Cooking the World From A to Z - Peru

This one wasn’t really planned as part of the series, but since I am so far behind, I’m going to go for it!

I have missed Oman – but will get to it, eventually. I’m getting scattered in my dotage, so I need to make exceptions, now and again.

I have not had a lot of experience with Peruvian foods over the years. I’ve never been a huge fan of quinoa – I believe it was first cultivated in the Peruvian Andes – but I did use a lot of Aji Amarillo when I found the brand “Phoebe” – my sister’s name. I sent her a few jars and we both bought it regularly until one day it simply disappeared. Online searches show a single page of an “Influencer” site – but there is no reference anywhere else, no other links. Even a search by ChatGPT can’t locate it. A fading memory…

But I digress…

I saw a recipe for Anticuchos De Pollo – Peruvian Chicken Skewers – in a Food & Wine email that sounded promising, and bought Aji Panka Paste, Huacatay Paste, and, for good measure, Aji Amarillo Paste, as well. It’s not Phoebe, but… what the hell. It’s not like I was using it as a traditional ingredient in traditional dishes…

I cut the recipe for the two of us.

Anticuchos De Pollo

from Food & Wine Magazine

• 1/2 cup ají panca paste (about 4 ounce)
• 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons gochujang
• 1 tablespoon tamari or soy sauce
• 1 1/2 teaspoons toasted cumin seeds
• 1/4 teaspoon dried Mexican oregano
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 large garlic clove
• 1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken thighs, cut into 1-inch cubes

Huacatay Dipping Sauce

• 1/4 cup neutral oil (such as grapeseed)
• 1/4 cup red onion, roughly chopped1 jalapeno, seeded and sliced
• 4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 3/4 cup huacatay paste
• 4 ounces cream cheese (about 1/2 cup), at room temperature
• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice (from 2 limes)
• 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves, chopped

Soak 8 (12-inch) wooden skewers in water 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, preheat grill to very high (500°F to 550°F). Place ají panca paste, olive oil, vinegar, gochujang, tamari, cumin, oregano, pepper, and garlic in a blender; process until smooth, about 1 minute. Transfer mixture to a medium bowl; add chicken, and stir to coat. Let stand 5 minutes at room temperature.

Remove skewers from water. Thread 4 to 5 chicken pieces onto each skewer, leaving a 1/2-inch space between pieces. Place kebabs on oiled grates; grill, covered, until charred and cooked through, about 4 minutes per side. Serve with huacatay dipping sauce.

Meanwhile, make the dipping sauce

Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium. Add onion, jalapeño, and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 4 minutes. Stir in huacatay paste. Remove from heat, and let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

Transfer huacatay mixture to a blender; process until smooth, about 30 seconds. Add cream cheese, lime juice, and mint; process until fully incorporated, about 30 seconds.

And… since man does not live by chicken skewers alone – I made some beans.

Peruvian Canary Beans

adapted from Kosher Cowboy

• 2 pounds Peruvian canary beans (dried)
• 1/2 onion (finely minced)
• 3/4 cup canola oil
• 3-4 cloves garlic, minced or pureed
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup aji panka paste

In a large pot, boil the beans in 1 gallon of water until soft, about 1 hour over medium heat or 1 hour 45 minutes over low heat.

In a separate pan, caramelize the onions in the oil. Add the garlic puree, salt, cumin, black pepper and the aji panca paste. Then add 1/2 cup water and bring to a simmer. Pour off some of the water from the fully cooked beans. Add the onion mixture to the beans and cook, covered, over low heat for 15 minutes.

Again, since this didn’t start out as an A-Z meal, I did not soak my Canary beans. In fact, I didn’t use them – I used canned black beans because that’s what I had in the cupboard. But, traditional or not, the beans rocked! So did the chicken, for that matter.

The flavors were great. Both were spicy without being unduly hot. There was tons of flavor and every bite wanted another to follow. Even though I cut the recipe, we had leftovers, and they made fantastic burritos the following day for lunch – just the chicken and the beans in flour tortillas. Nothing else was added or needed.

This may have been the jumpstart I needed to get A to Z back on track…