Tag: Colombian
Colombian Pulled Pork Arepas
Colombian Pulled Pork Arepas
This pulled pork is next level. Pork shoulder gets rubbed with cumin, paprika, and achiote, then simmered in a slow cooker with onion, garlic, green onions, and dark beer. I used a nice locally brewed porter from my friends at the Urban Growler in Saint Paul. The pork will take about 6 hours in your slow cooker. Once the pork is finished, transfer everything from the slow to a large saucepan. Since there is all of this pork/beer broth left, we are going to cook it all off; not wasting a bit of flavor. Once all of the liquid has evaporated, your pork is ready. I stuffed some of the pork into arepas with avocado, pickled onion, and cilantro.
Equipment
- slow cooker
- tortillas press
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp ground cumin
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- 1 tsp ground achiote
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 small onion diced
- 6 garlic cloves minced
- 5 green onions chopped
- 1 1/2 cups dark beer
- 4 lbs pork shoulder
Arepas
- 1 cup masarepa flour
- 1 cup warm water
- 1 pinch salt
- vegetable oil for frying
Toppings
- pickled onion
- avocado mashed
- cilantro chopped
Instructions
Pulled Pork
- Make a bed of onions in the bottom of a slow cooker. Layer with green onions and garlic. Pour in the beer.
- Mix together all of the spices.
- Rub the pork shoulder with the spice rub.
- Place in the slow cooker and cover.
- Slow cook for 6 hours until the pork falls apart.
- Place all of the contents in the slow cooker in a large saucepan over medium high heat.
- Cook down until all of the liquid has evaporated.
Arepas
- Mix together the masarepa flour, salt, and warm water. Let sit for 5 minutes.
- Mix in more warm water ass needed to form a dough.
- Split into balls.
- Place a dough ball on a plastic wrapped tortilla press.
- Press until it is between 1/4” – 1/2” thick.
- Pour 1/4” deep of cooking oil in a sauté pan and heat over medium high heat. Add in an arepa. Turn down the heat to medium.
- Cook for 6 minutes a side until golden brown and crispy.
Salmon and Avocado Salad
Salmon and Avocado Salad
I can’t say enough about how good this salad is. Salmon, tomatoes, avocado, and arugula tossed with a simple lemon vinaigrette dressing. It’s nutrient dense with protein, omega 3s, antioxidants such as vitamin A and lycopenes, and lots of healthy fats. It’s almost effortless to prepare and is filling enough to eat as your main course.
Ingredients
- 3 cups arugula
- 1 cup tomatoes seeded and diced
- 1 avocado cubed
- 8 oz salmon steak
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Dressing
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 2 tbsp white vinegar
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 tsp salt
- cracked black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat up the olive oil in a sauté pan over medium high heat. Cook the salmon steak for 5-6 minutes a side until it’s completely cooked through. Let cool. Peel the skin off. Remove any bones. Crumble and set aside.
- Mix together the dressing ingredients and set aside.
- Place the arugula in the bottom of a large bowl. Layer the crumbled salmon, avocado, and tomatoes across the top.
- Pour over the dressing. Now it’s for my favorite time: toss the salad.
Ham and Cheese Pastry (Pasteles de Jamon y Queso)
Ham and Cheese Pastry (Pasteles de Jamon y Queso)
Pasteles de jamon y queso are very popular in Colombia. It is simply ham and cheese baked inside puff pastry. You can make one large pastry like mine if you plan on eating it like a sandwich. The other option would be to cut the puff pastry sheet into smaller squares and make mini pastries.
Ingredients
- 1 sheet puff pastry
- 4 slices mozzarella
- 4 slices ham
- 1 egg beaten
Instructions
- Roll out the puff pastry sheet.
- Place 2 slices of mozzarella on the right half of the sheet.
- Place the ham on top of the mozzarella.
- Place the last 2 pieces of mozzarella on top of the ham.
- Fold the sheet over, crimping then tucking the outer edge.
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush the entire outside of the pastry with the beaten egg.
- Bake for 15 minutes until the outside is golden brown.
