My writings on eating at home, at restaurants, on vacation and pretty much every place I go.
Calle 13 & Harry Sasson: the perfect pairing
I don't know how many of you have heard of Calle 13, but they are this amazing Reggeaton group from Puerto Rico. The beats are sick and the lyrics are laden with culinary imagery. Obviously I love them. If you are interested my favorite song is Atrevete. They are composed of two brothers and their sister El Residente (Rene Perez Joglar) El Visitante (Eduardo Jose Cabra Martinez) and PG13 (Lleana).
Just to give you a little taste of their lyrics, here is an apperitif from "Tengo Hambre" (I'm Hungry)
Tengo hambre, Mucha, mucha hambre Y no tengo chavos ni pa' una sopa campbell Pero con to' y eso mis rimas son scrambles Y me como a to' el mundo como si fueran un waffle
This gentleman is Harry Sasson an amazing Colombian Chef who is in charge of Bogota's notable restaurant, Balzac. He is also responsible for Wok & Satay Bar, HB, Libro, Salsas, Harry's and Club Colombia. If you live in South America, you would be humbled to be in his presence.
So what do Calle 13 and Harry Sasson have to do with each other? Turns out a genious on MTV tr3s put two of my favorite things together, music and cuisine. So this is the deal, MTV Tr3s held a contest for fans to win a chance to cook and dine with Calle 13. Over 20,000 people entered an a 20 year old Colombian girl won. However, she did not know how to cook, even with directions from Harry Sasson. I guess some people have it and others don't. Still, the concept was really cool and maybe next time they will pick someone who can actually cook. I have to admit, it was cute watching the girls fret over their cooking, but they definitely shamed us Colombian women who do know how to cook.
Here are the dishes the young girl was supposed to prepare:
Patacon con Hogao (Green Plantains with Guiso) Arroz Blanco (White Rice) Aborrajados (Yellow Fried Plantain with guava and cheese) Ensalada de Aguacate y Tomate (Avocado and Tomato Salad) Mofongo (Mashed Plantains and Pork) Pollo con Salsa de Mani (Chicken with Peanut Sauce) Mousse de Curuba (Curuba Mousse) Cucas (Flour and brown sugar cookies)
The girls ended up ordering out.
And just in case you guys are interested, I am including recipes for some of the plantain dishes. I have to say my favorite is Aborrajados, my mom used to make them for me when I lived in Colombia and I loved them ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS!!!
I'll add some more recipes later, enjoy.
PATACON CON HOGAO
2 Green Plantains (as big as possible) 2 Onions (minced) 1 Tomato (Peeled and minced) Cumin & Salt Oil
Hogao: Heat oil in a pan and add all the onions and tomato. When the mixture is soft, but not quite golden, put to the side.
Cut open the plantain in cold water (from the faucet so that it does not stain your clothes or change color). Cut it in 1/2 inch circles. Heat oil in a tall pan, when it is hot add the plantain and remove them once they start to become golden. Get your cutting board and a table. Put a plastic bag on the table and another on the cutting board (so the patacones do not stick. Squash them in between the two surfaces. Fry them on both sides until they are nice and golden and put them on a paper towel to absorb the extra oil.
Place the Patacones on a plate and let your guests add the hogao on top.
ABORRAJAOS
2 Yellow Plantains (almost black with sopts) Peeled Guava Paste Queso Blanco de Freir 4 Eggs 1 C milk 1 TBS flour Oil
Cut Plantain in diagonal slices, heat the oil and fry the plantains on both sides. Drain excess oil on papaer towels. Mix eggs, milk, flour. Cut the cheese in slices similar to the plantains. Make a "sandwich" in this order plantain, guava, cheese, plantain. Coat in egg mixture and fry again.
Peel the plantains and cut into 1 inch diagonal pieces. Let them sit in 4 Cups of salted water for 15 minutes. Drain. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the plantains for about 15 mins. Soak off excess oil with paper towels. Mix the garlic with the olive oil. Using a mortar, mush the plantain and pork rinds and then add the garlic oil. Form the mixture into balls and serve hot. Talk about comfort food. YUM
Also, here are links to the Calle 13 Site, Harry Sasson site and MTV Tr3s Site:
