Empanada from Colombia

                                                                                Receta en Español

The empanada reached Colombia with the spanish conquest, the original empanadas came from Galicia, the recipe changed in Colombia to adapt to the local ingredients.

At the beginning the empanadas were cooked in the oven, later they were fried, due to the African influence. The original empanadas were made from wheat flour, this was later changed to precooked corn flour.

The empanadas were original from Grecia and the Persian Empire, this way of cooking allowed to move the food wrapped in bread. That's the meaning of 'empanar' to wrap in bread.

This way of cooking reached Spain with the arab invasion on the VIII century.

El most typical filling is made from meat and vegetables.

Ingredients:

- Oil.

- 1/2 kilo shredded meat.

- 6 tomatos.

- 3 onios.

- 1/2 kilo precooked corn flour.

- 1 fresh coriander.

- Garlic.

- chili.

- 6 medium potatos.

- Cumin.

- Thyme.

- Ground garlic.

- Saffron.

- Salt.

- Water

Method:

1- Put the meat in a casserole together with some water, salt, onion, persil, leek, carrot and bay leaves.

Keep the broth, you will use it later to moisten the empanadas.

2- Peel and cut potatos into little cubes, cook them in water with salt during 12 minutes.

3- Cut onions, tomatos and garlic into little cubes.

4- Sautée onions and garlic.

5- Add the spices, the shredded meat, potatos, tomatos and cook for several minutes until all the ingredients are well cooked. Let it get cool.

6- Now it is time to make the dough. To obtain the characteristic yellow we use some threads of saffron, let it infuse in hot water during at least 10 minutes.

7- Put the flour in a bowl , add salt and the infused water. 

knead until it is homogeneous, if needed use some broth to moisten the dough.

Take some cling film, put it on a surface , moisten it with some oil.

Take a portion of dough, put it on the cling film, flatten and put some filling in the middle.

Follow the process you see in the photos:

8 - Fry the empanadas in hot oil.

9 - The empanadas are accompanied by the ají, cut the tomato into little cubes, cut the onion into little pieces. Mix together with some oil, salt and chili.

Where to buy the ingredients

Here you have links to the precooked corn flour.

This is the one with yellow colour:

 

   

 This is the one with white colour:

 

  

You can also watch the recipe at my Youtube Channel:

Here you have my favourite cooking tools: https://viaja-en-mi-cocina-english.blogspot.com/2023/05/shop.html

Colombia

Pudding and Souse

                                                                               Receta en Español

Pudding and Souse is a traditional dish in Barbados,it is usual to take it on saturdays.

'Souse' is mainly pork and cucumber marinated in lime juice. This is a dish for brave people because one of its ingredients is the hottest pepper in the world Pimiento Scotch bonnet, it is much more spicy than a 'jalapeño'.

The parts of the pig usually in this dish are ears,hands and snout,but you can also use pork loin as I did :-).

The pudding that accompanies the 'Souse' is made of sweet potato, years ago they were used to add pig blood to give a darker color to the pudding, nowadays they use food colouring or leave it with the natural color of the sweet potato.

This dish has a good taste and it lasts a lot of days, given that it is marinated.

Take into account that we must prepare it at least 6 hours before lunch or better the day before.

Ingredients for Souse:

• 700 grams of pork loin.
• 1 onion.
• 2 o 3 cucumber.
• Pepper Scotch bonnet (or other type of chilli).
• Juice of 3 limes.
• Chopped parseley.
• 2 bay leaves.
• Some peppercorns.
• Salt.

Ingredients for the Pudding:

•   600 grams of sweet potato.
•   1/2 teaspoon of thyme.
•   1/2 teaspoon marjoram.
•   1 teaspoon of chive.
•   Pepper Scotch bonnet (or other type of chilli).
•   A pinch of sugar.
•   A pinch of salt.
•   60 grams of butter.

Method for the Souse:

1-  Salt pork loin both sides, besides, sprinkle some lime juice over both sides too, let stand for 30 minutes.

You can see at the pictures the differences after 30 minutes. 

2-  Wash the meat and put it in a pot with some boiling water , bay leaves and peppercorns. Let it cook for 1 hour at medium - low heat.

3- Place the meat under cold water to let it get cool fast , then cut it into stripes 1 centimeter dick. Cut cucumber into slices , cut onions in little pieces. Place everything in a crystal bowl.

4- Add salt, lime juice and some water until all the ingredients are covered. Let stand at least for 6 hours (at room temperature).  If you let it stand more time it will be better. It must be served at room temperature accompanied by the sweet potato pudding.



Method for the Pudding:

5-  Peel and grate the sweet potatos.

6-  Instead of grating the sweet potato you can also use a food processor to crush them.

7-  Put the sweet potato in a bowl and add the rest of the ingredients for the pudding (thyme, marjoram, sugar, salt, chive,Pepper Scotch bonnet) , mix well.

