Cooking Classes in Colombia

[Steve Kroll]

Last year I had a little bit of windfall money and decided to take a trip to Cartagena Colombia. It's a beautiful resort city on the coast and very affordable. Since I've gotten a little older and am bothered a bit with arthritis in my knees, I no longer do hiking or things of that nature. My new goal lately has been to take a local cooking class whenever I visit a new city. I actually took a couple of these in Cartagena with a school called Lunático, run by a woman named Maria and her husband (who also teaches cocktail classes).

By the way, single guys, here's a tip. If you're ever up for meeting other singles, a cooking class is a great way to be a "rooster in the hen house" as one lady put it. I was the only male in a class full of women.

 

[Steve Kroll]

On to a few of the dishes I learned while there.

First up, this is Red Snapper with Coconut Cream Sauce, Coconut Rice and a "Patacone" (aka fried plantain chip). The coconut rice in Colombia is to die for. The rice is cooked in coconut milk and has raisins and a just a little palm sugar.

 

[Steve Kroll]

Here we have an appetizer and a soup. The soup is called Mote de Queso and is made with white yam and a Colombia cheese called costeña. Sounds weird but really works. Reminded me a lot of a good potato soup.

The other appetizer is Corvina Ceviche with Banana Jalapeño Salsa. This was one of the most delicious things I ate while there and I've made it a few times since then. Who knew you could make salsa from bananas?

 

[Steve Kroll]

Next up was the local take on shrimp cocktail. This was made from Gulf Shrimp and Sea Snails. You use the plantain chips as a scoop.

 

[Steve Kroll]

This was the only beef I had while there. At the time, I was still eating meat but not a lot of it. Never the less, I had to taste everything. This is called Topside Beef with Avocado Sauce, Coconut Rice, and "Platanos en Tentacion" (plantains in temptation). The beef is made from a tough cut and slow cooked to tenderize it. Think Latin style pot roast.

The plantain is very interesting. It's actually cooked in a carbonated red soda and takes on the color.

 

[Andy M.]

Great idea! Your dishes look great.

 

[Steve Kroll]

Last but not least, this is another appetizer called Yuca Carimañolas Stuffed with Shrimp. This is a pastry made from Yuca root and deep fried.

 

[Steve Kroll]

Great idea! Your dishes look great.

Fun classes. The gals in the class were part of a group from NYC, so it was great to have fellow English speakers around. My Spanish is not the greatest.

 

[Kathleen]

That all looks amazing! How do you find the classes? Word of mouth or google search?

 

[Steve Kroll]

The view from my hotel. Cartagena is a beautiful area. Unlike other parts of Colombia, it's completely safe. The only down side is that English isn't widely spoken so knowing even a smattering of Spanish helps immensely.

 

[Steve Kroll]

That all looks amazing! How do you find the classes? Word of mouth or google search?

Hi Kathleen. If I remember correctly, I booked these through Viator. There were a few others that people ran out of their homes. But this one had a distinctly professional vibe, which I liked.

 

[Steve Kroll]

One more pic. Me in a pink shirt amongst pink flamingos at the Colombia National Bird Sanctuary. Honestly, we didn't color coordinate. It just worked out that way.

 

[Sir_Loin_of_Beef]

By the way, single guys, here's a tip. If you're ever up for meeting other singles, a cooking class is a great way to be a "rooster in the hen house" as one lady put it. I was the only male in a class full of women.

That sounds like my typing class in high school. Me and 28 girls. I wasn't there to learn to type, which is obvious by looking at my posts!

 

[Silversage]

That food looks great! It is a fabulous way to take in some culture in a foreign country. I have taken paella classes in Spain, croissant classes in Paris, pizza classes in Naples, etc.
I never did post the photos.....
I should get around to that one day.

 

[caseydog]

Last year I had a little bit of windfall money and decided to take a trip to Cartagena Colombia.

Now I have Smuggler's Blues stuck in my head.

CD

 

[Steve Kroll]

Now I have Smuggler's Blues stuck in my head.

CD

One thing I learned while there. Don't bring up the subject of cartels or drug smuggling or Pablo Escobar because you will get eye rolls and maybe a few angry looks. It's a sore subject and part of their history that Colombians are trying their best to put behind them.

 

[caseydog]

One thing I learned while there. Don't bring up the subject of cartels or drug smuggling or Pablo Escobar because you will get eye rolls and maybe a few angry looks. It's a sore subject and part of their history that Colombians are trying their best to put behind them.

Yeah, Cartagena wasn't always a "safe" city, and I'm sure people have bad memories of the 1980s there. Good song, though.

CD

 

[taxlady]

What a great idea. Looks like it was a fun trip with some learning thrown in.

Any chance we can get you to post the recipe for "Corvina Ceviche with Banana Jalapeño Salsa"? It sounds exotic and tasty.

 

[Steve Kroll]

What a great idea. Looks like it was a fun trip with some learning thrown in.

Any chance we can get you to post the recipe for "Corvina Ceviche with Banana Jalapeño Salsa"? It sounds exotic and tasty.

Of course. I'll try to post it tonight.

 

[dragnlaw]

Steve, how fun! Great pictures! So did you have a hand in all the dishes or you just made some of it? Or everyone did one part and then put them all together? How did it work?
Would love to do something like that.