It seems that the winter doesn’t want to go away this year. Since I got to Bogota, it has rained pretty much everyday — usually, the dry season starts in mid to late November…
I enjoy the rain though, it helps clean the heavily contaminated air of the city. Since this has always been a city where it rains suddenly, I grew up loving to walk under the rain — I didn’t like umbrellas.
A changua is a perfect breakfast in cold, damp mornings here. This soup is very traditional in Colombia, appearing with many variations across the country. My mom’s version is very close to the “santafereña” — from Santa Fe de Bogota.
In a heat resistant clay pot she puts scallion with a little butter to fry. Then adds about 1 cup of water — others use milk — and brings to a boil with salt. Following she puts 1 egg to cook in the water, 1 to 2 oz of a creamy, fresh cheese similar to mozzarella and 1 almojabana — a delicious bread made with corn flour and another fresh cheese called quajada — teared in pieces. The changua is finished with fresh cream and chopped cilantro.
The almojabana can be replaced with a different kind of bread. A day old baguette is a good choice. My mom serves her changua right in the clay pot to eat as hot as it can be taken. As I try to get the strings of melted cheese from my pot, I start warming up and the dark morning doesn’t look so disappointing any more.
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