Salsa Hogao Colombiano

Salsa Hogao is an essential condiment that can be found on the table of most homes in Colombia. Accompanying dishes like arepas, grilled meat, and papas criollos, this simple salsa can also used as a base for making tomato sauce to go with pasta or beans.

There are many versions of the sauce and over time you can adapt it to your preferred taste, some add white onions, grated carrots, peppers and cilantro for example). Here’s a basic version that’s easy to make and tastes fantastic, and you know the saying, if it’s not broke, don’t fix it!

Ingredients

Makes one large bowl of salsa that should last a couple of sittings


· 6 tablespoons vegetable oil

· 2 cups of finely chopped scallions (spring onions)

· 4 cups ripe, fresh and chopped tomatoes

· 2 clove garlic, minced or finely chopped

· 2 teaspoons of ground cumin

· 1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon ground pepper



Directions

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the scallions and begin to fry, after a couple of minutes add the tomato, garlic, ground cumin and cook gently for 10 minutes, stirring until softened.



2. Turn down the heat to low and add the salt, cooking for another 10 minutes more until the sauce has thickened. Check and adjust the seasoning.




Inspiration and source: http://www.mycolombianrecipes.com/colombian-tomato-and-onion-sauce-hogao

Pastel de tres leches

Pastel de tres leches is a popular dish in Guatemala and other parts of Latin America. There would be fierce debate as to whether tres leches is a Guatemalan invention but it’s certainly found its way into most legitimate cafes and restaurants here.

Translated as ‘three milks,’ it actually uses four different kinds of milk-based products. But really, who’s counting when it tastes this good? If you’re looking for the perfect postre to go with that afternoon coffee (fair trade, of course!) then, when not try this tasty treat?

Trying to impress? Then make sure you use good quality eggs (frescos!) and splash some cash on vanilla extract. They should sell it at larger stores like Paiz but it will still taste good without it. These ingredients will llevarlo al otro nivel. Fijo.

I’ve included using dark rum for this recipe because let’s face it: what doesn’t taste good with dark rum in it? But, the recipe works perfectly well without it. Or, if you can’t afford rum, then you could always try using Quetzalteca.

Ingredients

For the cake

·         1 1/2 cups of all-purpose flour

·         1 teaspoon of baking powder

·         1/2 cup of unsalted butter (or margarine) at room temperature

·         1 cup of white sugar

·         5 huevos

·         1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract

 For the syrup

·         2 tablespoons of ron añejo

·         1 1/2 cups of whole milk

·         1 small can of sweetened condensed milk

·         1 small can of evaporated milk

 For the cream topping

·         1 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream

·         1 cup of white sugar

·         1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

 Fresh berries like frambuesa or sliced fresas (washed and cleaned) to serve.

 Instructions

1.    Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch rectangular baking pan

2.    Sift the flour and baking powder together and set aside

3.    Beat the butter or margarine with the cup of sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in the eggs one at time. Add the 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract and beat well to combine

4.    Fold the flour into the butter mixture bit-by-bit; mix until well blended. Pour the batter into the greased pan

5.    Bake for 25-30 minutes in the preheated oven. To test if it’s cooked, pierce with a fork. If the fork comes out clean, it’s cooked

6.    When the cake has cooled slightly, pierce it all over with a fork

7.    Gently pour the rum over all of the cake so it soaks into the cake

8.    In a jug, combine the whole milk, condensed milk, and evaporated milk together. Gently pour over the top of the cooled cake. There is usually more syrup than the cake can absorb at first. So, keep spooning the excess syrup over the cake every so often to make the cake as moist as possible. If it’s still overflowing with liquid when you’re about to serve, you can pour off a little of the surplus

9.    When you’re ready to serve, whip the whipping cream with the remaining cup of sugar (use less sugar if you don’t like it too sweet) and the remaining teaspoon of vanilla together. Whip until you can form soft peaks. you will probably need an electric whisk to do this. Spread over the top of cake to form a final layer

10. Cut the cake into squares and serve with some of the sauce and the berries scattered on top

11. Make sure you keep any leftovers refrigerated But, if you’ve made it well, there should be very little leftovers!

Homemade Hummus

Photo taken by meeeeeeeeee :-)

I adore hummus and could scoff an entire pot all to myself. I'd never really liked homemade hummus but was asked to make some today and I have to say I was pretty impressed! I think the trick was the extra liquid so don't scrimp on the oil because this makes it beautifully smooth. The added whole chickpeas with the oil, coriander and paprika give it the perfect finish ready for any party snack or starter. This is adapted Jamie Oliver recipe. I'd always recommend cooking dried chickpeas if you have a pressure cooker, they make more and somehow taste better.

