RECIPES: Chef’s Colombian heritage inspires menu to ring in the new year
This New Year’s Eve, Christian Lopez of Latin American pop-up and catering business Humo Cuisine will be in Los Angeles serving a traditional Colombian beef dish, Posta Negra Cartagenera, to family living there.
A second-generation Colombian American, Lopez had never eaten this dish until he was in Cartagena almost seven years ago on his honeymoon. He was intrigued by its connection to New Year’s celebrations. “New Year’s Eve is a big holiday in Colombia and, as in many cultures, serving a roast is the sign of a special meal. The new year brings lots of other traditions, too. Many people pack a suitcase and at midnight go to a neighbor’s house with their luggage to ensure travel in the new year. Or eat one grape for each of the coming 12 months so they’ll have a year’s worth of good luck.”
Lopez was born in the States and grew up in this country, and his Colombian maternal grandmother, Maria Lucy Castro, was the cook in the family. “She cooked the food she grew up with, so we ate a lot of rice and beans, arepas and sancocho, a chicken stew with potatoes and cassava. If we had beef, it was usually some sort of ground beef.”
Lopez attended culinary school after graduating from high school, but went on to earn an education degree and now teaches math at Peachtree Middle School in Dunwoody.
“It wasn’t until I moved to Atlanta and traveled to Colombia as an adult that I began researching the food of Colombia and I learned about dishes like Posta Negra and Lechona (slow-cooked whole pork stuffed with rice, peas and spices) and using maíz trillado (dried hominy) to make empanadas, tamales and arepas,” Lopez said.
In October 2021, his wife, JoJasmin, encouraged him to open Humo Cuisine as a pop-up, in part as a response to the pandemic and wanting to connect more directly with his roots and also because Colombian food isn’t widely available in the Atlanta area. He still holds pop-ups but now focuses more on large-scale events and catering.
“I enjoy feeding people and always wanted to do something with food. I named the business ‘humo’ because that means ‘smoke’ in Spanish and I wanted to marry Latin flavors and the technique of smoking. I make the very best pernil, a smoked pork shoulder, and I also make Colombian-style shrimp ceviche and Colombian empanadas, very different from other empanadas you find in Atlanta.”
RECIPES
Atlanta chef Christian Lopez of Humo Cuisine shares recipes for a New Year’s Eve dinner in the style of his family’s native Colombia.
Chuyaco (Colombian Orange Salad)
This dish originates in Valle del Cauca, a department on Colombia’s Pacific coast. “Oranges are probably my favorite fruit and I love the combination of the sweetness of the fruit with the hint of umami from the green onions. It’s so simple and it’s so good,” said Lopez. He suggests serving this as a first course.
About the ingredients: The salad can be made with one variety or a mix of navel, Valencia or blood oranges, or the red-fleshed Cara Cara navel oranges that were first found in Venezuela. Panela, also called piloncillo, is unrefined cane sugar molded into cakes or loaves traditionally used in Latin cooking and is available at stores that stock Latin groceries. Dark brown sugar can be substituted.
- 5 oranges, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch slices, seeded if necessary
- 1 cup fresh orange juice
- 1/3 cup grated panela or dark brown sugar
- 2 green onions, finely sliced, divided
- Pinch of salt and pepper
- Put sliced oranges in a large bowl.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together orange juice, panela and half the green onions. Whisk until panela dissolves. Add a pinch of salt and pepper.
- Pour juice mixture over orange slices and cover the bowl. Refrigerate overnight. When ready to serve, garnish with remaining green onions.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving: 123 calories (percent of calories from fat, 2), 1 gram protein, 29 grams carbohydrates, 26 grams total sugars, 3 grams fiber, trace total fat (trace saturated), no cholesterol, 16 milligrams sodium.Note: For nutritional calculations, salt was calculated as 1/16 teaspoon.
Posta Negra Cartagenera (Colombian-Style Black Beef)
This dish takes its name from Cartagena, a city on Colombia’s Caribbean Sea coast, and its flavors are influenced by the mix of Spanish and African people who settled there.
“Although Colombians eat a lot of beef, this is not a dish my grandma cooked for us. It’s traditionally served with coconut rice but that’s on the sweeter side, and since the sauce for the roast is already sweet, I like it better with jasmine rice,” said Lopez.
About the ingredients: Adobo seasoning is generally a mix of salt, cumin, garlic, pepper, oregano and turmeric, available in the spice aisle of most grocery stores or in the international food section. Lopez substitutes sweet lunchbox peppers for the small sweet peppers called “ajito topito” along the Caribbean coast and “aji dulce” in other Latin cultures.
- 2 pounds eye of round steak
- 2 tablespoons adobo seasoning, divided
- Vegetable oil for searing
- 2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
- 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 2 ribs celery, roughly chopped
- 8 lunchbox peppers, stems and seeds removed, roughly chopped
- 8 cloves garlic, more if desired
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 1/4 cups grated panela or dark brown sugar
- 2 cups dry red wine
- Salt to taste
- Jasmine rice, for serving
- Fried Green Plantains (see recipe), for serving
- Rub all sides of eye of round with 1 tablespoon adobo seasoning.
