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Venezuelan tequeños


Tequenos

How to prepare a typical specialty of Venezuelan cuisine: tequeños, rustic and delicious cheese sticks.

Today's recipe takes us straight to Venezuela. Tequeños are tasty sticks filled with cheese enclosed in a pastry shell made from flour, butter and eggs. Preparing these appetizers is really simple and you can offer them for a special dinner or simply for an aperitif or a savory buffet.

The typical Venezuelan recipe involves the use of llanero cheese , which can possibly be replaced with semi-mature cheese, such as Fontina or Asiago. You can accompany the fried sticks with sauces of your choice, although a sauce based on mustard and honey is particularly recommended. Now let's see all the steps of the recipe.

Tequenos
Tequenos

Ingredients

For tequeños

  • Flour 00 – 520 g
  • Water – 150 ml
  • Eggs – 2
  • Butter – 50 g
  • Brewer's yeast – 7 g
  • Granulated sugar – 1 teaspoon
  • Fine salt – 1 teaspoon
  • Stretched curd cheese (Asiago or Fontina) – 500 g
  • Seed oil for frying – to taste

Preparation

How to prepare the tequeños recipe

1

Pour the flour into a bowl and add the yeast , sugar and salt . Give a quick mix then make a well in the center into which to break the eggs . Then add the water (although some recipes use milk) and start kneading.

2

When it begins to take consistency, add the butter at room temperature cut into cubes and finish working to obtain a smooth dough. Cover it with cling film and let it rest for 30 minutes .

3

Roll it out with a rolling pin until it reaches 5 mm thick then, with a pastry cutter, cut 2 cm wide strips .

4

Cut the cheese into sticks about the size of a finger and wrap them one by one with a strip of dough, sealing the ends well.

5

Heat plenty of seed oil and fry the tequeños until they are beautifully golden. Drain them with a slotted spoon and pass them on absorbent paper before serving.

Here is a short video with all the steps to make them. Although the explanation is in Spanish, it is enough to see how to proceed with the dough and the preparation of the sticks to get an idea of ​​how they should turn out.

If you prefer a more local recipe then we recommend you try the fried mozzarella : you won't regret it!

Conservation

Like all fried foods, these cheese sticks should also be enjoyed freshly made. If you have any leftovers, you can still store them in the fridge for a couple of days and reheat them in the oven or air fryer to make them stringy again.

Origin and history

According to a legend, tequeños were born from the need to use a dough left over from the preparation of sweets . After adding the cheese they were fried giving rise to a first version of these appetizers. In reality it seems that the tequeños were born in the Los Teques region (from which they take their name) located in the heart of Venezuela.

Also known as dedito de queso or simply dedicated , today they are the undisputed protagonists of family reunions as well as pachanga , parties where people dance and flow rivers of alcohol. It is no coincidence that they belong to the category of pasapalos appetizers, whose literal meaning is hangover. In fact, Palo is a generic term used to indicate any alcoholic drink.

In addition to Venezuela, which has made them a national heritage , tequeños are also widespread in Colombia and Peru.

Read also
Arepas, Venezuelan flatbreads

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