(PCM) This week’s I LOVE FOOD feature focuses on un plato tipico de Colombia: la Paisita! The first time I had a Paisita I was proud to have finished all of the items on the dish… until I realized what I had eaten was just a smaller version of the original. What? There’s more? A Paisita is actually a smaller portion of the Bandeja Paisa.
What is this magically delicious South American dish that I keep referencing, you ask? One order comes with beans, a fried egg over white rice, carne asada, maduros, aguacate (avocado), arepas, and chicharron. (The Bandeja Paisa has two eggs AND chorizo on top of all of that.)
I am full just reading all of those – but it is so worth wearing stretchy pants for! I will now take you through the journey of a paisita. The beans are a great thing to mix into any part of the dish. You could either marry it with the rice or dip the arepa into the sauce.
The arepa is a little dry in this dish, and is meant to dip into either the egg or the beans. (My boyfriend’s mother makes the best arepas. They are softer with mozzarella cheese inside – SO GOOD!)
The maduros are sweet plantains that I usually don’t have room for, but they look nice on the plate. I can’t tell if the white rice and egg are my favorite, or the carne asada. Either way, I do have to give the egg points for creating a new dining experience for me with the yolk dripping into the rice.
And, the chicharron is fried pork belly. The crunchy fried outside is always a treat and completes the variety of flavors in the meal.
Now I am hankering for one at Noches de Colombia in Englewood, NJ. Adios mis amigos – yo necesito comer una paisita ahora!
