The cuisine of Venezuela could be called a lesson in migration and conquest. The country’s culinary influences include Europe, Africa, and the native Indian population, such as Pasticho, the Venezuelan form of Lasagna.
Like many other places in the world, Venezuelan cuisine is regional, with the western region consuming goat, rabbit, cheeses, plantains with local tribal and Columbian influences. In the central region people eat large amounts of meat, pasta, and rice, and the Llanos region includes a diet of mostly beef, other game meats, corn, soft cheeses, and other milk products. The staples of the Andean region include tubers, cereal grains beef, lamb, and chicken, with the eastern, southeastern, and northern regions consuming an abundance of seafood, root and tuber type vegetables, cereal grains rice, and pasta.
Common side dishes throughout the country include tomatoes, onions, lettuce, eggplant, and squash. And Venezuela is the second largest pasta consuming country in the world, after Italy. While many might think that Venezuelan cuisine would be spicy, it really is not because there is a great variation in the types of food eaten.
Recipe: Venezuelan Empanadas (Foodnetwork.com)
Filling:
1 1/2 pounds beef blade roast, cut into 4 pieces, trimmed
4 bay leaves
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/4 green bell pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, diced
1 scallion, chopped
2 teaspoons paprika
2 teaspoons sazon completa
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Freshly ground pepper
Directions: Place the beef, bay leaves, 1 tablespoon salt, and water to cover in a saucepan, bring to boil over medium heat, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook about 1 1/2 hours. Place meat in a bowl, shred meat, cool and reserve broth. Place olive oil in a large skillet at medium-high heat, add onion, bell pepper, garlic, and shallot; cook about 3 minutes. Add scallion, paprika, sazon completa, oregano, cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper, salt, beef, and 1 cup of the reserved broth, cook over medium heat until thick, about 10 minutes.
Dough:
3 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more for greasing and frying
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon salt
3 1/2 cups precooked cornmeal
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Directions: Mix 3 1/2 cups hot water, sugar, vegetable oil, butter, and salt in a medium bowl until butter melts. Add cornmeal and flour until a soft dough forms, knead until the dough comes together. Shape into 12 balls, using about 1/2 cup dough for each. Sprinkle each dough ball with water, place between two pieces of lightly oiled heavy-duty plastic wrap and roll into 7-inch circle. Remove top sheet of plastic, place 2 to 3 tablespoons filling in the center of the dough, use bottom piece of plastic to fold the dough in half over the filling and press to seal. Trim dough into half-moon shape pieces with a knife or the round edge of a bowl. Remove plastic, place empanada on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F, heat 1 inch of vegetable oil in a large skillet until thermometer registers 365 degrees F. Fry the empanadas in batches until golden, about 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined baking sheet; keep warm in the oven
Sauce:
1 1/4 cups cilantro (leaves and stems)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium avocado, halved, seeded and peeled
1/4 green bell pepper, chopped
1 scallion, chopped
4 teaspoons white vinegar
1 clove garlic, crushed
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
Directions: Combine cilantro, olive oil, avocado, bell pepper, scallion, vinegar, and garlic in a blender, add 1 tsp salt, 2 teaspoons pepper and puree until smooth. Thin out the sauce with up to 1/4 cup water and serve with empanadas.
Sources:
http://www.recipes4us.co.uk/Cooking%20by%20Country/Venezuela.htm
http://www.southamerica.cl/Venezuela/Food.htm