Pastel Mandi'ó - Paraguayan snack like empanada.

Other

In a pressure cooker, place the meat with 2 cloves of garlic, 1 onion and 1 bay leaf. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 45 minutes.

Remove the meat from the pressure cooker and reserve the broth.

Roughly chop the meat.

Chop the remaining garlic and onion.

In a Dutch oven, sauté the onion and garlic over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the bell pepper and stir well.

Add the rice and stir well. Season with salt and pepper.

Add 2 ladles of meat stock, chopped parsley and cumin.

Cook on low heat until the rice is cooked, about 10 minutes.

Add the meat and mix well. Adjust the seasoning.

Place the stuffing in a strainer and drain to get rid of all the liquid. Let cool.

Mix the boiled eggs with the stuffing.

Rinse the cassava under cold water. Rub lightly with a brush to remove any dirt that may have stuck to the cassava root.

Peel with a sturdy vegetable peeler. Cassava should be pristine white at the end of the peeling.

Cut the peeled cassava into large pieces.

Place in a saucepan and add enough water to cover. Season with salt and mix.

Boil the cassava for 30 minutes, or until tender.

Remove from heat immediately and drain well.

Purée the cassava.

Place the cassava and corn flour in a large bowl.

Add margarine, 1 teaspoon salt, egg and all-purpose flour. Knead well.

Sprinkle the work surface with corn flour and roll out the dough with a rolling pin to a thickness of ⅛ inch.

Form discs of dough of about 4 inches (10cm) diameter.

Place a teaspoonful of stuffing in the center of each disc of dough.

Renew the operation until the dough is used up.

Wet the edges of each disc with water and close in a half-moon shape by pressing on the edges.

Heat a pot or Dutch oven with a good amount of oil and deep fry the pastels mandi'ó over medium-high heat.

Serve hot.