Nikas Culinaria

Ok kids, this holiday season will be a time of going back to basics and feasting on the Colombian food of my youth! Over the next few days I am going to share various recipes that we will be cooking up next week. For those of you out there who might wish to try some of these recipes but have not had Colombian food, remember, we Colombians do not add chilies to our food like in Mexico. I like jalapenos as much as the next Texan (or ex-pat Texan in my case) and have eaten them like you might nibble on a chip, but Colombian food is simply not spicy. It DOES have lots of cominos (cumin), cilantro, fresh limes, lemons, and onions etc.

A short list of Colombian foods that I associate with the wonderful Christmas-time feasts (ok, any time of year) included the following:

- Lechona (roast whole pig with this amazing stuffing that I will share once I ask my mom!)

- Fritanga. This is a term for a feast meal (sorta like New England Clam Bake):

Patacones (double fried green plantains)
Yucas Fritas (boiled and then deep fried yuca slices – yuca = cassava root in English)
Empanadas (deep fried finger length meat filled yellow masa covered “turnovers”)
Pique (an oniony, limey, vinagary concoction you spoon onto these foods)
Chicharrones (deep fried fat back)
Arepas (corn meal cakes, grilled, soaked in butter and sprinkled with salt)

- Sancocho (chicken or beef soup base, cut up plantains –not fried-, yuca pieces, onions, cominos, cilantro, limon, cooked for hours)

- Arepa de huevos (hand size arepa that’s been grilled, opened along the side, egg inserted, pinched closed, dropped in hot fat, fried till sealed closed and egg slightly cooked)

- Tamal (communal effort to make no end to beef, pork, and/or chicken filling, peas, yucas, potatoes, all nestled in a masa harina paste that lies in a foil pouch, all closed up and steamed, best eaten at midnight)

- Natilla (corn pudding like substance that I will NOT be making – blech)

- so much more! So little time!

We will see how far we get.

Check back for our photo diary of these recipes and actual recipes!

Related Posts:

• How-2 guide on how to make Platanos (fried plantains or tostones)
• Yucas Fritas (Fried Yucas or Cassava Root) Recipe and How 2 photos
• Empanadas - The Recipe
• Flash Flickr Movie of How to make Colombian Empanadas
• Chicharron - Deep fried pork belly - How To
• How to make Colombian Empanadas - directions
• Latest full recipe for Colombian Bunuelos (2006 post)
• Last year’s Christmas Bunuelo Decadence
• A Colombian breakfast How-2 guide
• Colombian Frescos
• Lechona preparation