This archive report was first published on 23 August 2019.
On a visit to Kenya during the Colombia Culture Week, Chef Diego Panesso showcased his culinary skills by preparing traditional Colombian dishes at Cafe Kigwa in the Safari Park Hotel.
One of the dishes he prepared was a 12-hour slow-cooked pork with its crunchy skin, soft, tender and juicy belly cooked Colombian style with arepa purée. The arepa, a traditional Colombian dish, is made from corn flour, butter, pepper, and salt, similar to ugali.
"The difference with the arepa is that it is placed on the charcoal grill and is more of a purée compared to ugali," said Chef Panesso.
With 20 years of professional cooking experience, Chef Panesso owns four restaurants in Colombia and has been cooking since he was 19 years old in his family's business.
He specializes in the vacuum cooking method, a technique he learned after training at Barcelona University six years ago. Vacuum cooking involves placing all ingredients in a vacuum bag, releasing the air, and cooking in low temperatures for a long time.
"Vacuum cooking is a technique that I use in my restaurants. I use it to cook various dishes including meats, vegetables, and fruits. All ingredients are put in a vacuum bag and all the air is released from the bag. The bag is put in either a hot bath or a combi-oven and cooked in low temperatures for a long time," he explains.
He also highlighted the benefits of vacuum cooking, including the ability to cook dishes that are required at a later day and the option to add other ingredients such as butter, herbs, wine, sauces, and soups whose flavors are infused when cooking.
"What's more exciting about this cooking method is that if you are using it for your hotel or catering business, you can prepare the food days before your event. When the food is done cooking in the bag, place the bag in the freezer for pasteurisation. This avoids bacteria from forming in the food and helps to conserve the food days and even months," he explains.
During his visit to Kenya, Chef Panesso also prepared octopus cooked Colombian style, which was grilled and served with coconut mayonnaise, cracker paper, onion, coriander, and cappers rice.