• 2 x 400g cans of chickpeas (reserve the liquid and a few chickpeas for decoration)or cook a 1 lb of chickpeas in the pressure cooker
• 4 tsp tahini
• 1 garlic clove, crushed or finely chopped
• 1 tsp crushed sea salt
• 6 tbsp quality extra virgin olive oil (plus extra for drizzling)
• 3½ tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
• Paprika 
• Coriander or parsley leaves 

Rinse the chickpeas in cold water and tip into the food processor. Add the tahini, crushed garlic, salt, lemon juice and seven tablespoons of the reserved liquid from the cans. Turn on the food processor and slowly pour in the oil while it runs.

When the mixture is fully combined and smooth, tip it into a serving dish. Drizzle with some more extra virgin olive oil and decorate with a few whole chickpeas. Sprinkle with paprika and finely chopped coriander or parsley leaves, and finish with another squeeze of lemon.

If you're feeling healthy eating with raw carrot sticks, if not try Doritos or on freshly toasted bread. Enjoy!

Platano en Gloria

If there’s one fresh fruit you’re guaranteed to find in any ‘tiendita’ it’s plantain. Guatemalans love them and no desayuno chapin would be the same without it. Don’t let their over-ripe appearance put you off. That’s when they’re at their best! So whether you can’t face walking further than your corner store, or you were persuaded by the amazing deal of ‘10 por Q5’ at la Democracia and now have no idea about what to do with your platano surplus, then this is the recipe for you! Eaten as a mid-morning ‘refa’ or as a dessert with un poco de crema fresca, this will satisfy even the sweetest tooth.

Serves 4-5 people

Ingredients

·         Four ripe plantains (roughly working out one per person)

·         One cup of orange juice (preferably a bag of the freshly squeezed stuff for extra goodness)

·         15-20 cloves (roughly 5 cloves per plantain)

·         One tbs of butter or ‘margarina’

·         Two ‘ramitas de canela’

·         Aprox one tbs of honey

Instructions

1.    Melt a large tablespoon of butter in a frying pan. You can use margarina but butter tastes better if you can afford it

2.    When the butter has melted, add the whole, peeled plantains and begin to fry

3.    Stick 4-5 cloves into the flesh of the plantain. Break the two ‘canela’ sticks in half and add them to the pan so the flavor infuses into the butter. Start to lightly brown the plantain over a low heat, turning to fry on all sides. This should take around 10 minutes

4.    Once lightly brown on every side, take the plantain out of the pan and sit on una servilleta or paper towel to soak up some of the oil. Leave for a couple of minutes to cool

5.    Take the cloves out of the flesh and cut the plantain into slices, not too thin

6.    Put the pan back on the heat, add a drop of oil or more butter and start frying the plantain slices. Pour over the OJ. After a couple of minutes, drizzle half of the honey over the plantain slices. Then flip the plantains over and add the other half of the honey. To make sure they caramelize, leave the plantains for about 5 minutes on each side.  Spoon some of the juice over occasionally so it soaks into the plantain

7.    The sauce should become thick like caramel. You can always add more OJ if you think you need more

8.            Once cooked, turn the heat off and leave to sit for a minute or two in the pan. Serve with a dollop of cream or icecream and a sprinkle of canela.

Swede, lamb, aubergine and feta bake

• This is the perfect alternative to lasagna who can't eat pasta. If the bechamel sauce is a no no, just crumble on the feta cheese on top of the bake and that will be equally delicious
• 
  
• Ingredients
• 2 tbsp olive oil, plus extra for greasing
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• ¼ tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• pinch of chilli flakes
• 500g lamb mince
• 1 tbsp tomato purée
• 400g can chopped tomatoes
• 600g swede, peeled and sliced as thinly as possible
• 1 aubergine, sliced thinly

