Travel by stomach - Peru

Peru was fun - cooking Peruvian food, that is. There were two ingredients that came up again and again in the recipes I looked at - aji amarillo and huacatay (black mint). They are available online but I did not have the time (or the patience) to wait for it. I checked a couple of international markets, Whole Foods and a bodega, with no luck. So, I used jarred hot, yellow chillies and jalapenos for the former and a mixture of fresh mint, cilantro and dried basil instead of the huacatay. 

Peruvian rice

This is a very easy recipe that results in  fragrant and flavorful rice, versatile enough to be used as a side dish or even as the star of the meal.

• 1 garlic clove , mashed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 cups water
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 2 cups long-grain white rice (eg. Basmati)

Wash and drain rice.

Saute garlic in oil for a minute or two.

Add water, lemon juice and salt.

Bring to a boil.

Gradually add rice.

Cover and simmer 20 minutes.

Yuquitas Rellenas - Stuffed Yuca Balls 

If you forget for a while that you are eating deep fried starch, wrapped around a piece of cheese, you will realize these balls are heavenly. Crunchy on the outside, starchy and smooth on the inside. And then, you bite into the salty creamy piece of cheese.This recipe is worth the effort.

Yuca is a root vegetable, also known as cassava and manioc root. It can be peeled and boiled just like potatoes. It is readily available in most major grocery stores. These crispy little balls are made by shaping the mashed yuca around a piece of queso fresco, then rolling them in bread crumbs and frying them until golden brown. The result is a crispy shell around a soft starchy filling, with melted cheese in the very middle.

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pounds of yuca root

4 ounces queso fresco, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

1 egg

2 slices of bread

10 saltine crackers

Vegetable oil for frying

Salt and pepper to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Peel the yuca root and cut it into 3 inch long pieces. 

Add the yuca to the boiling water and cook for about 20-30 minutes, until the yuca is very tender and can be easily pierced with a fork. It should be fall apart when poked with the fork. 

Drain the yuca and  remove as many of the woody stems from the center of the root as possible. Pass the yuca through a potato ricer or grate with a box grater to remove any remaining fibrous strings. 

Season the mashed yuca with salt and pepper to taste. Let cool for 10 to 15 minutes. 

Place 2 tablespoons of mashed yuca in the palm of one hand. Make a small well in the middle, and place a piece of cheese in the well. Wrap the mashed yuca around the cheese, and roll between your hands to make a round ball. Repeat with the remaining mashed yuca. 

In a deep skillet or wok, heat 2 inches of vegetable oil. Fry the yuca balls in batches until lightly golden. Drain on paper towels. 

Crack 1 egg into a bowl and whisk lightly with a fork. Process the bread with the crackers. 

Roll each ball in the egg and then in the bread/cracker crumbs, until well coated with crumbs. 

Fry the yuca balls a second time, just until they are golden brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels and serve warm with aji de huacatay.

Aji de huacatay- modified.

Ingredients:

2 hot yellow chile peppers

2 jalapeno peppers

1/4 cup plain peanuts

1 cup of Huacatay  substitute (equal parts mint and cilantro and half  measure dried basil)

Canola oil  

1/2 cup evaporated milk

1/2 cup queso fresco

2 or 3 crackers (saltines or oyster crackers)

splash vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

  Remove seeds and veins from the peppers.

Heat the skillet on medium high heat. Add the peppers, peanuts, and herbs to the skillet . Toast these ingredients slightly without adding any oil. Add the contents of the skillet to the blender and add evaporated milk, salt, pepper, and cheese.Blend the mixture. The mix will be thin. Add the crackers until you have achieved the desired consistency. Add splash of vinegar and salt according to your taste.

Chupe de camarones

This hearty chowder is flavored with aji amarillo peppers. I used a mixture of jarred yellow peppers and jalapenos

Cook time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 pound raw shrimp (unpeeled)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

Juice of 1 lime

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 tablespoons minced jarred yellow peppers

1 tablespoon minced jalapeno pepper

2 tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 packet of Goya seasoning

3 cups seafood or chicken stock

3  medium yellow potatoes

1 cups frozen peas

1 cups frozen corn kernels

 6 oz. evaporated milk

1 cup crumbled queso fresco cheese

Salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

Heat the olive oil and butter in a heavy soup pot over medium high heat. Add the shrimp and sauté until pink, about 3-4 minutes. Remove shrimp to a bowl and let cool. 

Add chopped onion, garlic, and chile pepper pastes to the soup pot. Sauté over medium heat until onion is translucent and fragrant. Add tomatoes, cumin, Goya seasoning, and oregano and cook until tomatoes are soft. 

Peel the potatoes and cut into 1 inch cubes. Add potatoes to pot with the seafood broth, and simmer until potatoes are very tender, about 15-20 minutes. 

While potatoes are cooking, peel shrimp (reserving several shrimp unpeeled for garnish, if desired). Season shrimp with salt and pepper and toss with the lime juice. Set aside. 

Slice one ear of corn crosswise into 2 inch pieces, and remove kernels from remaining 2 ears. Add corn pieces and corn kernels to pot along with the peas. Simmer for 2-3 minutes more. 

Remove chowder from heat, and stir in evaporated milk and queso fresco cheese. Stir in shrimp with the lime juice and season chowder with salt and pepper to taste. 

Serve chupe in bowls, garnished with shrimp, crumbled queso fresco cheese, and chopped fresh oregano or cilantro.

Aji de gallina

is a delicious Peruvian classic - slightly spicy  and rich from the unusual cream sauce made with ground walnuts. This dish is traditionally served over rice, with boiled yellow potatoes and black olives. This dish uses the aji peppers for the color and slight heat and I wish I had the real peppers. but the combination of hot yellow peppers and jalapenos worked really well.

Cook time: 1 hour

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds chicken breast

4 cups chicken stock

1/2 cup vegetable oil

3-4 yellow peppers

2 jalapenos

2 gloves garlic, minced

1 large onion, finely chopped

3 tablespoons chopped walnuts

3 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

4 slices white bread

3/4 cup evaporated milk

Preparation:

Cook the yellow potatoes in salted water until tender when pierced with a fork. Let cool, peel, cut into quarters, and set aside. 

Place the bread in a small bowl and pour the evaporated milk over it to soak. Set aside. 

Place the chicken breasts in a pot with the chicken stock, and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10-15 minutes, until chicken is just barely cooked through. 

Set chicken aside to cool. Strain broth and reserve 2 cups. 

Remove stems and seeds from the peppers. In a blender, process peppers with the vegetable oil until smooth. 

Sauté the garlic and onions with the puréed peppers and oil, until the onions are soft and golden. Remove from heat and let cool.

Shred the cooled chicken into bite-size pieces.

In a blender or food processor, process the evaporated milk and bread mixture with the nuts and parmesean cheese until smooth. Add the cooked onion mixture and process briefly. 

Return onion mixture to pan, and add 1 1/2 cups of the reserved chicken stock. Bring to a low simmer, and stir in the chicken. Heat until warmed through, adding more chicken stock if sauce is too thick. 

Serve warm over rice.