My grandmother grew up in family that took tradition seriously. Some of her favorite traditions to carry on is cooking with family. She remembers many dishes from her childhood such as, buñuelos, homemade chocolate, Colombian fruit cake, french fry soup, sancocho, chicharrones, chorizo, arepas, yuca, plantains, arroz con pollo, ajiaco de pollo, and lechona for Christmas. Some recipes are listed below.
Ajiaco
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Ingredients
- 3 pounds chicken breast (on the bone with skin, or 1 whole chicken, cut
into parts)
- 6 quarts water
- 3 pounds russet potatoes (peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks)
- 6 pounds new red potatoes (peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks)
- 3 pounds papas criolla (in the U.S. use Dutch Creamer, Baby Dutch
Yellow, Yukon Gold, or Yellow Finn potatoes), cut into 1-inch chunks)
- 4 ears corn on the cob (fresh or frozen, cut into 3-inch pieces)
- 2 handfuls of quascas (about 5 g dried or 10 g fresh)
Serve With
- cilantro leaves
- Heavy cream
- Capers
- Avocado slices
- cooked rice
Preparation:
1. Place the chicken breasts in the bottom of a large stock pot, sprinkle with a handful of guascas, and add water. Bring to a boil and cook until the meat is tender. Remove chicken and set aside. Cover with foil and keep warm.
2. Add the potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for
at least a couple hours, 4 hours is best. The yellow potatoes should start to
break up in the soup, but if not, you can help the soup along by mashing some of the yellow potatoes in the pot.
3. Once the cooked chicken is cool enough to handle, remove the skin and
bones. Cut the meat into small pieces and drop them back into the pot.
4. About 5 minutes before serving, add the remaining guascas and let it cook for 5 minutes, then serve.
5. Serve in deep bowls, making sure that each bowl gets some chicken and a
piece of corn on the cob. Garnish with a dollop of heavy cream, capers, and cilantro leaves. You can eat the avocado on the side with the rice, or you can cut a slice into pieces and drop into your soup.
Colombian Fruit Cake
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INGREDIENTS
- 2 cups of pitted prunes
- 2 cups raisins
- 1 cup port wine
- ½ cup dark rum
- 2 cups (brevas caladas) candied figs
- 1 pound butter
- 1 pound sugar
- 12 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 lb. all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon ground cloves
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons of baker’s caramel or dulce quemado or molasses
INSTRUCTIONS
1. One to two weeks before you make the cake, place the prunes,
raisins, ¼ cup of rum and ½ cup of wine in a non-reactive container.
2. When you are ready to make the cakes, preheat the oven to 350
degrees F.
3. Butter and flour two 8 inches round cake pans and set aside.
4. Place the raisins, prunes and brevas in the food processor and
process for about 60 seconds. Transfer the fruit mixture to a bowl and set
aside.
5. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, cinnamon,
cloves and nutmeg and set aside.
6. Using an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar.
Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the vanilla extract, and add the
eggs, a couple at a time. Add the flour mixture and mix on the lower
speed for about one minute. Add bakers caramel, and mix for one more
minute. Stir in the fruit using your hands until well combined.
7. Divide the batter evenly between the two pans and bake until cakes
are done on top or a tester inserted into the center comes out clean,
about 1 hour and 40 minutes. Remove from oven and let them cool for
about 5 to 10 minutes.
8. Unmold the cakes and brush with the remaining rum and wine.
Wrap cakes with plastic wrap, and then with aluminum foil. Let the cakes
stand at room temperature for at least 3 days before serving or up to
three weeks in the fridge before frosting.
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COLOMBIAN EMPANADAS
prep:45 minutes
cook time: 55 minutes
INGREDIENTS
- Vegetable oil for frying
- Lime for serving
Dough
-1 ½ cups precooked yellow cornmeal masarepa
- 2 cups water
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- ½ tablespoon sazón Goya with azafrán
- ½ teaspoon Salt
Filling
- 2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
- 1 chicken or vegetable bouillon tablet
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ¼ cup chopped white onions
- 1 cup chopped tomato
- ¼ cup chopped green onions
- 1 chopped garlic clove
- 2 tablespoon chopped red bell pepper
- ½ pound ground pork and beef
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon sazón with azafran
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
INSTRUCTIONS:
Make the Dough
1. Place the Masarepa in a large bowl. Add the Sazón Goya and salt
and stir to mix well. Add the water and oil and mix to form dough. Pat the
dough into a ball and knead for 2 minutes or until smooth. Cover with
plastic and set aside for 20 minutes. Meanwhile make the filling.
Filling
2. Cook the potatoes in a pot with water and the bouillon tablet for 20-
25 minutes or until tender. Drain and gently mash the potatoes. Set
aside.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large, heavy skillet. Add the onion
and cook over medium-low heat stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Add the
tomatoes, green onions, garlic, bell pepper, cilantro, salt and black
pepper. Cook for about 15 minutes.
4. Add the ground pork and beef. Cook, breaking up the meat with a
wooden spoon, for 10 to 15 minutes or until the mixture is fairly dry.
5. Transfer the meat mixture to the mashed potatoes bowl and mix
well to combine.
6. Break small portions of the dough, about 1 ½ tablespoons each
one, and form each portion into a ball by rolling between the palms of
your hands.
7. Place the balls of dough between two pieces of plastic and roll each
out very thinly to form a circle. Remove the top plastic and place 1
tablespoon of the filling in the center of each.
8. Then using the plastic underneath, fold the dough over to enclose
the filling, forming a half circle. Tightly seal the edges by crimping with
the tines of a fork.
9. Fill a large pot with vegetable oil and heat over medium heat to
360° F.
10. Carefully place 3 or 4 empanadas at the time in the heated oil and
fry for about 2 minutes until golden on all sides.
11. Using a slotted spoon transfer the empanadas to a plate lined with
paper towels. Serve with lime on the side.