Envueltos colombianos de mazorca (Steamed corn parcels)

INGREDIENTS

500gr Fresh corn dough (Azteca products Midrand)
4 sweetcorns (with their wrapping leaves)
3 tbps butter
250gr mozarella cheese grated
3 tbps sugar or fructose
1 cup milk
1 tsp salt or to taste
100gr bocadillo (see recipe here)

 

HOW TO MAKE ENVUELTOS DE MAZORCA:

 

Cut corn kernels from the cob and place in food processor, let the blade run until the kernels have blended in well, you can use some of the milk to aid this process. Do not dispose of corn cobs, you will also use these!

Melt the butter in a small container in the microwave, melts in about 15 seconds and let it cool.

 

Beat two eggs, add the corn mix, cheese, salt, sugar, precooked corn dough, butter and the rest of the milk. Now, wash your hands properly and then stick them into the mix to incorporate, mix well to get a mixture as homogeneous as possible. It needs to be quite a wet, runny dough, so if you need more milk, add a little at a time until you're happy with the texture.

  

 

Take the corn wrappers and place about two teaspoons of mix in the broader end of it (the amount depends on the size of the wrapper, but smaller parcels will cook quicker). Then cut off some bocadillo and place into the parcel, close by bringing the filled wrapper end into the other, the shape you should get ressembles a triangle.

 

Place the corn cobs at the bottom of the pot, choose a medium sized pot which bottom will be completely covered by the cobs. Add enough water to almost cover the cobs and bring to a simmmer, then place all the parcels on top of the cobs, tightly packed standing against each other. Cover with  a lid and let them steam for 20-30 mins,  depending on how big  the parcels are. Check on the water every 5 mins or so, as the cobs will burn if the water dries out and ruin the flavour of the corn parcels.

 

 

 

Corn wrapper alternative: if you can't find corns with the green wrappers still on, you can use heavy duty plastic wrap paper. Just place about 2 tbps of dough in the middle and wrap both ends by twisting and making a knot (like a candy wrapper). The taste or shape won't  be exactly  the same, but it should do the trick.

 

Cobs steamer alternative: if you opted or had no choice but using the corn kernels prepacked in the frozen section, you will not have the cobs for the steaming. In this case you can always  use a steaming basket (like the one used for dumplings),  a steaming  tray (like the one used for veggies) or a simple strainer held over steaming water.

 

 

Serve with a nice cup of coffee or hot chocolate while they're still steaming hot! You can have them for breakfast or as a snack.

 

Love,

iSa

BOCADILLO DE GUAYABA (Guava sweet treat)

INGREDIENTS:
400g can guava fruit pieces (1can)
3 tbps sugar
A lot of patience

 

HOW DO YOU MAKE IT?
Very easy, but takes time and you have to be careful: the sweet guava paste can get VERY hot and you don't  want it splashing on your hands.

Just empty  the guava can in a small pot, add the sugar and let it boil covered at mid temperature for about 10 mins. Stir every now and then until the colour starts turning darker and it starts sticking a bit to the bottom. At that stage bring down to low temperature, stirring every 3-5 mins to ensure it doesn't  burn or sticks  too much to the bottom. When it looks something  similar to the pic below, it's ready! But don't  try to taste it, remember it will be very hot!
 

Once it cools down, let it set in the fridge for at least 2 hours before using. Enjoy on its own, with mozarella cheese, as a filling for cakes, breads, pastries, envueltos or a topping for crackers, cheeseboard, etc.
 

Love,

Isabel

Grilled Lemon Tilapia with coconut rice and Green Mango Salad

I haven't  blogged for a while, ok perhaps two years or more, but in order to get back to it, I will start doing it from my phone.  Let's  hope this works so I can keep it up!

GRILLED LEMON TILAPIA (2 pax)

1 cleaned whole Tilapia (I got a rather big one)
2 lemons (1 cut in lemon slices and the other in lemon wedges for serving)
15ml white wine
30ml olive oil
30 gr butter
2 crushed garlic cloves
A small bunch of parsley
A sprinkle  of cayenne pepper
Sea salt black pepper to taste

How to make it? Make 3-4 cuts on each side of the tilapia across its body and insert half a lemon slice on each cut. Rub it with about 20ml olive oil and sprinkle with salt, freshly grounded black pepper and cayenne pepper.

Place on the grill once it is at about medium heat to ensure the fish skin gets crunchy while it gets to cook fully on the inside. Put the rest of he olive oil, garlic, parsley, butter and wine in a small bowl and melt it in the microwave (should be about 15 seconds). Once the basting is ready brush it on the fish and turn, you should leave the fish about 4-5 mins on each side before basting it and turning again, repeating this about 4 times for a total  cooking time of about 20 mins. Depending on the level of heat  of your grill and how big the fish is it may take 15 or 25 mins instead (it took 20 minutes in our lotus grill at medium heat),  so just keep and eye on the cuts and pick a try to check for readiness.

