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| Alba |
Though I have definitely travelled far and wide for blog meals, this is definitely the furthest I've cycled!
Alba lives in a brand spanking new area of Berlin at the exact opposite side of the city from where I live, 25 km away. I mainly decide to go by bike because it is lovely and sunny out.
Once I arrive, Alba comes to find me as I cannot immediately locate her
house number. She is a stylish appearance in a well accesorized outfit,
with platform sneakers and a colourful scarf. Her English is so American
sounding I am amazed when it turns out she has never lived in an
anglophone country. Very impressive. As I have arrived a bit later than
planned, the dish is basically ready to go when I walk through the door.
It is basically the most deluxe version of patacones I have ever seen (also called tostones or tachinos
in different countries). This is a snack I am very familiar with, from
my years living in Costa Rica and Ecuador, and also from the Colombian meal
for this blog. I even used to make them myself in countries with easy
access to green plantain, like when I lived in West Africa. The starchy
unripe plantain can be used in dishes that are somewhat reminiscent of other starchy foods like potatoes or yucca.
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The shredded chicken in the pan
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For
patacones, you slice the patacones in thick discs, and fry in hot oil till they are slightly soft and a pale yellow colour. Then you remove them from the oil, squash them into a flat disc with a cup or a special wooden press, then fry them again till golden brown and crispy. Sprinkle with salt and serve hot. Up till now, I have only seen them served plain, or as a side dish. Alba uses them as a platform for pulled chicken (with onions and bell pepper), grated cheese and an avocado sauce. For this lunch, they are presented beautifully on a smooth wooden plank, with the avocado-yoghurt sauce in a cute little glass bottle. I can easily imagine this being served at an upscale restaurant! Though Alba cannot explain to me how she did it, the texture of the fried plantain is somehow crisper and 'fluffier' than I have ever had. My previous experiences had a more dense consistency.
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The beautifully plated patacones
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Alba confesses a deep love for green plantain (plátano verde). When she had not been able to find any for a while in Germany, and finally spotted some, she immediately got eight. She easily managed to finish these in a week, before they even started to ripen. Part of what I find amazing about plantains is that you can use them as a starchy tuber when green, and as a sweet banana when ripe. Fried ripe plantain (plátano maduro) is also delicious. Apart from patacones, Venezuelans love pabellón, a very typical dish of the region consisting of rice, stewed beans and pulled beef. More unusual is their traditional Christmas food called pan de jamón, a sweet bread rolled around a filling of ham, green olives and raisins. I would love to try that, it sounds a bit like the flavour combination I loved in the Chilean empanadas I had for this blog many years ago. Those contained beef, raisins and olives. The raisins are apparently a bit of a polarizing ingredient, with half of the population loving it and the other half hating them with a passion in this savoury dish.
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Alba adding the avocado sauce
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After our patacones and over coffee, we talk a bit about the political and economic situation in Venezuela. Things have gotten worse and worse since Alba left five years ago, though we hardly hear about it in the news anymore. However, what Alba misses about her country (apart from the delicious food and her friends) is the open and social nature of her compatriots. She swears that even in the metropolis Caracas where she grew up, people will always greet their fellow travellers when they enter a subway car. In Berlin, she did the same in the beginning, after just moving here. As nobody would ever respond, and sometimes even glance at her with a puzzled look, she did stop doing this after a while. I can actually imagine how confused the Germans must have been at this alien behaviour! I have to admit that even I am a bit surprised that this level of sociality would survive in such a huge city. It is a bit sad that she has given it up, but she assures me she does still greet the people she passes by in her neighbourhood. And they do reply, mostly. However, she jokes that her cat, who is very cute and adventurous, has made friends with the neighbours quicker than she has!
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The finished product: patacon with shredded chicken, grated cheese and avocado sauce
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