Colombia – Creolla Beefsteak with Hogao Tomato Sauce, Coco Rice and Mango Lime Salad

Welcome to the food of Colombia. It was a challenge to chose our menu as we found so many wonderful Colombian recipes. The South American country of Colombia has a huge variety of culinary styles due to its geographic diversity; it borders both the Pacific and the Atlantic oceans; has a Caribbean coastline, shared a slice of the Andes Mountain Range  and is home to 10% of the Amazon Rainforest.  Colombian ingredients are diverse and include foods such as ants and endangered water tortoise. The menu we chose to cook was delicious and looked beautiful on the table.

Our Colombian menu included 

CREOLLA BEEFSTEAK

with 

HOGAO TOMATO SAUCE 
COCO RICE 
and 

MANGO LIME SALAD

CREOLLA BEEFSTEAK

·      4-6 Porterhouse (Skirt) steaks

·      1 ½  tbs Olive oil plus 1 tbs Olive oil (for cooking)

·      2 garlic cloves, minced

·      ½  tbs Dijon mustard

·      1 tbs ground cumin

·      salt & freshly ground black pepper

·      2 tablespoons fresh coriander/cilantro, chopped

·      side dish of jalapeno chilli

INGREDIENTS FOR HOGAO (Colombian Tomato & Onion Sauce)

·      3 tbs Olive oil

·      1 cup shallot/green onion, chopped (about 5 stalks)

·      2 cups fresh tomatoes, chopped (about 4 large tomatoes)

·      1 garlic clove, minced

·      1 tsp ground cumin

·      ¼  tsp salt

·      ¼  tsp fresh ground black pepper

·      ¼  cup fresh coriander/cilantro, chopped

METHOD:

1.     Place steaks between wax paper and pound with a mallet to 1 cm thickness

Note: I didn’t have a mallet so I used the fluted edge of a potato masher

2.     Lay steaks in a marinating dish that has a tightly fitting lid

3.     combine oil, mustard, cumin, garlic, cilantro, and salt and pepper in a bowl

4.     rub the marinade over meat ensuring an even coverage

5.     put the lid on the marinating dish and refrigerate meat for at least one hour (up to overnight), turning regularly to make sure meat marinates evenly

6.     while the meat is marinating prepare the hogao sauce

7.     heat oil in a large frypan over medium heat

8.     add all the other ingredients and cook until tomatoes soften, about 15 or 20 minutes

9.     Reduce heat to low and continue to cook until tomatoes break down, about 10 minutes more

10.  When the mix has formed a thick sauce remove from heat.

To finish:

11.  heat a large frypan over medium heat with 1 tablespoon Olive oil

12.  Place steaks into hot pan and cook 3 minutes per side

13.  Add the  hogao, cover and cook for 7 minutes

14.  Serve with the side dish of sliced jalapeno

COCO RICE

INGREDIENTS:

·      2 cups Long Grain white rice

·      4 cups coconut milk

·      1tsp salt

·      1 tbs Coconut Sugar (coconut sugar is made from the nectar of the coconut palm blossom. If you cant buy it substitute ½ brown sugar and ½ white sugar)

METHOD:

1.     Add all ingredients to a large pot and bring slowly to boil stirring constantly

2.     Once rice is boiling turn heat back to lowest point, put lid on the pot (do not remove lid after this point until ready to serve)

3.     cook covered rice for 10 mins

4.     turn off heat and leave pot on the cooling element for 10 more minutes

5.     let the pot just sit on the stove with lid on until ready to serve then turn rice out into a serving dish.

MANGO and LIME SALAD:

INGREDIENTS:

·      1 cup fresh pineapple, diced

·      1 cup fresh mango, diced

·      1 avocado, peeled and diced

·      1 spring onion/shallot, finely sliced

·      1 cup cucumber, diced

·      ¼  cup baby arugula/rocket

·      2 cups lettuce – torn

·      coriander flowers

·      Salt and pepper

·      Juice of 1 large limes

·      1 tablespoon olive oil

METHOD:

1.    Combine salt, pepper, lime juice & olive oil in a jar and shake well to form salad dressing

2.    Place lettuce on serving platter and sprinkle with spring onion

3. Decorate around the edge of the lettuce with the rocket leaves

4.    Add cucumber, then pineapple

5.    followed by avocado and finally the mango

6.    Sprinkle dressing over the salad and top with coriander flowers

These are all Q-ZINE original recipes informed by multiple sources including but not limited to the following links that will help you get a better idea of the evolution and depth of Beninese cuisine if you are interested to go deeper:

https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/1236470422682286746/2233190524204122673#

http://www.southamerica.cl/Colombia/Food.htm

http:// http://www.mycolombianrecipes.com

www.mycolombianrecipes.com/fresh-green-salad-with-lime-lemon-dressing

http://www.recipeseeker.com/cookbook/chapters/2093/colombian-salads.recipes