Elite life

Colombia (Colombian Recipes)

║ World Cuisine Recipes ║

Beef and Dried Fruit Stew (Posta en Frutas Secas)
Servings: 6
Ingredients:
An 11-ounce package mixed dried fruit (prunes, dried apricots, peaches, and pears)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
3 tablespoons olive or vegetable oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 cup dry red wine
3 pounds lean beef, preferably top round, cut into 1-inch cubes
1 medium carrot, scraped and chopped
1 tablespoon soft butter, optional
Cooking Instructions:
Put the mixed dried fruit into a bowl with 1-1/2 cups warm water and leave to soak for 1 hour, turning the fruit from time to time. Drain, reserve the soaking water, and set the fruit aside. Heat the oil in a heavy casserole or saucepan and saute the beef, onion, garlic, and carrot for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in the wine and the reserved soaking water from the fruit. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, covered, for 2 hours, or until the beef is almost tender. Add the fruit. The prunes and apricots should be left whole, the pears and peaches halved or quartered. Cover and simmer 30 minutes longer. If the sauce is too thick, add a little more wine. IF you want a slightly thicker sauce, mix the butter and flour together and drop a few smooth pieces into the casserole, blending well. Serve with rice.

Flank Steak, Bogota Style (Sobrebarriga Bogotana)
Servings: 4-6
Ingredients:
1 medium onion, finley chopped
1 tablespoon parsley, chopped
1 teaspoon prepared mustard
1 cup milk
2-pound flank steak, trimmed of all fat
2 tablespoons butter, softened at room temperature
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 cups beef stock or water, about
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
2 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 bay leaf, crumbled
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 cups dark beer, about
Cooking Instructions:
Mix together the onion, garlic, tomatoes, parsley, theyme, bay leaf, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Spread the mixture on the steak. Roll the steak up with the grain and tie securely with string. Place in a flameproof casserole, cover, and refrigerate until the following day. Cover with equal quantities of beef stock or water, and dark beer. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a bare simmer, and cook, partially covered, until the steak is tender and the liquid reduced, about 2 hours. Remove the steak from the casserole, brush it with the butter, and roll it in the breadcrumbs. Arrange the steak in a baking tin and bake in a preheated hot (400 F) oven until the crumbs are lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Heat the sauce remaining in the casserole and serve in a sauceboat. Slice the steak and arrange on a warmed platter. Serve with Papas Chorreadas.

Okra and Pompano Soup (Sopa de Candia con Mojarras)
Servings: 6
Ingredients:
2 quarts fish stock
1 large tomato, peeled, seeded and chopped
Salt
1 pound small yams, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
6 fillets pompano
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 fresh hot peppers, seeded and chopped
4 tablespoons lemon juice
2 ripe plantains, peeled and sliced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 teaspoon each ground cumin and allspice
1/2 pound small, fresh okra, quartered
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Cooking Instructions:
In a kettle combine the fish stock, onions, garlic, tomato, hot peppers, and cumin and allspice. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer it, covered, for 15 minutes over low heat. To a saucepan of boiling salted water add the lemon juice and okra. Bring back to a boil, remove from the heat, drain the okra, and rinse it in cold water. Add the okra to the kettle with the yams and plantains and cook, covered, over very low heat for 1 hour. In a skillet heat the butter and saute the fish until the fillets are golden. Cut the fish into 1-inch pieces and add to the soup with the tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer for 30 minutes longer.

