Learning new recipes :)

Lately, I've been learning how to make a lot of Venezuelan meals and I'm really excited about it.  Ever since I was little I've always loved cooking.  In fact growing up, I was the main cook in our house, so I feel very comfortable in the kitchen.  My favorite thing to cook is ethnic food, basically anything other than traditional American/Southern cuisine.  So, right now I'm in my happy place.  I get to learn how to cook with a whole new set of ingredients and I love the food here in Venezuela.  Some of my favorite dishes are Arepas, Patacones, Empanadas, Lomito Negro.  My favorite dish is Pollo Guisado and there is a lot more, but I can't remember them all. 

Arepas are like the biscuits or the bread of Venezuela.  They're made out of corn flour and shaped into a circle.  They can be grilled, fried or baked.  You just cut them in half and stuff meat and cheese if you have them on hand.  I love to eat mine just simple with ham and cheese.  They're probably the cheapest meal to make and they're very filling. 

Patacones remind me a lot of tostones if you have eaten at a Cuban or Spanish restaurant.  Basically they are plaintains,either green or yellow, that are smashed to form patties, and are then fried.  Patacones is another bread subsitute for Venezuelans.  The most popular way to eat them here is on the street where they serve Patacon cheeseburgers or chicken burgers.  I prefer to make them at home.  I like green plaintains, instead of the yellow ones and they're great with just ham and cheese as well. 

I have learned how to make Empanadas and it reminds me a lot of making lumpia with my mom, so for that reason alone it is one of my favorites. 

Lomito Negro is probably my favorite dish here in Zulia.  Its like roast beef in a decadent sweet yet savory sauce.  My mother-in-law is a genius in the kitchen and this is her best dish.  It is delicious!

However, my favorite dish above all is Pollo Guisado, or stewed chicken.  It reminds me a lot of Chicken Adobo from the Philippines.  Its just chicken in a pot with vegetables.  Its healthy and you can just cut up a whole chicken, so its not too expensive.

I always say that Venezuelans put cheese and mayonnaise on everything.  And its true they use so much mayonnaise...it was such a shock to me at first, because its something that I never really use.  But, I've learned that a little bit is okay.  All in all I think that Venezuelan cuisine is healthier than American in some aspects.  There's a lot less processed food here and sweets are not a big deal.  Dinner is a very small meal, my husband and I usually just have a sandwich.  Lunch is the main meal.   My tastes have changed a lot.  I don't care for sweets anymore, and I'm starting to like seafood.  Hopefully this will continue, so I will be better prepared for when I return to SE Asia :)