Latin American Recipes Archives - Page 2 of 11

Argentinian Crescents – Medialunas

Argentinian crescents are called medialunas, which translates as half moons. I would say they are a distant cousin of French croissants or the Italian cornettos. However, instead of creating a layer of butter seperately, which is then folded into the dough, we will add it directly to the dough. The whole laminating process, which means that the dough is rolled out and folded and then chilled, is kept to a minimum. We will only do it one round. I think this is the perfect compromise, it gives us some of those flaky layers, but does not require as many resting times as the traditional croissant. However, despite a reduction in resting times, this still is a yeast dough, which means that you will need time before you can finally bite into one. I have to admit, suddenly I had eaten three even though I only wanted to eat one…

16/05/2025

Brazilian Carrot Cake or Bolo de Cenoura

If you have ever watched a “Latina” mom while baking or cooking for a large crowd, you know why cakes need to come together fast. This Brazilian carrot cake falls into this category, the cake really is prepared rather quickly. You basically throw together all ingredients and then whiz them in a food processor. Pour the mixture into a baking pan and then the oven takes over. The second time I made this cake, it only took me ten minutes before it went into the oven. Can I interest you in this bolo de cenoura?

28/03/2025

Pan de bonos from Colombia (gluten-free)

Wow, guys, really? 85% of you said on Insta that you want another pan de bono recipe on the blog. So I will happily oblige. Below version is made with Russian tvorog, which is a cream cheese also available here in Germany. My Colombian hubby says this is the closest I have gotten to the Colombian original, so I will take this as a huge win. Believe me, I have made probably thousands of pan de bonos by now, I have tried so many different cheeses, I have used mozzarella, and feta, I used queso de Burgos in Spain and a cheese called “Schichtkäse” here in Germany. Now we will turn to tvorog as this seems to be pretty close to the Colombian “queso costeño”, which is used originally.

25/02/2025

New Edition: Alfajores Marplatenses

I probably sound like a broken record, but my very favorite cookie from my birth place Uruguay is alfajores marplatenses. This translates to a chocolate sandwich cookie, which is filled with caramel aka dulce de leche. A decadent delicacy. Obviously I already have a recipe on the blog, however, this time I thought I may give another recipe a try. The recipe below follows the recipe by Isabel Vermal, an Argentinian pastry maker. Her dough is slightly different from my first recipe, it is slightly drier and contains more flour. It is a beautiful contrast to the dulce de leche filling. May I interest you in making below recipe?

10/01/2025

Cuchuco, Colombian Wheat and Pork Stew

My hubby graciously allowed me to write down this recipe for a Colombian wheat and pork stew called cuchuco. I didn’t know of its existence, but once I tried it, I was sold. It is perfect in winter as it has wheat or barley kernels, as well a cabbage varieties. If you are into one-pot stews, this one is definitely one to try!

03/01/2025

Turrón de Maní or Peanut Nougat

Tada, today I’m introducing a specialty that actually comes from Spain and has been adapted in Latin America with local products: turrón. In Germany, we would probably call this nougat. Turrón traditionally consists of a honey-sugar syrup that is mixed with egg whites and almonds. This “paste” is then pressed into relatively flat bars and then cut into pieces or cubes. I use the version with peanuts (maní), which are much cheaper to buy in Uruguay and are also native to the country. The Uruguayans have simply replaced almonds with a local product: peanuts. Turrón basically comes in two varieties: “duro”, i.e. hard turrón, or “blando”, i.e. the softer verrsion. I opted for the hard version. You should definitely be prepared to take at least 45 minutes to make this delicacy and you will need some arm muscle. However, I think it’s well worth the effort.

22/12/2024

Colombian Buñuelos with German Ingredients

Yay, today I get to introduce Colombian buñuelos with German ingredients. I already have a buñuelos recipe on the blog. However, for the previous recipe we had to make the cheese ourselves. But now I managed to make a recipe with cheeses that are readily available in Germany. So let me introduce to you these cheese fritters. They are traditionally served in December, for sure for Christmas, but also for New Year’s. If you would like to learn more about Colombian Christmas traditions and recipes, check out that blog post. Just as I managed to make Colombian pandebonos with this farmer’s cheese, I replaced the Colombian queso costeño with it. I also like to use a mix and throw in feta cheese. As cheeses have a different amount of liquid, I had to tweak the recipe a bit, but then it was perfect!

29/11/2024

Pollo Sudado – Colombian Chicken Stew

Pollo sudado is a popular chicken stew in Colombia. First you fry some vegetables, mainly onions and tomatoes, and to this mixture you add raw chicken and raw potatoes. You cover this with a lid and steam this with the water slowly. “Sudado” literally translates as “sweated”, the idea is that the chicken is steamed in the liquid of the vegetables. This may sound a bit strange, I agree. I was suspicious, I mean raw chicken is not something anyone wants. However, since it is one of the favorite dishes of my husband, I decided to give it a go. I was pleasantly surprised. It does get a different kind of flavor from this vegetable steam. The best thing? It tastes even better on day 2 or 3!

15/11/2024

Sandwich-Cookies: Alfajores with Almonds

Have you every heard of “alfajores”? These are sandwich cookies that are usually filled with the caramel cream called dulce de leche. They originally stem from Andalucia in Spain, but have become extremely popular in Uruguay and Argentina. Supposedly about 10 million (!) alfajores are sold each day in Argentina in 2023. The “original” is usually made with flour and cornstarch and creates this nice crunchy texture, however, my version below contains flour and almonds instead. The classic alfajor is usually rolled in coconut flakes, however, I will used chopped almonds for this version.

06/11/2024

Quesillo Custard from Venezuela

Today I am introducing the Venezuelan dessert to you named “quesillo”. Quesillo is the Venezuelan name for a custard that is normally known as flan. Flan originates in Spain and is commonly consumed and enjoyed in Latin America as well. There is a reason I have several flan recipes on my blog, you may try the classic flan, flan with pineapple, flan with coconut, chocoflan with a chocolate cake and the cousin called leche asada, which does not require a watherbath. There are a lot of recipes out there, each family has their little secret. However, what they usually have in common is a) the caramel layer on top and b) milk or heavy cream and eggs. But that is about it, some recipes require only egg yolks, others use the full egg, some may ask just for milk and others only cream. Quesillo does use sweetened condensed milk and usually a dash of rum for extra flavor. Preparing this dish only requires around 10-15min, the rest will be taken care of by the oven and fridge. The word “quesillo” comes from the Spanish word “queso” as a slice may look a bit like a slice of queese with some holes in it.

02/08/2024

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