Welcome to mi tierrita, a country that I love and miss most dearly. If you asked me what I missed about Colombia the most I would say the people, not just because most of my family and friends are in Colombia but also because the people are warm and welcoming almost everywhere you go.
Hearing that it’s the people I miss the most might come as a surprise... after all this is a blog about food and Colombia gets a hard wrap almost everywhere. Whenever I say I’m from Colombia or half Colombian I get some remark about something negative. I’ve been asked if I have any (drugs) on me, if Colombia is actually safe, what was it like to grow up there? With a reputation like that and with the frequent exhausting comments sometimes it’s hard to remain excited about my heritage and one of my two homelands.
But truth be told Colombia is one of the most vibrant countries I have ever been to. The people are incredible, always up for a party where you’re guaranteed some wonderful dancing, the electricity that you feel across the nation when the football is on is unrivalled in my experience. (I while back I was with an old ex-boyfriend in Colombia watching the World Cup we scored our first goal, and the whole of Bogota erupted in dancing and celebration, he turned to me and said with the most incredulous expression “They do know they’ve only scored a goal right? They haven’t actually won the world cup”, that memory will be forever etched in my brain). Colombia is also one of the most biodiverse countries in the world with amazing flowers, trees, birds and all sorts of other magical places like the Islas del Rosario and caño cristales, which you might have heard refered to as the river of seven colours. Colombia has almost every climate you can imagine, from snow-capped mountains to the temperate capital, scorching beaches to tropical rainforests.. and importantly as a result a wonderful variety of food.
I have never seen so many fruits and vegetables in supermarkets as you get in Colombia. Whenever I visit a new country I have three rules:
1. Find a bakery and try the bread. I’m just fascinated with how different countries turn the same three basic ingredients into something different!
2. Find a local restaurant far away from tourism and see what the locals actually eat.
3. Visit a supermarket.
Thailand and Indonesia also had quite a large variety of fruits and vegetables but I still don’t think it rivalled Colombia where there is something to excite everyone’s taste buds. Much like every other Latin American Country cuisine in Colombia is not only influences by the wonderful produce we grow but also my the merging of indigenous, black African and European cultures that resulted from colonialism and the African slave trade. I will certainly return to Colombian cuisine in future to showcase more of what my wonderful country has to offer.
For this dish I was walking past a Colombian coffee shop in Oxford and I found some plantains and I decided that I was craving patacones a type of fried green plantain often served with hogao (a tomato and onion dip) and guacamole. While this dish is usually deep fried twice I decided to try a healthier version and boy did it pay off. All the deliciousness without the guilt.
Makes 4-5
Ingredients
Plantains
· 1 plantain
· 1 tbsp oil
Hogao
· 1 onion
· 1 tbsp oil
· 1 handful of cherry tomatoes or 2 big ones
· 1 tbsp tomato paste
· Salt to taste
Method
1. Peel the plantain. Begin by scoring the skin gently lengthways, and then insert the blade of the knife into the incision you’ve just made, wiggle the knife to get it under the skin and then pry the skin away from the flesh. Cut into 3-5cm pieces.
2. Preheat the oven to 160C.
3. Bring some water to the boil in a medium saucepan, it should be enough water to cover the plantain.
4. Once the water boils add the plantain and a pinch of salt. Cook until the plantain is tender but not disintegrating (5-8min).
5. Meanwhile finely dice the onion and tomato. Set aside.
6. Once the plantains are soft remove them from the water, you now need to squash them flat. Take each piece of plantain and place it between 2 pieces of parchment paper or a smooth plastic like a ziplock bag. Then using a chopping board press down firmly until they’re quite thin. Place each squashed piece on a baking tray and drizzle with a little oil on both sides.
7. Bake for 10-15 min or until deep yellow and lightly golden.
8. Meanwhile add 1 tbsp of oil to a pan over medium heat and begin to sweat the onions. Once they are translucent add the tomatoes and the tomato paste. Continue to sweat down, you may want to add a little more oil or water if you prefer to bring it together into a sauce. Season to taste.
9. Serve with the hogao and a little guacamole.
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