 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 large or 2 small chipotle chiles and 1 to 2 teaspoons adobo from canned chipotle chiles in adobo
- 12 ½ to 3 pound boneless pork loin, cut into ½ inch slices
- ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
- Corn tortillas
- Smoky two-chile salsa
- Lime wedges
Directions
Coarsely chop 1 onion half. Coarsely chop 2 pineapple rounds, discarding core; cover and chill remaining pineapple. Place chopped onion and chopped pineapple in blender. Add orange juice and next 7 ingredients; puree marinade until smooth. Place pork in large resealable plastic bag. Add marinade and seal bag, releasing excess air. Turn to coat. Chill at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.
Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat). Grill remaining pineapple until warm and slightly charred, 4 to 6 minutes per side. Grill pork with some marinade still clinging until slightly charred and cooked through, 2 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer pineapple and pork to work surface; chop pineapple into ½-inch cubes, discarding cores. Chop pork. Transfer to platter; toss to combine.
Meanwhile, finely chop remaining onion half and place in medium bowl. Add cilantro; toss to combine. Grill tortillas until warm and slightly charred, about 10 seconds per side.
Serve pork-pineapple mixture with onion-cilantro relish, Smoky Two-Chile Salsa, and lime wedges.
After using these recipes to serve up to your friends and family, they’ll be sure to come to your house to watch the game. If you’re more interested in going out to watch the World Cup, consider visiting Mexicali Fresh Mex Grill located in Holden, Spencer and Ware, MA and Dayville and Stonington, CT. We will have plenty of room at any of our locations to watch on big screen TVs and eat authentic Mexican food!