- Add just enough oil to Dutch oven to coat the bottom. Put on cooktop and turn heat to medium-high. When oil begins to shimmer, add eye of round and brown on all sides, about 6 minutes total. Use tongs to move beef from Dutch oven to a heatproof plate and set aside. Lower heat to medium and add carrots, onion, celery, peppers, garlic, cumin, allspice, cinnamon and remaining 1 tablespoon adobo seasoning to the Dutch oven. Cook, stirring frequently until vegetables have begun to soften, about 10 minutes. Stir in panela and cook until sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes. Add red wine and raise heat to high. Let mixture boil 2 minutes to cook off alcohol, then reduce heat and taste mixture, adding salt to taste. Return beef to Dutch oven, nestling it in the vegetables and liquid. Turn heat to medium-low, and cover Dutch oven. Simmer 2 hours, turning beef every 30 minutes. Move beef from sauce to a heatproof plate and set aside for slicing.
- Remove Dutch oven from cooktop and use an immersion blender to puree the vegetables and liquid until smooth. Return Dutch oven to cooktop over medium-low heat and simmer until sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. While sauce is simmering, cut beef into 1/4-inch slices. When sauce is thickened, return beef to sauce and simmer 10 minutes before serving. Serve sliced beef and sauce over rice with Fried Green Plantains on the side.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per serving without Fried Green Plantains or rice: 509 calories (percent of calories from fat, 28), 34 grams protein, 53 grams carbohydrates, 47 grams total sugars, 2 grams fiber, 15 grams total fat (5 grams saturated), 103 milligrams cholesterol, 196 milligrams sodium.Note: For nutritional calculations, salt was calculated as 1/16 teaspoon.
Fried Green Plantains (Patacones)
In other Latin cultures, these twice-fried plantains are called “tostones.”
Twice frying the plantains results in a very crisp exterior and a tender interior to each patacon, and the starchy flavor serves as a counterpoint to the rich, sweet sauce of the Posta Negra Cartagenera.
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 2 large green plantains, about 10 inches long
- Salt
- In a Dutch oven, heat 2 inches of oil to 300 degrees. Place a paper towel-lined baking sheet next to the cooktop.
- While oil is heating, cut off both ends of each plantain. Cut each plantain into 6 pieces, then use the tip of a knife to slit the peel along the length of each piece. Pull the peel off the fruit. It may come off in pieces. Discard the peels.
- When the oil is ready, use a slotted spoon to lower the pieces into the oil. Fry 4 minutes or until they are golden brown. Use the slotted spoon to move fried pieces to the prepared baking sheet. Let the pieces rest 3 minutes. Increase heat so oil reaches 350 degrees.
- Stand fried plantain pieces on end and use the bottom of a measuring cup to mash the pieces into 1/4-inch-thick disks. Use a slotted spoon to return disks to the hot oil and fry 2 minutes or until they turn a dark golden brown. Use the slotted spoon to return fried pieces to the prepared baking sheet to drain. After 1 minute, sprinkle with salt and serve.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per patacon without salt: 105 calories (percent of calories from fat, 41), 1 gram protein, 14 grams carbohydrates, 8 grams total sugars, 1 gram fiber, 5 grams total fat (1 gram saturated), no cholesterol, 8 milligrams sodium.
Colombian Buñuelos
Buñuelos are a traditional Colombian treat, sold at every corner bakery. Lopez says his family didn’t make their own, but would buy them at a bakery and serve them at home with coffee or his grandmother’s hot chocolate. “We’d eat them for breakfast or as a snack, and they’re definitely better when they’re hot.”
About the ingredients: Tapioca starch is available at natural food stores or in the gluten-free flour section of some grocery stores. Cotija, available with other Latin cheeses at most grocery stores, can be purchased pre-grated or in disks.
- 3/4 cup cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons tapioca starch
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 1/2 cups grated cotija cheese
- 1/4 cup whole milk, or as needed
- 1 egg
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- In a large bowl, whisk together cornstarch, tapioca starch, baking powder and sugar.
- In a small bowl, stir together cotija, 1/4 cup milk and egg. Pour cotija mixture into flour mixture and stir, adding additional milk by tablespoons, if needed, until a dough is formed that can be scooped and shaped.
- In a Dutch oven, heat 3 inches oil to 325 degrees. Line a baking sheet with paper towels and set next to cooktop.
- Use a large cookie scoop or 1/4 cup measure to scoop out 12 balls. Using your hands, roll each into a smooth ball and arrange on a plate. When all balls have been formed, use a slotted spoon to transfer all balls to hot oil. Fry 10 minutes or until golden brown. Buñuelos will turn on their own as they are frying. Remove from oil and drain on prepared baking sheet. Allow to cool 2 minutes and then serve.
Nutritional information
Per serving: Per buñuelo: 187 calories (percent of calories from fat, 62), 7 grams protein, 10 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram total sugars, trace fiber, 13 grams total fat (6 grams saturated), 43 milligrams cholesterol, 559 milligrams sodium.Sign up for the AJC Food and Dining Newsletter
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