Let's cook! 

Recipe: Buñuelos Colombian Christmas

Origin: 

THE DRITTERS:  The first society, after the Roman one, lived in the southern territories of the Iberian Peninsula. In Seville and Granada, they were a typical dessert. buñuelos fried in oil covered in honey. 

Region En Colombia, there are different varieties of buñuelos .In the Andes They are not sweet, and the mixture for their preparation includes Coastal cheese. 

In the region Caribbean coast from Colombia, there are also buñuelos fried black head bean and sweet corn, the latter having a sweet flavor and optionally accompanied with Coastal cheese. 

In cities like Santiago from cali, buñuelos Sometimes they are filled with guava or arequipe candy, generally they are preferred without any filling. 

LA NATILLA:  It was born in Spanish and French convents in medieval times, and reached the tables of European nobles. 

In Colombia it first arrived in Antioquia during the time of the Spanish conquest. Later this preparation spread to the Coffee Region through the Antioquia Colonization and, later, to other regions of the country, with other variants and ways of preparing it. 

Region It is a typical dessert Antioquia and the coffee axis, although it has expanded throughout the national territory.

VERBS USED IN BUÑUELOS AND NATILLA

• Wash (hands)
• Tomar
• Mix
• Training
• Preheat
• To warm
• Take
• Drain
• Put On
• Add
• Cook
• Cool
• Accompany

UTENSILS (VOCABULARY)

• Apron
• Coif (cooking cap)
• Container (salad bowl)
• Skillet
• aluminum spatula
• wooden spatula
• Olla
• plates

FRITTERS  

Ingredients: (For 40 buñuelos little ones) 

• 60 grams of cassava starch 
• 50 grams of sugar (¼ cup) 
• 2 fresh eggs 
• 5 grams of salt 
• 10 grams of butter 
• 2 grams of baking powder 
• 200 grams of ground coastal cheese 
• 120 grams of cornstarch 
• 1 liter of oil for frying 

 Preparation: 

1.  Take a large, deep bowl, pour the dry ingredients: ground cheese, cassava starch, cornstarch, sugar, salt, baking powder and begin to mix everything very well. 
2. After mixing the dry ingredients, add the eggs and butter until smooth.
3. With the dough ready, form it into balls to fry.
4. Preheat the oil to 165 degrees Celsius and when it is very hot start frying the buñuelos. Remember that you must have a good amount because the buñuelos They have to float in the oil. The cooking process takes approximately 20 minutes, but you must be careful so that the preparation does not burn. 
5. When the dough balls are golden, it is time to take them out, drain them on absorbent paper and that's it.

 NATILLA 

 Ingredients: 

• 1 liter of whole milk 
• 1 cup + a heaping tablespoon of cornstarch. 
• 1 cup of sugar 
• A pinch of salt 
• Cinnamon chips to taste 
• A tablespoon of margarine 

 Preparation: 

1. Put four cups of milk (1 liter) and cinnamon to taste in a pot over medium-high heat. 1 cup of milk is reserved for later.
2. Add the sugar (white and brown) and stir with a wooden spoon to dissolve.
3. Meanwhile, in a deep container, mix the cup of milk that we reserved and the cornstarch (Maizena).
4. Stir well so that there are no lumps or sticking to the bottom. Reserve.
5. When the mixture in the pot boils, lower the heat to medium-low and leave for about 5 minutes for the cinnamon to release its smell and flavor.
6. Stir the cornstarch mixture dissolved in the milk again and add to the preparation.
7. Add the grated coconut and butter.
8. Cook over medium-low heat until it boils and acquires a very thick consistency. You have to mix all the time with the wooden spoon.
9. You will notice that after 6 minutes or so, the mixture begins to thicken and come out as lumps.
10. After 8 minutes or a little more, it will be completely thick and heavy.
11. When you pass the spoon along the bottom and the mark remains, the consistency is correct.
12. Pour the mixture into individual molds.
13. Let cool for about 40 minutes or until it is at room temperature and unmold.
14. It can also be accompanied with blackberry candy or grated coconut.

The buñuelos and natilla Colombians are part of the recipes we prepare at the Spanish school Nueva Lengua during our Spanish and Colombian cuisine classes. For more information about our courses, write to us at info@nuevalengua.com or write to us on any of our social networks @nuevalengua.