Shad Fillets in Coconut Milk (Sabalo Guisado con Coco)
Servings: 6
Ingredients:
3 pounds boned shad fillets, cut into 6 pieces
1 or 2 fresh hot red or green peppers, left whole with stem on
1 cup thick coconut milk
3 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 medium tomatoes, onion, finely choped
4 cups thin coconut milk, about
Cooking Instructions:
Arrange the fish fillets in a shallow flameproof casserole and cover with the tomatoes and onion. Lay the hot peppers on top. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour in the thin coconut milk, and simmer for about 10 minutes or until this fish is no longer translucent. A simple rule is to measure the thickness of the fish and cook it 10 minutes to the inch. Carefully lift out the fish onto a serving platter and keep warm. Discard the hot peppers. Reduce the liquid in the casserole to about 1 cup over brisk heat. Add the thick coconut milk and simmer just long enough to heat the sauce through. Strain the sauce but do not push the solids through the sieve. Pour the sauce over the fish. Serve with rice. The fish may be cooked in a preheated moderate (350 F.) oven. In this case bring the liquid just to a simmer on top of the stove, transfer the casserole to the oven, and cook for 10 minutes to the inch, which will be about 10 minutes for fillets. Make the sauce in the same way. Any firm-fleshed white fish can be used for this dish when shad is not in season, making it it Pescado Guisado con Coco (Fish Cooked in Coconut Milk). If the peppers are very hot (nibble a tiny bit to check), the sauce may be too picante for some tastes. A simple solution is to take the peppers out of the sauce after 2 or 3 minutes instead of leaving them there for the full cooking time.

Cream of Coconut Soup (Sopa de Crema de Coco)
Servings: 6
Ingredients:
1 coconut
1 medium onion, grated
5 cups chicken stock
2 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons butter
Salt
Freshly ground white pepper
Cooking Instructions:
Extract the thick milk from the coconut and set it aside. There will be 3/4 to 1 cup. Heat 1 cup of the chicken stock and pour it over the grated coconut, from which the thick milk has been squeezed, and let it stand about 30 minutes. Squeeze out the liquid through a double layer of dampened cheesecloth. Repeat the process two or three times to extract as much flavor from the coconut as possible. Set aside. Do not mix the two lots of milk. Discard the grated coconut. Heat the butter in a saucepan and saute the onion until it is very soft. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, over low heat for 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the thin coconut milk made with the stock, and the rest of the stock. Add a little more stock if there is only 3/4 cup of the thick coconut milk, to make 6 cups in all. Season to taste with salt and pepper, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the thick coconut milk and heat the soup through but do not let it boil. Serve in bouillon cups.

Flank Steak (Sobrebarriga)
Servings: 4-6
Ingredients:
2-pound flank steak, with layer of fat left on
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 or 3 sprigs parsley
salt, freshly ground pepper
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot, scraped and chopped
1/2 teaspoon thyme
Beef stock or water
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 or 2 tablespoons butter, softened at room temperature
Cooking Instructions:
Put the steak into a large saucepan with the onion, garlic, tomatoes, carrot, bay leaf, parsley sprigs, thyme, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Add enough stock or water to cover the meat and cook it, covered, over low heat for about 2 hours, or until it is tender. Remove the meat from the liquid, pat it dry with paper towels, and place it in a broiling pan, fat side up. Spread the butter over the meat and cover with breadcrumbs. Broil until the crumbs are golden brown. Slice the steak and arrange it on a heated platter. Strain the hot seasoned liquid into a sauceboat. Serve with Papas Chorreadas.

Shrimp and Potato Omelet (Cuajado de Camarones)
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter
3 large tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
4 large eggs, separated
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 pound small or medium-sized raw shrimp, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 medium onions, finely chopped
2 medium-sized new potatoes, cooked and cubed
Cooking Instructions:
Heat the butter in a large (10-inch) skillet, stir in the paprika and the onions and saute over moderate heat until the onions are soft. Add the tomatoes and salt and pepper to taste and cook until the mixture is thick and well blended, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook for a few minutes longer. Beat the egg yolks until they are thick and lemony. In a separate bowl beat the egg whites until they stand in firm peaks. Fold the whites and yolks together with a spatula. Return the skillet to the heat, fold the shimp into the sauce, cook 2 minutes for small shrimp, 3 for medium-sized ones. Then fold in the eggs, mixing thoroughly. Cook until the eggs are lightly set. Heat the oil in a skillet and saute the onion, garlic, and pepper strips until the onion is soft. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the onion mixture to a casserole. There should be about 2 tablespoons oil left in the skillet. Add a little more if necessary. Add the rice and saute until the rice has absorbed the oil, taking care not to let it brown. Transfer the rice to a casserole. Add the shrimp stock, bring to a boil over high heat, reduce the heat to low, and cook, covered, until the rice is tender and all the liquid absorbed, about 20 minutes. Add the coriander and the shrimp, scallops, and clams, folding them well into the rice. Cook, covered, over low heat for about 3 to 5 minutes, or until the shrimp have turned pink and lost their translucent look. Add the oysters, folding them into the rice and cook just long enough to plump them, about 1 minute. Serve immediately. To make  Shrimp Stock: In a small saucepan heat 1 tablespoon olive oil and toss the shrimp shells in this until they turn pink. Add 1 sprig parsley, 1 slice onion, or a sliced scallion, using white and green parts, 1 sprig thyme or 1/8 teaspoon dried, 3 or 4 peppercorns, and 4 cups water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Strain and measure. There should be about 3 cups. Measure the liquid from the oysters and clams. If there is more than 1 cup, reduce the shrimp stock, uncovered, over brisk heat so that there will be 4 cups stock. Cool the stock and stir in the oyster and clam liquid. Season to taste with salt.

