I’m nearly 24 hours into a 36 hour business trip to Bogotá and I haven’t slept a single one of them. Perhaps it’s the 8,500 foot altitude, but my adrenalin levels seem highly elevated, all the more so from an hour pounding the treadmill in the hotel’s gym. All I can think about right now is for the restaurant to open for breakfast, knowing that I’ll be able to dive head first into a pot of black Colombian coffee. I’d go out for a walk but have been told by my host who is picking me up with a bodyguard in a bulletproof SUV at 8am for a day of back to back meetings, that it’s not safe to leave the hotel on foot.
At 6:30am promptly I order coffee- and am brought a jar of Nescafé and a jug of boiling water. Where is the dark roasted Arabica blend I’ve travelled all this way for?Where is Juan Váldez from those commercials?
Told by the waiter that it’s the only coffee they serve, I drink the watery brew disbelievingly and decide to blame the American chain hotel where I’m staying and the high gringo count in its restaurant.
Travelling with my host Jorge in the car, it’s the first topic of conversation I broach. He wants to talk about the fascinating meeting agenda, but all I want to know is what type of coffee they serve at the office. Nescafé, he replies. I demur, but he insists gently that Bogotános prefer theirs American-style and export all the good stuff.
Somehow I make it through to lunch where jaded from my fruitless search for stimulation I embrace comfort, sliding effortlessly into the arms of that evergreen classic Arroz con Pollo. As good for body and soul as Chicken Soup.
Arroz con Pollo (Chicken with Rice): Serves Eight or Nine
There are a myriad of versions of this Latin American staple, but this is the way I like to prepare it at home.
1 cup dry white wine
A pinch of saffron
1 whole chicken cut up to eight pieces
1 large onion, finely chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 can of diced tomatoes
1 tsp dried oregano
3 cups rice (short grain)
Combine saffron and wine; let it stand until ready to use. Season chicken with salt and pepper on all sides. Heat oil in a heavy-bottom sauté pan with straight sides on medium high heat. Brown chicken on all sides, transfer to a plate.
Add onions and garlic to the pan with a large pinch of salt and cook till soft, scraping up the caramel bits stuck on the bottom of the pan. Add the wine-saffron mixture and bring to the boil scraping and stirring at the same time. Add the whole can of tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Then add the rice (which you have washed and drained), 2 cups of water and bring to the boil stirring all the time. Return the chicken to the pan; cover and simmer until the rice is cooked and the liquid has absorbed.
Serve with steamed vegetables.
Delayed by five hours at Bogotá airport on the way back to Buenos Aires we have live Tango in the lounge. The dancers perform enthusiastically, but the coffee is still no better.
Ha coffee, it’s funny how we expect all our staple & comfort food to be the way we are used to, but somehow in another part of the world, even where where the best ingredients seemingly come from, may have a different reality 😁
Were you offered the ordinary Nescafe or the Gold Blend? I find the Gold Blend quite agreeable but not as good as the real thing. Looking forward to trying this recipe tomorrow!