Asado Negro

The name "Ven a Comer" came to me while going through my food memories growing up. It was what my mom yelled when dinner was ready, she would say "Carla, ven a comer!" (Carla, come eat!) and I would come running, always picking up my dad and brother along the way.

My mom, Anamelia, is an amazing cook. She's extremely creative and ambitious, and she's never afraid. I learned a lot just by watching her, she'd come up with great meals on the fly, throw great parties with great food, or feed my friends late at night after my own parties. She also always wanted to learn as much as she could, I remember taking "bagel making" classes when we first came here. Somehow I've been able to carry on her talent and love for food, one of my favorites times in the day is dinner time, when my hubby sits down to eat and tells me how delicious whatever I made was... just like my dad always did (and still does) to my mom.

Here is a video of me making one of my favorite Venezuelan dishes: "Asado Negro". My mom taught me how to make it over the phone :) It's a traditional beef dish cooked with panela (cane sugar) that helps create the dark caramel color of it's thick, sweet sauce. The smell of it cooking on the stove instantly takes me back home... it's a wonderful feeling.

If you're still curious about more Venezuelan & latin food, watch my other videos: arepas, fried plantains, tostones & tres leches cake.

_NOTE: not sure why the video is cut off on the right, sorry about that!