  

8-  butter  an oven proof recipient , then put the pudding inside and pour the rest of the butter over the pudding.





 9-  Preheat oven at 350 º C for 10 minutes, then cook for 30 minutes at the same temperature.

My comments to the Recipe

The lime sour mixed with the pudding sweet is a great mixture, besides the spicy is a very refreshing combination. Because of the lime the chilli itching vanish little by little after some days.





Barbados

Kokoda (Fish marinated with coconut)

                                                                         Receta en Español

This is the most popular dish at Fiji Islands, it is a fish marinated  in lime or lemon.

When you look in a map, you can see that other countries at the Pacific ocean have similar dishes; from Alaska to Peru with its famous 'ceviche'.

At Fiji Islands they use a fish called Mahi-Mahi, it is ideal to marinate, it is a white fish without thorns.
Mahi-mahi can also be found in Spain!, We name it lampuga, it is typical from  islas Baleares, Valencia and Alicante , it is a seasonal fish (summer-autumm) very limited.
If you come from those regions of Spain try to make this dish using that fish.
Otherwise you can use cod or mackerel.

The dish can be eaten as a starter or a main dish. 

Ingredients (4 people):

• 1 mackerel or cod.
• Juice of 4 or 5 lemons or limes.
• 240 ml coconut cream.
• 8 tablespoon of finely chopped shallots.
• 8 tablespoon of finely chopped red pepper.
• 8 tablespoon of finely chopped green pepper.
• 8 tablespoon of a cucumber cut into chunks.
• 8 teaspoons of finely cut chilies.
• 8 tablespoon of finely chopped onion.
• 8 teaspoons coriander.
• 8 tablespoon of a tomato cut into chunks.
• salt and pepper.

Method:

1. Freeze fish to prevent any problem with anisakis.
2. Days after the freezing you can use the fish, defrost it , remove the skin and the thorns.
3. Cut fish into little pieces.
4. Put the fish in a non-plastic container, cover the fish with the lime juice. Cover with cling film and let cool in the fridge overnight. This way the fish will be cooked in lime.
5. Look at the pictures to see the difference before and after:

          

Before marinated

Marinated

     6.  Take 1/4 of the fish and place it in a bowl, mix it with 1/4 of the coconut cream.

     7.  Add 1/4 of each ingredient and stir.

     8.  Do the same with 3 other bowls.

     9.  Refrigerate until you are going to serve it.

Where to find the ingredients:

Coconut cream is a kind of thick coconut milk, you can buy it liquid or powder, I bought powder to make the cream as thick as I wanted.
I bought coconut cream at desi gourmet   (Ricardo Ortiz 24, Madrid).

You can also buy it on the internet:

coconut cream



Fidji Islands

Kabsa (chicken rice from Saudi Arabia)

                                                                               Receta en Español

Kabsa is the national dish of Saudi Arabia, it is rice accompanied by chicken, lamb or fish. The recipe I present to you is rice accompanied by chicken.

I found this recipe at this blog where you can find other Saudi recipes:

http://www.yasalamcooking.com/chicken-kabsa/#.UoqAEHiDN0s

Ingredients:

• 1 Chicken in Pieces.
• 1 cup basmati rice.
• oil.
• 1 tomato diced.
• 2 chillis cut into strips.
• 2 bay leaves.
• Half a stock cube.
• 1 onion in pieces.
• 2 cloves of garlic.
• 6 cardamom beans.
• 5 cloves.
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon.
• 2 black lemons.
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin.
• 1 teaspoon coriander.
• 1 teaspoon salt.
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper.
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger.
• 200 grams tomato sauce.
• Some raisins.
• (Optional) 1 diced boiled egg and some toasted almonds.

Method:

1. put oil,onion and garlic in a casserole, put on a medium heat and sautée until gold.
2. Add bay leaves, cardamon, coriander, salt, black lemons, pepper, ginger, cumin, cloves, cinnamon. Sautée for a minute.
3. Add tomato sauce, diced tomato, stock cube and chillis.
4. Mix well and put on a low heat.
5. Add chicken and cook for some minutes stirring well to mix chicken with the spices.

6. Add water to cover the chicken totally, put on a high heat and boil, After reaching boiling point put on a low heat and cook for 35 minutes covered with a lid.

7. Once chicken is done, take 2 cups of the broth you have obtained after cooking it, we will use this broth to cook the rice.
8. Mix the broth with the rice in another casserole, put on a high heat , after reaching boiling point put on a low heat and cook covered for 10 minutes.
9. Serve chicken on the rice, add raisins, (egg and almonds if you want).

Where to buy the ingredients:

I bought black lemons in a shop at Antonio Calvo street, close to Madrid's mosque.



Saudi Arabia