World Recipe: Revolcado

15 Feb World Recipe: Revolcado

Revolcado is a traditional dish from Guatemala, born from the blend of mestizo cooking and ancient Mayan heritage. It is a rich, hearty meal, deeply rooted in home cooking, where different cuts of meat are combined with a thick sauce made from tomatoes, chillies and spices. The result is a bold and comforting stew. For a Ghanaian audience, revolcado may feel familiar, as it shares similarities with slow-cooked stews enjoyed with family, where flavour and patience are key.

Ingredients

• 2 pounds pork offal
• 2 pounds beef
• 16 tomatoes
• 1 onion
• ½ chile zambo (or similar mild chilli)
• 1 sweet pepper
• 3 cloves
• 2 tablespoons corn dough or corn flour
• 1 French-style bread roll
• 10 small tomatillos
• Annatto (achiote), black pepper and salt to taste

Preparation

• Cook the pork offal and beef in plenty of salted water until very tender. Remove the meat from the pot, cut it into small pieces and set it aside. Keep the cooking liquid.
• In a separate pot, boil the tomatoes, tomatillos and deseeded chillies with a little water. Once softened, blend them together with the onion, annatto, cloves and pepper.
• Strain the sauce and fry it gently in hot fat or oil. Gradually add some of the reserved cooking broth. Thicken the sauce with the corn dough and the bread roll that has been soaked in water.
• Finally, add the meat back into the pot and let it simmer for about 10 more minutes. Adjust the salt and allow the stew to develop its full, deep flavour before serving.