MORTON GLASS CUTTING RECIPES

Steps:

• Cook oil and achiote seeds in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until oil turns deep orange, about 10 minutes. Strain into a heatproof jar and let cool. Measure out ½ cup achiote oil for making filling; set remaining 1 cup oil aside for making dough.
• Bring beef, chicken, 1 Tbsp. Diamond Crystal or 1¾ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and 12 cups water to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and let simmer until cooked through, about 30 minutes. Transfer beef and chicken to a cutting board and let sit until cool enough to handle. Pour 8 cups cooking liquid into a heatproof pitcher or large measuring glass; set aside. Discard any extra liquid.
• Cut beef and chicken into ?" cubes; place back into pot (cooking the meat before you chop it means that you can cut the pieces finer and more evenly). Blend tomatoes, garlic, and tomato paste in a blender until smooth; scrape purée into pot with meat. Blend onion, red and green bell peppers, scallions, cilantro, and ½ cup reserved cooking liquid in blender until smooth and add to pot. Add brown sugar and ½ cup reserved achiote oil. Pour in remaining 7½ cups reserved cooking liquid. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until meat is tender and liquid is slightly reduced, about 40 minutes. Drain meat in a colander, season lightly with salt, and let cool.
• Meanwhile, mix cornmeal, salt, reserved 1 cup achiote oil, and 8 cups water in a large bowl with your hands until dough is smooth, spreadable, and no large lumps remain, 5–7 minutes. Press a sheet of plastic wrap or parchment paper directly onto surface of dough; let rest at least 30 minutes or up to 1 hour.
• Wash and pat banana leaves dry. Carefully remove any center stems with kitchen shears, avoiding breaking through the leaf, then cut into 14x10" rectangles. Mix oil and 1 cup water in a medium bowl (it needs to be big enough to dip your hands into). This will help to keep the dough from sticking to your hands. Working one at a time, place a banana leaf on a surface so the veins in the leaves run horizontally. Dipping your hands in oil mixture as you work, place ¾ cup dough in center of leaf and spread out with your fingers into a ?"-thick rectangle, leaving a 1" border near the vertical edges and a space on both horizontal edges. Place ¾ cup guiso into center of dough. Top with 5 capers, 2 olives, and 8 raisins.
• Take top and bottom edges of leaf and bring up toward each other so edges of dough meet and enclose filling. Pull both sides of banana leaf together snugly toward the upper edge of hallaca to seal and fold over toward you to make a tube. Fold remaining 2 side ends toward the center to make a small package.
• Place package, fold side down, on another banana leaf and wrap up again. Wrap once more in a third leaf to hold everything together, then tie closed with kitchen twine. (Make sure package is compact, the leaves are not ripped, and hallaca is not leaking.) Repeat with remaining dough, filling, and banana leaves.
• Place as many hallacas as will fit into a clean large pot, pour in water to cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, turning hallacas halfway through, until plumped and firm, about 35 minutes. Repeat with remaining hallacas. Do ahead: Hallacas can be made 1 week ahead. Let cool, then cover and chill, or freeze up to 3 months. To reheat, cook in a pot of simmering water (make sure hallacas are submerged), partially covered, until warmed through, 10–15 minutes if chilled, 25–30 minutes if frozen.

Steps:

• Combine flour and 2½ cups room-temperature water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the dough hook. Mix on low speed, scraping down sides and hook as needed to incorporate any dry flour, until a shaggy dough forms. Remove dough hook and cover with cloth bowl cover. Let sit while you prepare the yeast (you can leave the dough in this state up to 2 hours).
• Stir yeast, sugar, and ½ cup warm water with a fork in a small bowl to dissolve. Let sit until yeast is foamy, about 5 minutes.
• Pour yeast mixture into stand mixer bowl and mix on low speed until dough absorbs all additional water, about 1 minute (pulse mixer on and off a couple of times at very beginning to prevent liquid from splashing over the sides). Add kosher salt and continue to mix, increasing speed to medium, until dough is extremely elastic and very sticky (it will look more like a thick batter and will stick to sides of bowl), about 5 minutes.
• Pour 3 Tbsp. oil into a large (preferably glass) bowl and swirl to coat sides. Scrape in dough with a large spatula or flexible bench scraper. Cover and place in a warm spot until dough is doubled in volume, 2–3 hours. If using a glass bowl, it’s helpful to mark the position of the dough at the beginning so you can accurately assess the rise (a dry-erase marker or piece of tape works).
• Drizzle 2 Tbsp. oil over a 18x13" sheet pan and use fingertips to rub all over bottom and sides. Using large spatula or flexible bench scraper, fold dough inside bowl a couple of times to deflate, then scrape onto prepared baking sheet. Using oiled hands, lift up dough and fold over onto itself in half, then rotate baking sheet 90° and fold in half again. Cover dough with a piece of well-oiled plastic and let rest 10 minutes to let gluten relax.
• Uncover and go back in with oiled hands, gently stretching dough (to avoid tearing) across length and width of baking sheet in an even layer, working all the way to edges and into corners. If dough starts to spring back, let sit 5–10 minutes and start again. Cover again with same piece of oiled plastic and chill at least 8 hours and up to 24.
• Let sheet pan sit in a warm spot until dough is puffed and bubbly and nearly doubled in height, 45–65 minutes (if you’re using a standard half sheet pan, it will have risen to the very top of the sides). Meanwhile, place a rack in center of oven; preheat to 450°.
• Remove plastic and drizzle dough generously with more oil. Oil hands again and press fingertips firmly into dough, pushing down all the way to bottom of pan to dimple all over. Sprinkle generously with sea salt.
• Bake focaccia until surface is deep golden brown all over, 25–35 minutes. Let cool in pan 10 minutes. Slide a thin metal spatula underneath focaccia to loosen from sheet pan (it may stick in a couple of places, so use some elbow grease to get underneath) and transfer to a wire rack. Let cool completely before cutting as desired. Do Ahead: Focaccia can be baked 1 day ahead. Tightly wrap in plastic and store at room temperature.