Comida South America!

For a long time now South American food, esp Peruvian, has held a special place in my heart. Recently i was generously given a gift of a couple of Rocoto sauces from friends overseas. So I thought id start this thread in hopes to learn more about the cuisine and also try my hand a little more often to cook some of their dishes.
 
tonights dinner is a couple of my Peruvian favorites:
 
*Anticuchos - Traditionally beef heart is used.... i used blade steak marinated in 1/2C vinegar, 2T Aji Panca paste, garlic, scotch bonnett, oregano, cumin
*Ajiaco de Papas- 1/2 onion diced and sauteed in butter/oil, add 200g of diced halloumi (or queso fresco), add 3T Aji Amarillo paste, 1/2C stock, 1/2C evaporated milk. Stir and mash in 1kg of cooked potatoes.
*Others - Rice, Salsa Criolla (onion) and one of my favorite beers, Cusquena Negra.
 
 

 
 

 

[The Hot Pepper]

You should see his New Mexcian food. I want to know what other cuisine he has mastered or practices.

 

[Thegreenchilemonster]

You should see his New Mexcian food. I want to know what other cuisine he has mastered or practices.

I cook some mean Brazilian, Argentine, Bolivian, Italian, Mexican, as well. I'm obviously not as good of an Argentine cook as CypressHill of course, so I don't even bother posting any of those recipes.

ABC=Always Be Cooking!

 

[The Hot Pepper]

Pastel de choclo?

 

[Thegreenchilemonster]

Pastel de choclo?

Oh yeah! Pastel de papas as well, or some salteñas with a papa rellena.

 

[The Hot Pepper]

Oh yeah! Pastel de papas as well, or some salteñas with a papa rellena.

 
Salteñas look like an empanada style I would really like. Baked with an egg wash?
I like how they stand up with flat bottoms.

 

[The Hot Pepper]

They they cut out the veins, then boil the rocoto with water, a little vinegar, a little sugar, and a little bit of milk. This process is done 3-5 times to take out the rocoto spice.

 
I Liked your post but... no thanks! lol
 
But does that really remove the heat?

 

[Thegreenchilemonster]

 I Liked your post but... no thanks! lol
 
But does that really remove the heat?

Yes, it removes most of the heat. I've done it that way a couple of times, but I prefer to leave the heat in, plus the rocoto get a little bit mushy after being boiled.

 

[Tardis]

You definitely should make them sometime! I also make a cheese/evaporated milk/egg only version as an appetizer that comes out really well. Her is a couple pics of one I made last year. Basic, but really tasty.

That look so amazing

 

[Thegreenchilemonster]

Seco de Cordero.

Blend up some garlic, 2 aji amarillo, 2 tablespoons of aji panca, a tablespoon of vinegar, and some olive oil. Coat your lamb with this mixture. Marinade the lamb in the fridge for at least a couple of hours.

Sear your marinated lamb on all sides for a couple minutes, then set it aside on a plate. In the same pan, add 3 blended up onions, some garlic, and a little olive oil. One cooked, re-add the lamb. Add 3 blended tomatoes as well. Once reduced, add some chicha de jora, or mead in this case. When your mead has reduced, add your blended culantro. When the lamb is tender, add some peas.

Serve with rice and salsa criolla.

 

[grantmichaels]

killin'it!

 

[The Hot Pepper]

Good gawd stop already

 

[Thegreenchilemonster]

Good gawd stop already

Hahahaha, never! The culantro takes most of the gaminess from the lamb. My wife doesn't like lamb, unless it's this dish, or my grilled rib chops. I love lamb, so it's nice to have a couple of dishes on deck that lamb haters can still enjoy.

 

[cypresshill1973]

You can't show those pictures at this hour of morning... I'm very hungry because i'm on a diet
 
 
I love it

 

[Tinnie]

Very nice Seco! I have not tried it with lamb, im sure that would work very well. Beautiful plating too... not in a million years could i make Seco look that good... my always looks ugly... very ugly lol...
 

Lol! I used to live in Argentina, and have travelled South America extensively. I'll probably be going to Lima this summer, if I can convince my wife that there is not a huge threat from the Zika virus. She's really paranoid about it right now.

 
Apart from posting up some very authentic food, i thought your avater resembled a chakana and the spiral design is popular symbol with significance to the original people of Peru. That is why i thought you may have been Peruvian.
 