For the topping

• 25g butter
• 25g plain flour
• 300ml milk
• 1 large egg
• 100g feta, crumbled

Method

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan and fry the onion until softened. Add the garlic and cook for a further few mins. Stir in the cinnamon, oregano and chilli flakes. Add the lamb and brown all over for a few mins, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Drain the fat from the mince and return the pan to the heat. Stir in the tomato purée and cook for 1 min, then tip in the tomatoes. Half-fill the can with water and add to the pan. Stir well, season and simmer for 15 mins.
2. Preheat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Lightly oil the bottom of a 1.5-litre ovenproof dish and arrange a lay swede on the bottom, then add a layer of aubergine. Ladle over half the mince mixture, top with another layer of swede and aubergine, followed by another layer of lamb. Finish with a layer of swede.
3. For the topping, heat the butter in a small saucepan and add the flour. Stir briskly until you have a smooth paste. Remove from the heat and slowly add the milk until you have a smooth sauce. Return to the heat and cook for 4-5 mins until the sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and whisk in the egg and half the feta.
4. Pour the sauce over the top of the swede and sprinkle the surface with the remaining feta. Cover with foil and bake in the oven for 35-45 mins. Remove the foil and cook for a further 25-30 mins or until the top is golden and the swede is tender - be sure to test that the swede is fully cooked before serving. Leave to sit for a few mins before serving.
5. Serve with cooked spinach and sprinkled with parsley. Delicious.

Celeriac Soup

• Ever wondered what to do with the celeriac in your organic veggie box? Me too. This may not be the tastiest ever soup but it's hearty, filling and uses up the winter root veg as good as any other recipe!

Ingredients

• 50g Butter
• 1 Celeriac, peeled and cubed
• 1 Potato, peeled and cubed
• 1 Leek, trimmed, washed and roughly sliced
• 1 Onion, peeled and roughly chopped
• 1 Garlic clove, sliced
• 1 litre Stock, chicken, vegetable

Method

Melt the butter in a large, heavy-based pot over a medium-low heat. Add the celeriac, leek, potato, garlic and onion, season generously, and gently sweat the vegetables until they're all starting to soften (this will take about 10 minutes).

Add the stock, bring the soup up to a boil, turn down the heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the celeriac is completely tender.

Liquidise until smooth, return to the pan and reheat over a medium flame. Just before serving, check the soup for seasoning and serve

Carne Guisada

After el desayuno chapín, stews are one of the most popular dishes served in comedores y cocinas throughout the country. ‘Caldos’ ‘recaldos’ and ‘guisados’, which are all types of stews, tend to be overshadowed by their more infamous cousins ‘pepian’, ‘jocon’ and ‘kaq ik’. Despite their fame, visitors are missing a trick overlooking these tasty, lesser known dishes.

 This recipe is originally from el Departemento de Escuintla on the Pacific Coast. Although stews like this are typically cooked on the stovetop, I’ve altered this recipe to cook it in the oven - a estilo inglesa - which cooks the meat to be bien tierna. If you don’t have an oven, cook on the stove over a low heat, covered for an hour and a half until the veg is cooked and the beef is tender.

 Serves 3-4 people

Ingredients

·       2 tbs of oil

·       1 pound of carne de res (ask the butcher for ‘carne para guisar’ but if they look confused then ask for “lomo”)

·       1 heaped tbs of flour

·       2 cups of water

·       1 pound of tomatoes, halved

·       3 ounces of miltomate, halved

·       1 onion, quartered

·       2 garlic cloves

·       1 pound of small potatoes, peeled

·       2 large carrots, peeled

·       1 bay leaf (laurel)

·       A few sprigs of thyme (tomillo)

·       Two cloves (clavos)

·       One stick of cinnamon (canela).

1. Preheat the oven to 140c

2. Start by making a salsa by placing the tomatoes, onion, miltomate and garlic in a medium pan, add the water to cover the vegetables and bring to a boil; then simmer for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Blend the mixture to make a smooth, chapin-style tomato sauce

1.While the salsa is cooking, cut the meat up into small, bite-sized pieces.  Coat the meat evenly in the flour in a bowl. Heat the oil in a casserole dish or large pan that can go in the oven and brown the meat evenly over a fairly high flame.

3. When the meat is browned, add the blended sauce to the pan, stir well, cover and bring to the boil.

4, Add the salt, thyme, bay leaves, cloves and cinnamon. Put in the oven, covered.

5. Meanwhile, halve the potatoes and chop the carrots into big chunks. After the meat has been in the oven for about 45 minutes, add the vegetables, stir before putting back in the oven for another hour and 15 minutes until the meat is tender and the vegetables are soft

5.Pick out the bay leaves, cinnamon and cloves (if you can find them) before serving with hot tortillas.

 The stew is even tastier reheated so no need to eat it all at once!