COCONUT RICE (2 pax)

1 cup rice
2 tbps dessicated coconut
1 tbps coconut oil/vegetable oil
1 tbps sugar
1 cup coconut milk
1.5  cups water
Salt to taste

How to make it? Melt the oil in rice pot and pan fry the coconut, on medium heat add the sugar  and do not stir  until it begins to melt and turn golden, add a few drops of water and stir. Turn the heat to high and add the rest of the water and coconut milk and bring to boil. Rinse the rice to make it less starchy and add into the pot, season with salt.

Let the pot boil until the rice begins to dry, once you can start to see the top rice layer, bring down to low temperature, cover with  a lid and let it finish drying for about 5-7 more mins.

MANGO SALAD

1/2 Green-to-ripe Mango
8 cocktail or mini italian tomatoes
1/2 red onion
1 small bunch coriander leaves
1 lemon
1 tbps white vinegar
Salt and black pepper to taste

How to make it? Peel the mango and take two big slices from each side, then cut into finer slices. Cut the tomatoes in halves, the onion in fine slices and then finely chop the coriander leaves. Place all ingredients into a bowl with the juice of the lemon, mix and serve.

Arequipe

Desserts by iSa

Cooking Time: 3 Hours

Very easy!! It just takes some time though.

Place one sealed can of Nestle Condensed Milk (I have tried other brands and it doesn't come out as good), in a pot lying on its side and cover fully with water. Boil in medium heat for 2.5 - 3 hours, adding water to maintain always fully covered and turn the can from time to time. If you leave it the 3 hours you're bound to get a very rich and nice treat with a nicer color and deeper flavor.

Open can and place content into a container with lid. Place in the fridge for at least 1 hour and enjoy! If you don't use it all, make sure to store the remainder in the sealed container in the fridge, keeps well for up to 1 month.

What to do with Arequipe:

• Eat a Spoonful
• Spread on Bread or Crackers
• Use as a filling for Cakes
• Stir into vanilla Ice Cream and serve
• Dilute slightly with milk for a thinner sauce to pour over cakes, ice cream, etc.

Be creative!!! But watch out, it can be addictive!

Love, iSa

Ajiaco Santafereño - Colombian Recipe

Colombian Typical Meals

Type: Colombian food (adapted for overseas cooking)

Prep Time: 30 min

Cooking Time: 2.5 - 3 hours

Servings: 7

Ingredients:

Picture by CBU

• 3 Yellow or White Corn on the cob
• 4 Chicken Breasts (bone and skin removed)
• 4 Large Potatoes (white, red and yellow or a combination depending on the ones available)
• 4 thick Spring onions or a full bunch (depending on the thickness)
• 3/4 of a bunch of Coriander 
• 3 cup of chicken stock or 1-2 chicken stock cube (please use the best possible stock at hand)
• 1 Knorr or Maggi Ajiaco Soup packet (only available in Colombia - I buy as much as I can every time I travel to Colombia)
• Single or Double Cream
• Capers (chopped coarsely)
• Avocado
• Salted White Rice

Place the chicken stock and enough water to complete 1 liter of liquid to boil in a large cooking pot and put it on high heat while you prep the potatoes and the corn. Peel the potatoes, cut two of them in half and then chopped coarsely, then thickly grate the other two. Place all the potatoes, once prepared, in the pot. Now peel the leaves and strings out of the corn and cut in 2 or 3 pieces, depending on the portion sizes you prefer, and place in the pot (bear in mind you have to be careful when doing this as you can easily get hurt by a sliding knife. I cut them by placing the cob at the tip of the knife and then pressing the knife down while rolling the cob under, by the time the cob reaches the knife handle it's usually split in 2!). Chop the coriander and the Spring onion finely and proceed to place 3/4 of the total into the pot, the rest you can reserve for adding to the pot shortly before serving. 

Allow the pot to boil for about 30 min, and then place into the pot the chicken breasts whole. Lower the heat to medium and continue to boil, stirring occasionally (every few minutes) until the soup starts to take consistency and the chicken is tender, this should take from 1.5 to 2 hours. Take out the chicken from the boiling soup and it should be so tender that you hardly need to slice it to get slim strips, slice and place back in the pot. Add the remainder of the onion and coriander. At this stage, open the Ajiaco Soup packet (brought from Colombia) and mix into 1 cup of cold water), once dissolved stir into the soup and allow to simmer for about 10 min, stirring frequently. Your Ajiaco style soup is ready!!! Serve on a nice soup dish or bowl with a dollop of cream and a sprinkle of capers, accompanied by a serving of white rice and a nice big slice of ripe Avocado just sprinkled with Salt. Alternatively, place the capers and cream on the table so your guests can help themselves to their liking. 

Note: Please note that this is a Colombian Soup and the original recipe has been heavily adapted so that you can manage to pull it off while living in another country as this soup is originally made with several varieties of potato and a herb called "guasca" which are difficult to find even in neighboring countries. Hence, I buy the packet soup to give the base soup that unmistakable Ajiaco flavor. You'll be able to find these soup packets depending on where you live, if in the US, Spain or Latin American countries, you're almost sure to have a "Colombian" grocery store around; if in South Africa, I don't buy other than for my own use, but could make sure to include some extra ones for you in my next trip! 


Love, iSa