Unlike some countries, Peruvian cuisine stems from a cultural melting with influences from pre-Inca and Inca heritage as well as Spanish, Basque, Sino-Cantonese, Japanese, Italian, French and British immigration. That's four continents worth of flavor and technique!
What you eat and how it is served/prepared depends on which region of Peru you are in as the country's geography, the mixing of different races and cultures, and fusion of old and new cuisine all play a part in the food you eat.
While I was in Peru, I was able to sample both food served along the coast (Lima) as well as in the Andes region. Pork, beef, chicken, lots of seafood and guinea pig are popular as well as corn, beets and of course potatoes. There are 2,000 varieties of potatoes in Peru (and 3,000 in the world)!
Back in the States, I found myself craving some of the food I ate for 40 days. I decided to try Peruvian cebiche (not ceviche) and Chupe de Camarones, a creamy and rich shrimp soup/chowder.
I'll tell you now that this attempt at cebiche did not come close to what I ate in Peru and I know that the lemons are at fault. In Peru, there are Spanish lemons that are tart but reveal a sweet and refreshing taste as well. Red onions and beets taste delicious saturated in the juice. That was my only hiccup in the recipe and maybe that I used flounder instead of Corvina or Bass. The fish cooked in the citrus beautifully and the seasoning was on point. I added a few more red peppers than the recipe called for, which was great, and a bit more cilantro, which I'll not do next time. In Peru, cebiche is served with slices of boiled sweet potato, boiled corn and some lettuce leaves. What a healthy, delicious meal!
I was a little hesitant about the chowder, namely because I was cooking for my family and terrified that I wouldn't be able to reproduce what I had in Peru. A friend of mine in Peru, Eduardo, asked his mom to help me out and she graciously dictated her tried and true recipe to me while I furiously tried to comprehend it all. Two challenges I had were the potatoes and fresh cheese that the recipe called for. I used yellow potatoes, which worked fine and also visited my local Latino market which had all types of fresh cheese. The cheese was good but it didn't quite match the sharp taste I'd had in Peru. I also found my Aji Panca paste there. I followed the recipe to the T and afterwards just let it be, waiting for my family to try it. THEY LOVED IT! I could rest in relief. The soup is very rich, creamy and hearty. It's a fancier clam chowder that one could serve at a formal dinner but homey enough to just make on a cooler day. Could easily become comfort food. It took a bit longer to make as I was really taking my time, but it's really not hard to make.
Bottom Line: I will be making both of these recipes again. But before i do, I'll also be trying some more Peruvian meals I had so look out for those recipes to come! And once more, thank you to Eduardo's mother for all her help. And Eduardo too!
CEBICHE DE PESCADO
INGREDIENTS – Serves ~ 4
2 lb. fish (grouper, corvina, snapper, flounder)
2 tspn. Aji Amarillo paste (international aisle or Latino market)
1tspn. Garlic, minced
2 tspn. Cilantro, finely chopped
2 Tbspn. Celery, finely chopped
1 med. Red Onion, very fine juliened
The juice of 4 lemons and 4 limes
2 tspn. salt
1tspn. White pepper
1Tbspn. each of Red,yellow,green bell pepper, finely diced.
(If you like it hotter use rocoto and aji montaña chopped)
Garnish:
Sweet potatoes, boiled and sliced
Sweet corn, boiled and cut into “wheels”
Lettuce leaves
Tomato Wedges
Directions: Rinse the fish and cut it in cubes of about 3/4of an inch, pat dry squeezing a little, put it in a glass bowl, add salt, white pepper and the rest of the ingredients. Combine tossing very well with the spoon press slightly against the bottom of bowl allowing the juice to cover all the fish. Set it covered in the refrigerator for about one hour. At this time stir the cebiche taste the seasoning and adjust if necessary. Set it in the refrigerator for about one more hour. Serve the cebiche by arranging a leaf of lettuce in the center of the plate, spoon over it 1/4 of the ceviche in a mound. Ladle the juice of the cebiche over the mound. Garnish with the following: Three slices of sweet potato, two wheels of corn, lettuce leaves and wedges of tomato.
Peruvian Chupe De Camarones (Peruvian Shrimp Chowder) 1¼ hours | 30 min prep
SERVES 6
(I was able to find a recipe resembling what Eduardo’s Mom had dictated to me from Recipezaar.com)
2 lbs shrimp, with shells and heads
4 cups water (more if necessary)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tablespoon aji panca chili paste (can substitute tomato paste if necessary)
1 teaspoon aji amarillo chili paste
1 cup peas, either fresh or frozen
1/4 cup long-grain white rice
1-2 ear of corn, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
1 lb russet potato, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
1/4-1/2 cup queso fresco, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 cup evaporated milk
1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped
3 eggs
NOTE: Aji panca, aji amarillo and queso fresco can be found at Hispanic markets. You may be able to find the cheese at a well-stocked grocery store as well.
Directions:
Remove heads and shells from shrimp, and refrigerate the shrimp. Put shells and heads in a medium saucepan, add water to cover, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes.
While shells are simmering, heat the olive oil in a large flameproof casserole over medium heat. Add onion and garlic, and cook for 2 minutes, stirring. Stir in the aji panca (or tomato paste) and aji amarillo pastes. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking, stirring often, for 10 minutes, or until onion is softened.
Puree shrimp shells and cooking liquid. Strain mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a bowl and reserve the liquid (solids can be discarded). Measure out the liquid and add enough water to make 4 cups.
Add shrimp broth to onion mixture and bring to a boil. Stir in peas, rice and corn chunks. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
Add potatoes and salt. Continue cooking until potatoes and rice are just tender (approx 10 minutes more). Add shrimp and queso fresco. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until shrimp is just cooked through, about 4 minutes (shrimp should be pink).
Stir in the evaporated milk and oregano. Continue cooking and stirring. When the soup begins boiling again, Crack the eggs into the soup, spacing them so they remain separate in the soup. If you prefer, you can beat the eggs together in a bowl before adding them to the soup instead).
When eggs are cooked, soup is finished.
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