Escabeche de Pollo, Peruvian Pickled Chicken
Todo es escabechable
Everything can be made into escabeche. Fish? Escabechable. Chicken? Escabechable. Meat? Escabechable. You are vegetarian? No problem, your favorite vegetables are all escabechable. Todo es escabechable — everything can be made into escabeche, and here’s what you need to get your escabeche on.
Read more →
Arroz con Mariscos, Peruvian Paella
The Spanish Paella is popular all over the Americas and the Caribbean where each culture has made it their own — in Louisiana the Creole and Cajun cooks transformed the Paella into the Jambalaya, and in Peru we added a spicy aji amarillo onion sofrito to give birth to the Arroz con Mariscos, or Peruvian Paella. Start by cooking steamed rice with a saffron to honor the roots of this dish. Prepare the seafood, sauté the sofrito, and then combine all the ingredients in a paella pan. Garnish with cilantro and parsley and top with freshly squeezed lime juice and shredded parmesan cheese for a touch of umami.
Read more →
Suspiro Limeño
The Suspiro Limeño is a creamy custard topped with a meringue cloud, that according to a Peruvian poet is as sweet and light as a woman’s sigh. It originated in Lima, the City of Kings, and was first known as the “Royal Delight of Peru.” The traditional recipe calls for slow cooking milk with spices, but this modern version uses a popular technique that results in a creamy and sweet manjar blanco custard. In this recipe, the meringue is scooped to create a layered dessert, but it can also be piped for a fancier presentation.
Read more →
Sudado de Pescado Criollo
Last Sunday, I cooked lunch with my Mom, and our goal was to practice a recipe that I would prepare for our upcoming Peruvian Dinner & Stories at 18 Reasons — Sudado de Pescado, a Peruvian Steamed Fish. She told me that she liked this dish for many reasons, it reminded her of home, the aroma of the spices in her Mom’s kitchen, and the smell of the ocean in Lima, all of which inspired our cooking. As part of our tradition, we put on some Latin music while we cooked, and when the fish was simmering in the pan, I could see all the spices dissolving into the broth, creating a perfect vehicle for the slow burning aji amarillo hot pepper. When we sat down to eat, our conversation naturally turned to food, and memories of Lima. And when I asked her how the meal turned out, she kissed the tips of her fingers, smacked her lips and smiled, which in Peru is the highest compliment a teacher can give her student. Presenting, Sudado de Pescado, a family-style dish that is a wonderful example of “criollo” cuisine and the beautiful marriage of ingredients from the ocean and from the land.
Read more →
Sopa Wantan Chifa (Wonton Soup)
When my Abuelito walked his nighttime policeman’s beat through Lima’s Chinatown in the 1940’s and 50’s he was instructed to ignore the Opium dens on the alleys off Calle Capon, but he always stopped by one of his favorite Chifas, the San Joy Lao, for a bowl of Sopa Wantan. As soon as he walked in, the Chinese owners would smile at him and shout out his order to the kitchen in the back— ¡Sopa Wantan pa la gualdia! A lifetime later, when my grandfather was a few years shy of turning 100 years old, he would still request Wonton Soup to start our family-style meal at a Chinese restaurant, and with a big wrinkled grin he would lower his face to the bowl of soup in front of him and begin to slurp it loudly. I don’t think there is anyone that enjoyed Sopa Wantan as much as my Abuelito, it was so precious to witness, and maybe that’s why it’s so special to me, because it reminds me of all the family meals we shared.
Read more →