Pesque de Quinoa

Quinoa is a little known tan or red Incan grain that has recently experienced a surge of popularity after several hundred years of the human race ignoring it. With a wonderful flavor, an ideal protein profile, and all the advantages of cereal grains and non of the disadvantages, you may want to stop by your local health food/natural/yuppie grocery store to try some, in any variety of ways. Ironically, I had a hard time finding English-language Peruvian recipes for it, but I did manage to get this one translated via Google Translate.

Pesque de Quinoa

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup quinoa

2 cups milk

1 medium potato, cut into 1 inch cubes

1 medium onion, chopped

1 tbsp butter

1 tbsp goat cheese

Pepper and salt to taste

Prep:

In a strainer, wash the quinoa thoroughly

Cooking:

In a medium pot, sauté onion in butter until soft. Add the quinoa and milk, and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer, and add the potato. Simmer, covered, 30-35 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.

Remove from heat, and mix in goat cheese, salt, and pepper.

This dish is really easy and wonderful. I definitely recommend trying it.

Macchu Picchu

Mashed green plantains and fish? It sounds like an unlikely pairing, but happens to be delicious.

If you can't find aji amarillo, you can substitute jalapeno. The aji paste can be replaced with chilli paste.

I found this recipe on google, and used google translate to get something....somewhat comprehensible. However, it came out great! I baked tilapia, though I suspect the original recipe would have used blanched shellfish...

Either way, it's delicious!

Majarisco

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

2 lbs seafood

5 green plantains

1 onion, chopped

5 cloves garlic, minced

3 tbsp aji paste

2 diced aji amarillo

1 cup water

salt and pepper to taste

Cooking:

Blanch or grill seafood to soften for a few minutes, then remove from heat.

Slice up and fry the bananas in an oiled pan until soft, then remove from heat and mash.

In an oiled pan, fry the onion, garlic, aji paste, and aji amarillo until soft. Then add the seafood, crushed bananas, and water, and mix over low heat until warm.

Chapter 7 : Peru

Our arrival in Peru revealed a land unlike most of its predecessors. Once the home of the great Incan Empire, Peru remains a hotspot for biodiversity, with more breeds of edible foods indigenous than msot other countries. Peanuts, tomatoes, potatoes, tamarillo, quinoa, amaranth, aji peppers, and many varieties of corn are from this diverse country.

We set off quietly into the crowds, surrounded by unknown things; hot yellow peppers, goat meat, and green plantains.

Inca Kola was the most popular soda in Peru, a hazardously yellow carbonated beverage with a strong, bubble gum flavor.

A more pleasant local beverage was Purple Corn Drink, a sticky sweet concoction made from a dark variety of maize.

But the most important thing to watch out for, wary traveler, was aji amarillo, a long, yellow hot pepper. The paste and flesh of this capsicum variety is to be found everywhere in this mysterious country, and while jalapeno makes a reasonable substitute, the flavor of aji amarillo is by far the better of the two.

Next Time: Plantains and fish? Majarisco!

Recipes By Ingredient

Alligator

Alligator Gumbo

Almonds

Calcotada and Romesco Sauce

Meatballs in Almond Sauce

Andouille

Alligator Gumbo

Red Beans and Rice

Beef

Ants Climbing a Tree

Bok Choy

Stir Fry Bok Choy

Catfish

Catfish Courtbouillon

Celery

Alligator Gumbo

Catfish Courtbouillon

Chicken Creole

Crawfish Etouffee

Red Beans and Rice

Cellophane Noodles

Ants Climbing a Tree

Chicken

Chicken and Snow Fungus

Chicken Creole

Chilli Oil

Chicken and Snow Fungus

Chilli Pepper

Crawfish Etouffee

Crawfish

Crawfish Etouffee

Eggplant

Chinese Eggplant Stir Fry

Escalivada

File Seasoning

Alligator Gumbo

Ginger

Chinese Eggplant Stir Fry

Stir Fry Bok Choy

Green Bell Pepper

Alligator Gumbo

Catfish Courtbouillon

Chicken Creole

Red Beans and Rice

Okra

Alligator Gumbo

Parsley

Alligator Gumbo

Catfish Courtbouillon

Chicken Creole

Crawfish Etouffee

Meatballs in Almond Sauce

Pork

Meatballs in Almond Sauce

Red Beans

Red Beans and Rice

Red Bell Pepper

Calcotada and Romesco Sauce

Escalivada

Sake

Ants Climbing a Tree

Scallions

Alligator Gumbo

Ants Climbing a Tree

Catfish Courtbouillon

Calcotada and Romesco Sauce

Crawfish Etouffee

Stir Fry Bok Choy

Sesame Seeds

Chicken and Snow Fungus

Sesame Oil

Chicken and Snow Fungus

Snow Fungus

Chicken and Snow Fungus

Tomatoes

Chicken Creole

Escalivada

White Wine

Meatballs in Almond Sauce

Longans

Location: China

The longan is a relative of the somewhat better-known lychee. Lacking the lychee's small spikes, and smaller in size, longans have a smooth brown skin, that is easily peeled off, revealing a clear white fruit with a black pit, earning it the name "dragon's eye". The flesh is similarly jelly-like in texture.

The flavor of these was similar to lychee but stronger, reminiscent of vanilla. Katrina found them unpleasant and I found them less appetizing than lychee, though interesting.

Beef Rendang

Another one of Indonesia's more famous dishes is beef rendang, a spicy curry-like preparation of beef and coconut. Based on this recipe.

You may need to make some substitutions on this one- don't be afraid to. Tamarind pulp can be replaced by lemon juice mixed with brown sugar, kaffir lime leaves can be replaced with basil, and palm sugar can be replaced by white sugar, or preferably turbinado sugar. Galangal can be omitted if you can't find it. Toasted coconut can be made by dry roasting shredded coconut on a frying pan or wok.

Beef Rendang

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cooking Time: 2 hours

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients:

1 1/2 lb beef, cubed

5 tbsp cooking oil

1 cinnamon stick

3 whole cloves

3 star anise

3 cardamom pods

1 lemon grass, sliced and pounded

1 cup coconut milk

1 cup water

2 tbsp taramind pulp

6 kaffir lime leaves

6 tbsp toasted coconut

1 tbsp palm sugar

Spice Paste:

5 shallots

1 inch galangal
3 lemongrass (white part only)

5 cloves garlic

1 inch ginger

10-12 chilli peppers

Preparation:

Chop the spice paste ingredients and use a food processor to turn them into a paste.

Cooking:

In a medium pot, heat the oil and then add the spice paste, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, snd cardamom pods, and stir fry until aromatic. Add the beef and lemongrass, and cook for one minute.

Add the coconut milk, tamarind juice, and water, and simmer on medium heat until the meat is almost cooked. Then add the kaffir lime leaves, toasted coconut, and palm sugar.

Simmer on low heat 1 1/2 hours, or until the meat is tender and the liquid is mostly gone. Add salt to taste.

Chicken Satay

One of Indonesia's most prominent contributions to Southeastern cuisine is Satay, a spicy peanut marinade. It's simple and delicious:

Chicken Satay

Prep Time: 15 minutes & overnight marination

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup lime juice

1 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp curry powder

2 cloves of garlic, chopped

1tbsp hot pepper sauce

6 boneless chicken breasts, cubed

Preparation:

Combine creamy peanut butter, lime juice, brown sugar, curry powder, garlic, and hot pepper sauce in a bowl and marinate the cubed chicken breast overnight. Put chicken onto skewers, and cook for five minutes each side.

The result is wonderful and easy. You also might be able to find premixed satay sauce in your area, making it almost no work at all.