By Admin Thursday, March 11, 2010
Typical Colombian food varies from region to region. This is a very fertile country that has a lot to offer, especially in terms of meat, fruit and vegetables.
Medellin and Antioquia are know for the Bandeja Paisa. A huge concoction of arepa, ground beef, beans, rice, avocado, an egg and chicharron. It’s a huge dish better suited to people who manually as opposed to sit around in front of a computer every day.
Sancocho is another favorite of Antioquia. There’s no hard and fast rule as to its ingredients but generally, it’s a meat, with yuca, vegetables, plantain, and a piece of corn.
By Admin Friday, March 5, 2010
If there is one word I associate with Colombian food, it is fresh. This South American country lies close to the equator, meaning that Colombia’s citizens enjoy an abundance of tropical fruits and vegetables year round. Add to that fortuitous latitude coastlines that touch both the Pacific and Atlantic oceans, and you have fresh seafood to round out a local cornucopia of fresh culinary ingredients.
While much of Colombia’s food is produced using what are considered sustainable practices, organic production is just starting to gain a foothold. As such, I was pleasantly surprised during a recent visit to Bogotá to stumble upon Suna, an organic restaurant with a small natural foods store adjacent to its dining area.
Preparing food, sharing culture from Colombia to Sioux CityBy Admin Thursday, March 4, 2010
SIOUX CITY—Food isn’t merely about filling one’s mouth or stomach.
It’s about enriching an experience or expanding one’s view.
That’s the message Chef Joaquin Suarez shared with students, staff and faculty members last week at Morningside College. Of course, he also shared some of the finest foods he could prepare from his native Colombia.
Foods like coconut rice with raisins, ceviche, yucca, plantains and guavas.
Colombian EmpanadaBy Admin Friday, February 26, 2010
This sunny corner diner in Jackson Heights feels wonderfully Colombian, down to its carb-loaded bakery display and gaggle of friendly young waitresses (bring your Spanish). Appropriately, the empanadas occupy a cozy spot on the counter next to two of the country’s other essential food groups: chicharrón and chorizo.
Empanadas from Colombia are generally deep-fried and made of corn flour, giving them a bright-yellow hue. While you can find more gourmet varieties throughout Colombia, in New York they’ll likely be simple, filled with chicken, cheese or beef. Truth be told, these little fried hot pockets can run the gamut from plump and crisp to flat and super-greasy.
Bacon-Apple and Cheddar QuesadillaBy Admin Friday, February 19, 2010
I made myself another yummy quesadilla for lunch this week. This time the filling was crispy bacon, cheddar cheese and delicious apples, drizzled with maple syrup. This would be a perfect lunch with a green salad and small bowl of soup. Simple, but filling, and very tasty! I absolutely loved it. I will be making this quesadilla again for sure, maybe in the fall when apples are season. Enjoy!
By Admin Thursday, February 18, 2010
An unexpected benefit of A Culinary Tour Around the World is the opportunity it has given us to become acquainted with food bloggers we didn’t know before. Once again, we have 3 first-time contributors. They come from Hawaii, Germany and Chicago.
Isn’t the internet a wonderful thing? It introduces us to people…it takes us places…it informs…it entertains…and it feeds. Wait till you see the dishes in this round-up — it’ll have you booking passage on the next flight to Cartagena or Bogota!
Pulled Pork-Sofrito Arepas With Black Beans and Fried PlantainsBy Admin Wednesday, February 17, 2010
This week on my Foodalogue journey I got to take my taste buds on a quick trip to Colombia.
So I decided to investigate Arepas because Manly had them on a recent trip to New York at a place called Caracas and was just raving about how fantastic their Venezuelan versions were. During my investigation I tripped over a segment from Throw Down with Bobby Flay on You Tube that had him competing with the owners of Caracas! So I figured the stars were lining up and telling me I was headed in the right direction. You can view the video here if you’d like: It looks like a lot of fun was had by all.
By Admin Tuesday, February 16, 2010
It’s actually a miracle that Colombians have managed to be a nation. A country with similar ranges in 2007 and where it is still doubtful whether one can pass through the line, what would in the past? Moreover, the process has left the region with a different ethnic identity. Maybe if we managed to come together thanks to some great leaders who have managed, with everything against him, to unite people and make us feel very proud to be Colombian.
By Admin Friday, February 12, 2010
Cholesterol fans, there is a new mountain to climb, a peak that may soar above chili fries and the In-N-Out 4x4, above even a sizzling slab of Jar’s finest fillet and a “pork pump” from one of the Shanghainese restaurants that consider a 2-pound sphere of simmered hog lard to be a perfectly adequate appetizer. Braised bacon, step off your pedestal. There’s a new guy in town.
La Maria, a smallish Colombian restaurant just this side of the “Welcome to Los Angeles” sign at the Burbank border, is a cheerful place, all earth-tone tiles and travel posters, abstracted parrots and a flat, happy mural of Colombian village life that looks closer to Tintin than to Botero. The locals stop in for batidos, Colombian milk shakes made with guanabana, passion fruit or the purple Andean berry called mora; for avocado omelets in the mornings, and for bowls of mondongo, a nourishing tripe soup, on the mornings after.
Brigadeiros (Brazilian Chocolate Candy)By Admin Thursday, February 11, 2010
These popular Brazilian candies were named after an Air Force Brigadier named Eduardo Gomes. They look like truffles, are very simple to make and are rich and delicious. Valentine’s day is coming soon, so make these candies for your friends and family, they would love you for it :)
These Brigadeiros are my entry in the virtual food tour hosted by my friend Joan from Foodalogue.
Keep them refrigerated until ready to eat. Buen Provecho!