Clam Soup (Sopa de Almejas)
Servings: 6
Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 red and 1 green bell pepper, or use 2 red or 2 green peppers, seeded and chopped
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon cumin
2 pounds fillets of Spanish mackerel, red snapper, or similar fish, cut into 12 pieces
2 tablespoons finely chopped parsley
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon sugar (optional)
2 cups clam juice
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 pound (about 3 medium) potatoes, peeled and sliced
pinch ground cloves
3 dozen clams, well washed
2 cups water
Cooking Instructions:
Heat the oil in a fireproof casserole and saute the onion, garlic, and peppers until the onion is soft. Add the tomatoes and saute for a minute or two longer. Add the potatoes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the bay leaf, cloves, cumin, and sugar (if desired). Cover and simmer until the potatoes are almost tender, about 15 minutes. Add the clams, pieces of fish, clam juice, and water. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes longer, or until the clams have opened and the fish has lost its translucent look. Sprinkle with parsley and serve in soup bowls.

Flank Steak (Sobrebarriga)
Servings: 4-6
Ingredients:
A 2-pound flank steak, with layer of fat left on
2 medium tomatoes, chopped
2 or 3 sprigs parsley
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot, scraped and chopped
1/2 teaspoon thyme
Beef stock or water
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 or 2 tablespoons butter, softened at room temperature
Cooking Instructions:
Put the steak into a large saucepan with the onion, garlic, tomatoes, carrot, bay leaf, parsley sprigs, thyme, oregano, and salt and pepper to taste. Add enough stock or water to cover the meat and cook it, covered, over low heat for about 2 hours, or until it is tender. Remove the meat from the liquid, pat it dry with paper towels, and place it in a broiling pan, fat side up. Spread the butter over the meat and cover with breadcrumbs. Broil until the crumbs are golden brown. Slice the steak and arrange it on a heated platter. Strain the hot seasoned liquid into a sauceboat. Serve with Papas Chorredas (Potatoes with Cheese, Tomato, and Onion Sauce) and Ensalada de Aguacate (Avocado Salad).

Fried Fish with Red Wine Sauce (Pescado Frito con Salsa de Vino Tinto)
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
2 pounds fish steaks, cut into 4 pieces, using any firm-fleshed white fish such as red snapper, striped bass, tile fish, etc.
4 tablespoons vegetable oil
4 medium tomatoes, peeled and chopped
1 cup dry red wine
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 medium onions, finely chopped
1 bay leaf
Flour
2 cloves garlic, minced
Pinch each cayenne pepper and ground allspice
Cooking Instructions:
Season the fish steaks with salt and pepper and coat lightly with flour, shaking to remove the excess. Heat the oil in a skillet and saute the fish until lightly browned on both sides. Transfer to a platter and keep warm. in the oil remaining in the pan (add a little more if necessary), saute the onions and garlic until the onions are soft. Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, cayenne pepper and allspice, and salt and pepper to taste, and saute, stirring from time to time, until the mixture is thick and well blended, about 5 minutes. Stir in the wine and bring to a simmer. Add the fish and simmer for 2 or 3 minutes. Transfer the fish to a warmed serving dish and pour the sauce over it. Serve with rice, potatoes, or any starchy accompaniment.

║ World Cuisine Recipes ║