In Venezuela, you can find tequeños anywhere from a party to a family meal. They are usually served with a spicy or sweet sauce; the most popular ones are guasacaca (salsa verde) or papelón (a sweet sugar cane-based sauce). For this version of the recipe, I pair the tequeños with a delicious spicy sauce my dad used to make. Inspired by Armando Scannone’s cookbook “Mi Cocina a La Manera de Caracas,” also known as the “Red Book,” the sauce contains red bell peppers, jalapeño and garlic and brings back beautiful memories of my childhood.
| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 2 hr |
| Active: | 45 min |
| Yield: | 16 tequeños |
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
- 1 stick (8 tablespoons) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- One 16-ounce block white cheese, such as queso blanco
- Canola oil, for frying
- Spicy Pepper Sauce, recipe follows, for serving
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon hot smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 6 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 large red bell peppers, roughly chopped
- 1 small jalapeño, seeded if desired and roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/4 cup plain breadcrumbs
Instructions
- Add the flour, butter, salt and garlic powder to a food processor and pulse until combined and the butter is cut into small pieces.
- Transfer the flour mixture to a mixing bowl, add the olive oil, eggs and 1/3 cup water and mix until the dough is shaggy. Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface and use your hands to bring it together and form into a rectangle. (Do not over mix.) Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 20 minutes.
- Roll out the dough on a work surface with a little bit of flour to a 12-by-15-inch rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. Cut the rectangle into 16 strips about 3/4 inch wide and 15 inches long.
- Cut the cheese block into 16 sticks, each about 3/4 inch wide, 3/4 inch thick and about 3 inches long. Wrap each cheese stick in a strip of dough, overlapping the dough slightly so no cheese shows through and pinching the ends together to fully seal.
- Fill a pot with about 2 inches canola oil and heat to 375 degrees F.
- Working in 2 batches, add the tequeños to the oil and fry until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Transfer the tequeños to a paper towel to drain. Serve with the Spicy Pepper Sauce.
- Add the vinegar, cumin, paprika, salt, garlic, bell peppers and jalapeño to a food processor and process to a puree. With the motor running, slowly add the olive oil and breadcrumbs and process until combined. Let the mixture stand for 1 hour.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 16 servings |
| Calories | 336 |
| Total Fat | 23 g |
| Saturated Fat | 9 g |
| Carbohydrates | 22 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 2 g |
| Protein | 10 g |
| Cholesterol | 58 mg |
| Sodium | 237 mg |