Traditional Colombian Dish -- Ajiaco Santaferreño

This delicious traditional Colombian (Bogotá) dish may be prepared in a variety of ways, however it is usually made with the main ingredients of potatoes, chicken, and corn. And every respectable ajiaco absolutely must be accompanied by a side of white rice and avocado. This is a recipe for ajiaco, a hearty soup that is perfect for those cold Bogotá (or Boston) nights.

Ingredients¬
16 cups water (4 cups of water may be substituted for 4 cups of milk)
1 lbs. (500 gr.) new potatoes, pealed, and sliced
2 lbs. (1 Kg.) red potatoes, pealed, and sliced
1 1/2 lbs. (750 gr.) Yukon or white potatoes, pealed, and sliced
3 lbs. (1 1/2 Kg.) chicken breasts
4 Large cobs of corn, cut into chunks (approx. 2 inches wide)
3 stalks of green onion
4 cloves of ground or chopped garlic
1 bunch of quickweed, also called water weed or wild basil (in Spanish, guascas)
1 bunch of cilantro
1 1/2 Cups of creamed milk (in Spanish, crema de leche or nata)
1 cup of capers
4 medium avocados cut in half
Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation¬
First, combine the chicken breasts, potatoes, green onion, salt, and pepper in a large pot and add water and milk (optional). Boil for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour until the chicken is tender and the potatoes have disintegrated. Meanwhile, boil the corn in a separate pot.

Once the chicken is tender, remove from the pot and set aside. Then, add the cooked corn to the pot and reduce heat to low. Cook the ajiaco on low heat until it achieves the desired thickness.

Add capers 5 minutes before serving. The chicken may be served in the soup or on the side, whole or de-boned. If the chicken is served in the soup, then add it just before serving. Personally, I recommend serving the chicken in the soup with bones removed. Next, add a small amount (2-3 tablespoons) of cream (crema de leche) on top of the soup. Ajiaco Santaferrana is normally served with a side of avocado and rice.

¡Buen provecho!

Best (and worst) snack

This is bocadillo and it might just be the most delicious snack ever invented. It is a typical Colombia sweet make from panela (sugar cane) and guava paste and comes nicely wrapped in banana leaves. The taste of bocadillo is very sweet and the texture reminds me of the fruit roll-ups that my mom would put in my lunch as a kid. Aaah, the memories.

However, besides the obvious hazard of overindulgence, bocadillo is also perhaps the worst snack ever, or at least when there are tiny, black beatles crawling around inside the banana leaf wrapper. That happened to me the other day and the unpleasant experience ruined what had previously been a happy love-affair with this Colombian confection.

Dining out in Bogota

La Hamburguesería

On Sunday, several of us got together for burgers at La Hamburguesería in the Parque de la 93 in honor of the 4th of July. I brought my friend Sofía and Maggie brought along Paula ("the crazy Spaniard") and her friend María Victoria ("the quiet human rights lawyer"), Shane ("that nice guy from New Jersey"), Ivan ("the man"), a mother and daughter duo ("las artistas"), and Liz ("Cali girl"). Paula was super hungry and I was worried that she might eat the waitress. Maggie made sure that she didn't. And María Victoria reminded us that eating the waitress would be a grave violation of international human rights law.

Juan Valdez versus Starbucks

After downing our burgers we wandered over to Juan Valdez Café, a favorite "watering hole" of ours in the Parque 93. Juan Valdéz is a ubiquitous coffee chain that makes a mean "café con leche." While this chain is Colombia's answer to Starbucks, I just don't see them overtaking Starbucks anytime soon. I mean, just look at the sizes of their drinks. At Starbucks, the sizes are Tall (12 oz.), Grande (16 oz.) and Venti (20 oz.). In contrast, the sizes at Juan Valdez are Pequeño (7 oz.), Mediano (9 oz.), and Grande (12 oz.). To maintain his or her daily intake of caffeine, a Starbucks addict would likely go crazy if suddenly transplanted in the land of Juan Valdez.