Cocinamos y Comemos

I had a wonderful afternoon in Des Moines, IA with my very good, fairly new friend, Bethany Arganbright.  We started the afternoon enjoying the smoldering weather at the Des Moines Farmer's Market.  

  

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After the market, and in the spirit of Colombia, Bethany and I decided to make a full Colombian meal for Joey while he was at work.  Neither of us are very good cooks, but we figured two negative cooks would make one positive one.  And, hey, even if the food turned out to be terrible, the Prosecco we enjoyed during the cooking process would be worth it.  (Oh, and Bethany INSISTED we listen to Shakira.)  

After searching through my cookbook, “Secrets of Colombian Cooking” by Patricia McCausland-Gallo, I picked two dishes.

The first one we attempted is called Platano Asado (Oven-Baked Plantains).  According to Patricia, “plantains are eaten in every home in [Colombia] almost every day of the week” (p.  144).  The directions are very simple:

1. Find two very ripe plantains. 
2. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 
3. Remove the peels and spread 2 teaspoons of butter on them.  
4. Place them in a pan, and cover with foil. 
5. Let cook for 20 to 30 minutes. 

At this point, I was not happy with the taste or texture of the dish, so I cut them into slices, added salt, and put them back in the oven uncovered for 20 more minutes.  The result was almost a semi-crispy, salty sweet-potato. Perfecto :) 

The second dish is called Bistec Encebollado (Onioned Beef Filet).  According to Patricia, “this recipe is somewhat elegant compared to other beef recipes.  USing wine and beef filet, it is still very typical; [...] Many of [Colombian] dishes have Asian or Europea influences, as does this one” (p.  55).  Although this involves more work than the platanos, this recipe is simple as well:

1.  Collect the following ingredients (for 2 people):
1. 2 cuts of filet
2. 2 tablespoons red wine
3. 4 cloves garlic, minced
4. 1 teaspoon prepared mustard (I used Grey Poupon)
5. 1/4 teaspoon pepper
6. 4 tablespoons olive oil
7. 1 onion, thinly sliced
8. 5 whole allspice berres
9. 5 whole cloves
10. 2 teaspoons salt
11. 1 tomato, thinly sliced
12. 2 tablespoons cognac
2. “Combine the wine, 2 of the garlic slices, the mustard and pepper.  Add 2 tablespoons of the oil and whisk well.  Keep one teaspoon of this mixture set aside for the onion; rub the rest over the beef slices, and set aside for 30 minutes.”
3. “In the meantime prepare the inions.  [...] Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saute pan, add the inions, the remaining 2 garlic cloves, the allspice and cloves, and 1.2 teaspoon salt.  Cook over very low heat, covered, for 15 minutes.” 
4. “Increase the heat to medium, add another 1/2 teaspoon of the salt, the tomatoes, 1 tablespoon of cognac, and reserved mustard mixture, and cook unovere for 5 more minutes.”
5. In a large sate pan over medium heat, cook the beef slices” for six minutes on each side, adding salt as you go.  Add the the tomatoes and onions on top of the filet.  Let simmer for a few more minutes. 

This filet was absolutely perfect.  I have never cooked with allspice or whole cloves, but I think they especially added to the taste.  Perfect touch!

Quique made :)  Joey approved :D