I have seen quite a bit of Peru, yet also barely scratched the surface. I was there again at the end of last year, i want to go back but only time will tell if i get another opportunity. There were places i had planned to visit on the last trip, but never get the chance.
 
I hope you go on your trip, completely understand your partners worries but there should be no issue with mosquitos unless going to the jungle. 
 
My friend took me to this restaurant when i was there..... http://www.mibarrunto.com/?mod=index .... very popular with Allianza Lima fans .... i recommend the "Chop".... which is a leche de tigre that is served in a stein LOL

 

[Thegreenchilemonster]

Very nice Seco! I have not tried it with lamb, im sure that would work very well. Beautiful plating too... not in a million years could i make Seco look that good... my always looks ugly... very ugly lol...
 
 
Apart from posting up some very authentic food, i thought your avater resembled a chakana and the spiral design is popular symbol with significance to the original people of Peru. That is why i thought you may have been Peruvian.
 
I have seen quite a bit of Peru, yet also barely scratched the surface. I was there again at the end of last year, i want to go back but only time will tell if i get another opportunity. There were places i had planned to visit on the last trip, but never get the chance.
 
I hope you go on your trip, completely understand your partners worries but there should be no issue with mosquitos unless going to the jungle. 
 
My friend took me to this restaurant when i was there..... http://www.mibarrunto.com/?mod=index .... very popular with Allianza Lima fans .... i recommend the "Chop".... which is a leche de tigre that is served in a stein LOL

I keep telling her that there have been more cases of Zika in the U.S. than in Peru, but she doesn't want to risk Microcephaly for our future children.

My avatar is the Zia symbol. I'm from New Mexico originally, hence the Zia.

 

[Thegreenchilemonster]

Escabeche de Pescado.

Take your fish filets (catfish in this case), salt and pepper them on each side, then do a fine coating of flour all over. Cut your aji amarillo matchstick style, and your onions the same way. Blend up some garlic, aji panca, aji limo, and one aji amarillo. Fry your fish with some olive oil until golden brown, set aside, then fry your aji amarillo and onions in the same pan. Once cooked almost through, add the blended paste from the garlic/Aji Panca/aji Limo/aji amarillo. Sautee until fully cooked, then add a 1/4 cup of vinegar, and half a cup of chicken stock.

Serve the fish covered in the veggies and sauce, with rice, boiled eggs, choclo, and Peruvian olives.

 

[grantmichaels]

Your posts are making me really, really want fresh moderate pods ...
 
I'm really glad I live somewhere relatively winterless ... and that I already have a bail of Promix ...
 
I think I'm going to have an round of MC's and an aji-fest ...
 
:CHEERS:

 

[Thegreenchilemonster]

You should definitely grow out a bunch of aji amarillo. They can actually be pretty hot, if you don't take the veins out. If you take the veins out though, you can use them basically like vegetables, like in this dish. They have just the right amount of kick without the veins. I have 3 aji Pacay plants right now that I am excited to grow out this year. They are basically giant, like 10"+ long aji amarillo. I should be able to come up with some fun recipes with those, aside from the standard Peruvian fare.

I cloned my two best producing aji amarillo plants, and am planting more than double of the amount of rocoto plants that I usually do. I've cut down my superhots to only one plant per type. I don't have the need for 3 huge Carolina Reaper plants, lol! I still have bags full of those in my freezer from last season that I'm not eating.

 

[Thegreenchilemonster]

Papa Rellena.

Take 10+ potatoes, skin and boil them. Mash them very finely. Sautee up some ground beef with a puree of aji panca, aji amarillo, and garlic. Throw in some diced onions, diced olives, diced hard boiled eggs, crushed peanuts, and raisins.

Take your mashed potatoes, and begin to form circular cakes with them. If you have ever worked with dough, masa, empanadas, etc., you should feel right at home. Pile on a nice heap of your filling them wrap the mashed potatoes around it, encasing the filling. Toss the "potato", back and forth to reform it into a potato shape. Roll them in flour, then beaten eggs, then deep fry them.

Once golden, serve with a salsa criolla, and rice, or in this case, a rocoto relleno.

Serve with a spicy ají sauce. I made a crema de ají Limo for this meal. Sautee up one diced onion and some aji Limo. But this into a blender with a cap full of vinegar. Liquify this, and serve immediately.

 

[grantmichaels]

So many foods I'd eat ... really cool ... Peruvian food - who knew?