The Cazuela Keeper

Lucia Restrepo

Lucia learned to cook sancocho from her abuela in Medellín and believes Colombian food is the most comforting cuisine nobody outside South America knows about. She teaches arepas, bandeja paisa, empanadas, and the art of hogao — the sofrito base that makes everything taste like home.

Colombian

Voice · Warm, nostalgic, encouraging, sprinkles Spanish naturally.

Signature Dishes

The essential curation of Lucia's favorites.

40 MIN

Ensaladitas de Frijol — Colombian Black Bean Fritters with Feta and Mint

Crunchy on the outside, tender inside — these Colombian-style black bean fritters are seasoned with cumin and garlic, topped with creamy feta and fresh mint, and finished with a bright lime-tomato pico. Abuela would approve, with a little modern twist.

50 MIN

Pinto Bean Croquettes with Hogao and Lime Crema

Crispy golden croquettes made from seasoned pinto beans, served atop a fragrant Colombian hogao and drizzled with tangy lime crema. Lucia'sabulous comfort food that brings the flavors of Medellín to your table.

55 MIN

Criollas Rellenas — Colombian Stuffed Potato Bites with Beef and Hogao

These crispy potato shells filled with seasoned beef and smothered in Colombian hogao are the kind of comfort food that tastes like abuelita's kitchen. Perfect as an appetizer or shared plate.

30 MIN

Black Bean and Avocado Dip with Smoky Hogao

A creamy black bean dip layered with chunks of ripe avocado and finished with a smoky Colombian hogao — warm, savory, and bright with lime and cilantro. Perfect for scooping with tortilla chips.

35 MIN

Bocadillo de Aguacate y Radish — Avocado Mash on Crispy Corn Rounds

Crispy pan-fried corn rounds topped with creamy avocado mash, fresh radish slices, and a bright lime-cilantro finish. A fresh Colombian bocadillo that celebrates simplicity and flavor.

50 MIN

Arroz con Leche y Limón de los Andes

A creamy Colombian rice pudding brightened with fresh lemon zest and juice, scented with cinnamon — the kind of dulce that feels like a warm hug from the Andes.

55 MIN

Arroz y Frijoles Paisa en Hojuela de Aguacate

Arroz y frijoles cocinados con hogao, servidos en medias paltas maduras. Un plato paisa reconfortante y bonito que lleva la esencia de Medellín directo a tu mesa.

65 MIN

Arroz con Pollo Estilo Hogar con Ejotes

Un plato reconfortante de arroz con pollo y ejotes al estilo colombiano, con el hogao como base aromatica que le da todo el sabor.

90 MIN

Papas Rellenas Horneadas con Carne Molida y Hogao

Cazuelitas de papa rellenas con una mezcla de carne molida sazonada con hogao, el sofrito colombiano que le da ese sabor a hogar. Horneadas hasta dorarse con queso por encima.

45 MIN

Picadillo de Res con Papas y Arroz Blanco

A hearty Colombian ground beef picadillo with tender potatoes, aromatic hogao base, and fluffy white rice. This is soul food at its finest, mi amor.

50 MIN

Sopa de Frijoles Negros con Papas y Cilantro

A hearty Colombian black bean soup enriched with tender potatoes and bright cilantro, finished with a squeeze of lime. Simple, comforting, and full of flavor — just like mi abuela used to make.

65 MIN

Chowder de Maíz y Papa con Hogao

A creamy Colombian-inspired chowder where the hogao builds a fragrant base of tomatoes, onions, and garlic before silky potatoes and sweet corn finish in rich cream. Warm, nostalgic, and perfect for those chilly evenings cuando quieres algo reconfortante.

25 MIN

Ensalada de Habas y Espinaca con Aderezo de Cilantro

A refreshing Colombian-inspired salad with tender green beans and fresh spinach tossed in a vibrant cilantro-lime dressing. Perfect as a side or light meal.

45 MIN

Ajiaco Bogotano con Pechuga y Encurtido de Lima

A hearty Colombian chicken soup from Bogotá featuring tender chicken breast, three varieties of potato texture, and sweet corn in a rich hogao-infused broth, crowned with a bright lime and cucumber pickle and finished with heavy cream.

80 MIN

Sancocho de Pollo con Papas y Maíz

Un sancocho reconfortante y nutritivo de pollo con papas, maíz y cilantro fresco, lleno de sabor casero colombiano.

65 MIN

Mondongo Colombiano con Hogao

A hearty Colombian tripe soup built on a rich hogao sofrito base. Lucia's abuela always said the hogao makes everything taste like home — and she's absolutely right, mi amor.

45 MIN

Arroz con Frijoles Negros y Hogao

Un plato reconfortante de arroz con frijoles negros, aromatizado con hogao — la base de sofrito colombiana que hace que todo sepa a casa.

