SALBUTES - in Belize

Tortillas
2 c. masa harina
½ tsp. salt
1 tsp. achiote paste or recado rojo (dissolved in 2 Tbsp. water)
3/4 c. water
1 litre cooking oil for frying

To Make Your Tortillas - Place the masa harina and salt into a mixing bowl. Using your hands, rub the achiote water through the masa until it's no longer lumpy. Gradually add the water, mixing with your hand until a dough forms.  Divide the dough into either 12 or 24 pieces, then roll these into perfect balls. I've used the smaller size, as pictured. Flatten each ball between two pieces of plastic, using a tortilla press. I don't have a press so I used two plastic bags and a flat-bottomed saucepan, pressing down evenly to form 10 cm disc with a 3 mm thickness.  Heat the oil in a large skillet over a medium flame. When hot enough, drop 2 to 3 pastry discs into the oil and let it cook for about 2 minutes before flipping over. Drain well on kitchen towels as you cook the rest.

Topping
Stew Chicken, shredded (recipe below) 

Picado
Red or green cabbage, finely shredded
Red onion, very finely chopped
Tomato, finely chopped
Cilantro leaves, chopped
Fresh lime juice
Salt to taste
Red chili & jalapeno, to taste

To Make Your Picado - Measurements aren't all that necessary with the picado, as you can regulate the ratios as you please; depending on your tastes. Simply toss all the pieced ingredients together and make sure the lime and salt flavour is well balanced.

How To Assemble - Simply lay the fried tortillas on a plate or board, top with some of the shredded chicken, and make sure it's moistened well with the gravy. Top this with with the picado, then eat!

STEWED CHICKEN

1 whole chicken
1/4 c. lime juice
2 Tbsp. achiote paste
1/4 c. water
4 cloves garlic, finely sliced
¼ tsp. salt
1 Tbsp. black pepper
1/4 c. flour
1/4 c. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 small green capsicum, chopped
4 coriander roots, finely chopped
1 tsp. cumin
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs fresh thyme
3 c. water
2 tsp. chicken bouillon

Stew chicken - Place the chicken pieces into a bowl and pour over the lime juice. Dissolve the achiote in the water, pour over the chicken, add the garlic, salt and pepper and toss well to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The following day, take the chicken out of the fridge and dust each piece with the flour, reserving the marinade.  Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat and pour in the oil. Brown the chicken on both sides in the oil, a few pieces at a time, then set the chicken aside. It the pan you've just used, toss in the chopped onion, capsicum and chopped coriander roots. Stir it around frequently for 5 minutes, scraping off any browned bits on the bottom of the pan from the chicken.

Stir through the cumin and bay leaf. Return the browned chicken to the saucepan, add the salsa, water and chicken bouillons.  Bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer, covering the pot almost completely with a lid. Cook for 45 minutes, check for seasoning, then turn off and set aside.  Allow it to cool, and then shred your meat.

BEANS & RICE

1 c. dried black beans (or kidney)
1/2 c. pancetta, cut into thick slices
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 green sweet pepper, chopped
4 c. water
2/3 c. coconut milk
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. salt
½ tsp. thyme
2 c. long grain rice

Rice and beans - Soak the beans in water overnight.  Drain the beans and put them into a large saucepan with the pancetta, garlic, onion and water. Bring to the boil and reduce to a simmer. Cover with a lid and cook for 18-20 minutes until tender.  Add the coconut milk, sweet pepper, pepper, salt and thyme and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Add the rice, stir well, cover and simmer very gently on low heat until the water is absorbed (about 25 minutes). Give the rice a stir from time to time to stop it sticking to the bottom. Add a little water, if needed.