Spanish Language Blog

Ajiaco is a potato soup from Colombia. It contains pieces of chicken, usually on the bone, large chunks of corn on the cob and two or three kinds of native potatoes, like papas criollas, sabanera and pastusa. It is seasoned with guasca, a kind of aromatic herb.

Here’s a recipe for ajiaco in Spanish with some vocabulary. Do you understand the instructions? Here are some verbs you need to know. Enjoy your meal.

Ablandar – to soften, to melt
Añadir, adicionar, agregar – to add
Cocinar – to cook
Colocar, poner – to put
Comenzar – to begin
Continuar – to keep (doing something)
Dejar – to leave
Enfriar – to cool off
Formar – to form
Guardar – to save, to put away
Llevar – to take, to carry, to bring
Retirar, sacar – to remove
Verificar – to check

LA RECETA:

Ingredientes:

3 gajos de cebolla larga
1 ramito de cilantro
2 pollos medianos despresados (4 libras)
15 tazas de agua
2 cubos de caldo de gallina
1 1/2 libras de papa sabanera, pelada y partida en rodajas delgadas.
1 libra de papa criolla gruesa y pelada
2 libras de papa pastusa, pelada y partida en rodajas gruesas.
1 1/2 tazas de hojas de guasca
7 mazorcas tiernas, pequeñas partidas a la mitad

Preparación:

1. En una olla grande con el agua se coloca la cebolla, el cilantro y el pollo, llévela a la estufa y ponga a hervir a fuego lento hasta que el pollo comience a ablandar, retire frecuentemente la espuma que se va formando.

2. Retire de la olla el cilantro y la cebolla, añada los cubos de caldo y pimienta al gusto. Adicione la papa sabanera, continúe la cocción a fuego medio durante 30 minutos. Cuando el pollo esté blando sáquelo de la olla, déjelo enfriar y guarde para más adelante.

3. Agregue la papa criolla y la pastusa, verifique la sazón. Siga cocinando hasta que las papas estén blandas, entonces adicione las hojas de guasca y las mazorcas. Cocine durante 15 minutos. Añada el pollo desmenuzado y cocine de 5 a 10 minutos más.

4. Sirva bien caliente y aparte presente crema de leche, alcaparras y ají para que cada uno se sirva al gusto.

Vocabulary

1. gajo de cebolla – a segment of onion
2. cilantro – coriander
3. pollo – chicken
4. caldo de galllina – chicken broth
5. pelada – peeled
6. rodajas delgadas – thin slices
7. hojas – leaves
8. mazorca – corncob

If you want to learn more about the vast Colombian food, check the website Comida Colombiana.

Now, if you’re more of a visual type, check out this video of the recipe being prepared:

Nos vemos prontito.

Wow, every week I just can’t wait to watch American Idol and see so many talents and of course, so many bad people singing and freaking me out! But did you know we also have American Idol in Spanish?

Latin American Idol is broadcast by Sony Entertainment Television for all of Latin America. It has the same format of its American counterpart. The judges (Spanish Gustavo Sánchez, Cuban-born American singer Jon Secada and Mexican singer Mimi) aren’t as ruthless as Simon Cowell, but they give great feedback.

Thanks to Youtube, you can watch whole episodes of the third season. The language is not so difficult so if you’re into American Idol, try it in Spanish now.

The website contains lots of extra information, judges’ blogs, videos and pictures. Be sure to check it out.

Remember to post your comments, we want to know what you think!

You must have noticed by now that learning a foreign language is not easy job, because so many words have different uses and meanings. Let’s take a look at several verbs with multiple meanings.

LLEVAR - to take/carry, take a person (somewhere), wear
llevar a cabo – to carry through, accomplish
llevar a los niños a la escuela - to take the children to school
llevar conmigo – to take with me
llevar ropa – to wear clothing
llevar una cosa – to take/carry a thing
llevar una vida de perros – to lead a dog’s life

QUITAR – to remove, take off/away
quitar el polvo – to dust, remove dust
quitar la nieve - to shovel/remove snow
quitar la pintura - to strip/remove the paint
quitar la ropa – to take off one’s clothes

SACAR - to take (out)
sacar a bailar – to ask for a dance
sacar a paseo - to take (out) for a walk
sacar agua - to get/draw water
sacar algo de la caja – to take something from (out of) the box
sacar una foto – to take a picture

TOMAR - to take, drink, eat
tomar apuntes – to take notes
tomar el sol – to sunbathe, to lie in the sun
tomar en cuenta – to consider
tomar leche - to drink milk
tomar lugar - to take place
tomar parte en – to take part in
tomar una comida – to have a meal

So take your time and learn these expressions! ¡Nos vemos prontito!