60 MIN

Arepa Rellena con Hogao y Huevo Frito

A comforting Colombian stuffed arepa filled with rich hogao (tomato-onion sofrito) and topped with a runny fried egg, fresh avocado, and a squeeze of lime. Warm, nostalgic, and full of flavor.

70 MIN

Sancocho de Pollo

A hearty Colombian chicken soup rooted in tradition, with tender chicken, yuca, and sweet potato simmered in a rich hogao broth. This is the kind of cazuela that brings everyone to the table.

45 MIN

Crispy Patacones with Garlic Avocado Mash

Twice-fried banana rounds that shatter at the edges and stay tender in the middle, served alongside a mash of avocado worked with garlic, lime, and cilantro that is cool and bright against the warm, golden patacones. Every Colombian knows that the mash is not a condiment — it is the whole point. Eat them hot, right out of the pan.

45 MIN

Hogao Black Beans Spooned over Rice

Black beans cooked until velvety and rich, then married with a proper hogao — tomato and yellow onion softened slow with garlic until they collapse into a sweet, savory base that makes everything taste like home. Spooned generously over white rice, this is the dish that shows up on every Colombian table without fanfare and disappears before anything else. Simple cooking at its most essential.

40 MIN

Pescado Frito Crispy Cod with Lime

Cod fillets fried in sunflower oil until the skin crackles and the flesh inside stays white and flaky, rubbed first with garlic and cilantro so that every bite carries that herbal, coastal aroma. A squeeze of lime over the top at the table wakes everything up. This is beachside cooking brought home — effortless and completely satisfying.

55 MIN

Arroz con Pollo with Peppers and Carrot

Chicken thighs and white rice cooked together in one pan with carrot, bell pepper, and cilantro so that every grain absorbs the juices and turns golden and fragrant. By the time the liquid is gone, the chicken is tender and the rice has taken on all that flavor the vegetables were keeping. It is the weeknight meal that feels like a celebration.

45 MIN

Cartagena Coconut Rice with Shrimp

White rice cooked in coconut oil with garlic until each grain glistens, then topped with shrimp and a shower of fresh cilantro that makes the whole plate smell like the Caribbean coast. Cartagena cooks like this — simple, coastal, with that sweet-savory thing coconut oil does when it hits a hot pan with garlic. Light and deeply satisfying all at once.

50 MIN

Bandeja Paisa Ground Beef Hash

Ground beef cooked down with tomato, yellow onion, garlic, and cumin into a savory, fragrant hash — the carne molida at the heart of every bandeja paisa that ever made someone push back from the table satisfied. The cumin and garlic toast together early in the pan, and from that moment the kitchen belongs to this dish. Pile it over rice, beside beans, and call it done.

45 MIN

Calentado Rice and Beans Breakfast Skillet

Leftover white rice and black beans warmed together in a skillet with yellow onion until everything gets a little crisp at the edges, then finished with a fried egg and scattered cilantro on top. Calentado is Colombia's answer to what to do with yesterday's dinner, and my abuela will tell you it is better the second time around. A humble breakfast that holds you all morning.

30 MIN

Huevos Pericos Tomato Scramble on Toast

Eggs scrambled gently with tomato, yellow onion, and chives until soft and barely set, spooned over white bread while everything is still warm. Pericos are Colombia's morning ritual — quick, savory, and honest, the kind of breakfast that asks nothing of you and gives everything back. The chives lift the whole thing with a mild sharpness that keeps it from feeling heavy.

78 MIN

Sunday Sancocho Chicken Stew with Corn

A whole chicken simmered with potato and corn until the broth turns golden and thick, finished with handfuls of cilantro that perfume the kitchen from three rooms away. This is the dish my abuela made whenever the family gathered, and it never needed anything more than what it has right here. Serve it in deep bowls and let everyone pile in.

45 MIN

Carne Asada Skillet with Charred Lime

Beef steak seared hard in a hot pan with yellow onion until both are caramelized at the edges, rested and sliced, then served alongside cool, creamy avocado and a handful of cilantro with lime charred face-down in the same skillet so its juice turns sweet and smoky. This is the kind of plating that looks like you planned it but comes together in twenty minutes. Colombian simplicity at its most confident.

60 MIN

Pollo Sudado Braised with Potatoes

Chicken thighs braised low and slow with potato, tomato, and onion, all warmed through with cumin until the meat pulls apart at the touch of a spoon. The broth that forms is the real prize — sweet from the onion, savory from the chicken, golden from the cumin. Serve over rice and let the juices do the rest.

From the Pantry

Signature staples

tomatoyellow-oniongarliccilantrowhite-riceblack-beans

Favorite tools

FryingPanDutchOvenGriddleMortarAndPestle

Reaches for

Masarepa (Arepa Flour)AvocadoCilantro

Steers clear of

Hard taco shellsSour cream on everything

Flavor Profile

The Loves

SavoryCilantro-forwardCumin-earthy

The Defaults

Hogao baseLimeCilantro

The Avoids

Tex-Mex confusionSkipping the hogao