verena's food & the stories that make them
For many migrants, food is the first home they find in Australia, recreating beloved dishes and filling kitchens with the delicate smells of their memories. And while the moments embedded in these meals remain sacred, the flavours and ingredients adapt and change to wherever they land. Our new Spring / Summer catering menu captures and honours this intimacy of food origins, reflecting the cultures represented across our program.
Come with us on a journey as we show you how we weave the incredible talent, tastes and stories of our participants into each area of our catering offerings, using our talented Colombian instructor, Verena, as a perfect example. Vamos!
VERENA'S MEREUNGON - STRAWBERRY PAVLOVA
Verena's Mereungon is a delicious part of our canapé menu. For 50 years of her life, Verena thought that meringues were a Colombian dessert, served in rectangle slabs decorated with strawberries, peaches and mango, telling everyone in Australia about this special treat from her country. She talks about how in Cundinamarca, people would sell them from the boots of their small cars, filling the streets with fresh fruits and colour! Little was she to know that pavlova was something we were all too familiar with, a childhood favourite of our own.
VERENA'S POSTA NEGRA BEEF
Verena’s Posta Negra beef is part of both our boxed platters AND famous grazing table, served with seasonal salad and salsa verde. This dish is a staple in every Cartagena celebration and now here in Australia too, where she makes it for her daughter, Zuaad’s birthday (pictured above with our Spring/Summer grazing table) A tradition which will never get old!
VERENA'S EMPANADA’S DI PIPIAN
When Verena talks about recipes, she talks about the places they come from, the beautiful villages and regions, the way each dish is served differently depending on the area, just like her vegetarian Empanada’s Di Pipian. Featuring a deliciously warm and cheesy filling with peanuts and mashed potatoes, her empanadas are finished with Hogao, a traditional sauce of onions and tomato found throughout Colombia, with the filling itself hailing from the Pacific Isle region of the country. Boasting a very hot climate and beautiful landscape (think beaches and mountains and river valleys), this region is also home to one of Verena’s friends in Calis, the friend who taught her this recipe in exchange for her Arepa with eggs (from Cartagena!). These empanadas are truly an exchange of love, swapped between regions and countries for you to enjoy.
VERENA'S AGUA DE PANELA CON LIMON
Lastly, this recipe for Verena's sugar cane lime drink, 'Agua De Panela Con Limon' which she prepares for guests in her Colombian cooking experience, shared as a little thank you for all your support - the perfect drink for hot days dreaming of mountainous coasts and the places we call home.