Copy and Taste

Lentils with Powdered Beef

As prepared by our friend Rosita and her staff:

Ingredients:

Beef:

• Beef round
• Green onions
• Tomatoes
• Garlic
• Soy sauce
• Salt
• Secret seasoning (paprika, cumin, garlic powder, onion, indian spice)

Lentils / Guiso:

• Green lentils
• Green onions
• Tomatoes
• Garlic
• Secret seasoning
• Chicken bouillon
• Ketchup
• Vegetable oil
• White vinegar
• Rice

Directions:

Beef:

1. Slice the beef into large strips.
2. Marinate beef in mixture of tomato, green onion, garlic, soy sauce, salt, and seasoning. Reserve quarter of marinade for use later.
3. Sear meat in butter then add water to cover. Cook until tender (approximately 45 minutes in pressure cooker and 2-3 hours in oven)

Lentils:

1. Soak and wash lentils.
2. Put in a large pot and cover with water and salt.
3. Boil, cover, and cook about 20 minutes.

Guiso:

1. Shred tomatoes. Discard skin leaving the juice and pulp.
2. Dice green onions and mince garlic.
3. In a saucepan add vegetable oil, green onion, garlic, secret seasoning and saute until tender.
4. Add bouillon cubes and tomato. Add a little ketchup, and mix together.
5. Add the guiso to lentils and bring to a boil.

1. When the beef is tender take it out of the liquid and let it cool.
2. Shred beef by hand and then put it into a food processor.
3. Using the reserved marinate, saute with oil in pan and add white vinegar. Add beef.
4. Serve with rice on the bottom, a layer of lentils, and beef on top.

Hindsight:

Cooking this dish is easy with a kitchen staff! Best served buffet style, with a side of patacones.

Summary:

A typical Colombian dish, tasty at any time of the day as a snack or full meal.

Yuca Frita y Patacones

Yuca Frita:
6 to 8 Servings

Ingredients:

• 1 pound peeled yuca
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 cups oil for frying
• Salt, for serving
  

Directions:

1. Cut yuca lengthwise into quarters. Cut each piece of yuca lengthwise into 1/2-inch sticks, or into 1/4-inch sticks if you like more toasted, crispier sticks.
2. Place the yuca in a medium pot with 6 cups of water. Cover, bring to a boil and cook until fork tender, about 20 minutes. Drain well and dry with paper towels.
3. Pour the oil into a deep, medium, heavy pot, and place over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot (325 F), add the yuca sticks and deep fry for 5 to 7 minutes or until lightly golden on all sides.
4. Remove the pieces with slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
5. Sprinkle with salt and serve.
   

Patacones:
6 to 8 Servings

Ingredients:

• 2 plantains
• 2 cups oil
• Salt, for serving
  

Directions:

1. Cut the ends off the plantains and peel. Cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks.
2. Pour the oil into a deep, medium, heavy pot, and place over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, add the plantain pieces a few at a time, and fry 6 to 8 minutes. (If the oil doesn’t cover the pieces, fry for 4 minutes, turn and leave 4 more minutes). Remove the plantains from the oil with a slotted spoon.
3. Put the plantains on a work surface. With a heavy pot, press well on the pieces on plantain until they become thin and even.
4. Return the plantains to the oil and fry for 2 to 3 minutes on each side. Remove them with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels.
5. Sprinkle with salt and serve with lime wedges.
   

Hindsight:

While we thought these turned out a-mazing, Paul shares this tip from
his Grandmother: It’s important to have a high temperature contrast between the oil and the food you’re frying. Freezing the plaintains and yuca before cooking in the oil results in a crunchy outside and a soft, tender inside.

Although, we enjoyed the yuca fries as a snack while cooking, they would have been best served along with the sobrebarriga.

Summary:

Courtney says, “Hells yes!” This is her favorite thing we have made thus far.

Arroz con Lentejas y Coco

Ingredients:
4 Servings

• 1 tablespoon oil
• 1/4 cup diced white onion
• 1/2 cup lentils
• 1 cup rice
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 cups coconut milk
  

Directions:

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat.
   
2. Add the diced onion and saute 2 minutes.
3. Add the lentils and 1 cup water and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the lentils have softened and absorbed most of the water.
   
4. Add the rice and salt, and stir for 2 minutes more.
5. Pour the coconut milk and bring to a boil.
6. As soon as you see the rice on the surface, and most of the liquid has evaporated, cover the pot; reduce the heat to minimum and cook for 20 minutes.
7. Serve.

Hindsight:
Watch the pot. The lentils burn easily.

Summary:
Forgettable but necessary staple.

Ajiaco Bogotano

Ingredients:
4 Appetizer Servings

• 1 chicken breast
• 1 onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• Chicken stock
• 1 ear of corn, cut into rounds
• 2 whole green onions
• 1/4 bunch cilantro
• 8 small red potatoes
• 4 medium yellow or Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and sliced
• 4 T julienned guascas (stems removed)
• 1/2 cup heavy cream, for serving
• 1 tablespoon capers, drained, for serving
• 1 avocado, thinly sliced, for serving
• Salt
  

Directions:

• The night before, marinate the chicken breast with onion, garlic, and salt.
• In a medium stockpot, place 5 cups of water, the chicken breast, green onions, cilantro, and salt. Cover, bring to a boil over medium heat, and simmer for 20 minutes.
• Uncover, remove and set aside the chicken breasts, and discard the green onions and cilantro. In another pan, add the yellow potatoes to the chicken stock and simmer for 1 hour.
• Add the red potatoes, the corn, and the guascas, and simmer uncovered until cooked. Season with more salt and pepper and serve with the chicken (cut into strips).
• Serve with the capers and avocado on top and cream on the side.
  

Hindsight:

This soup simmers on the stove for a long time, and it takes a careful eye to keep the broth from evaporating too much. In the end, ours was more stew than soup. Also, we think that using chicken stock made from bouillon cubes could remedy this problem—keep adding more stock until everything floats.

The leftover juices from the sobrebarriga would be an impeccable stock for the soup.

We were told in order to truly call our soup ajiaco we would need something called guascas. Unfortunately, guascas only grows in Bogota and is near
impossible to find outside Colombia. Paul’s mom instructed us to
substitute capers, not sure how this compares.

Summary:

We can’t wait to get down to Bogota and try the real thing.