Serves 10-12 Prep time 15 mins Cooking time ~1hr
Ecuadorian style relleno or stuffing is a flavor bomb of a little bit of savory and mostly sweet; it's the perfect side for your Thanksgiving gathering.
My Abuelita has made this every Thanksgiving for my entire life, it's a family favorite that must be on the dinner menu every year! She was taught this recipe by her sister Mariana and has made it a Thanksgiving staple in our family.
Note: My family is very big, so this recipe is meant for a large family gathering.
Ingredients
3 lbs of ground beef
2 lbs of ground pork
1 cup of chopped red onions
1 cup of chopped green onion
2 green bel peppers
1 cup of walnuts
1 cup of prunes
1 cup of pitted green olives stuffed with red peppers
1 cup of sweet red (Manischewitz concord kosher red wine)
Bread crumbs (about 6 pieces of toasted sliced white bread)
1/2 cup of sugar (white or brown)
4 oz of salted butter
olive oil
Abulelita’s aliño
salt & pepper
optional: steamed peas and carrots
Prep:
First, season the ground beef and pork with Abuelita’s aliño & cook in a pan with olive oil on medium high heat.
In a separate large bowl, soak the prunes in one cup of sweet red wine & set aside.
Once the meat is throughly cooked, remove the meat from the pot and set aside. Do not throw out any of the juice from the meat that was leftover in the pot, you might need it later.
Next, finely chop the red & green onions and bel peppers and sauté in a deep pot, along with 4 oz of butter. Add salt and pepper to taste.
When all the veggies are cooked thoroughly, add the cooked ground meat back into the pot.
Add sugar (to taste – approx. ½ cup) & mix thoroughly.
Next, coarsely grind the walnuts and chop the green olives & add to the pot.
In a food processor, puree the wine soaked prunes and add to mixture. Let cook for about 10-15 mins.
Lastly, add in the bread crumbs little by little to thicken the stuffing. Let cook on low for 5 more mins before serving.
Note: If it gets too think, add the liquid from the meat that was leftover in the pot.
OPTIONAL: Add steamed peas and carrots as toppings
Enjoy!
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