Low-Down
I don't want to make this post too lengthy, so I'm going to stick to foods that I had this week that are native or special to Peru. I have been able to try so many different things thanks to Carmela and her amazing cooking abilities. I have been trying to help cook when I can - constantly asking "¿Cuanto?" (how much) and she just sprinkles a little here and pinches a little there...all of course while giggling at me and my American preciseness!
This week I learned how to make Jugo de Coco (coconut juice), Aji de Gallina, Sopa de Semola, y Guacamole. I'd say that's a start...I'll come back to a few of these later on!
Ahora (Now), just sit back and relax...perhaps eat before reading this ;)
Ají de Gallina
This traditional Peruvian dish has been my pride and joy this week; it is usually only made for special occasions because of how labor-intensive the recipe is. Since I was meeting the entire host family, Carmela thought it would be a good time to get me in the kitchen to help cook this with her. We had an amazing morning (took us about 3.5 hours to prepare) and she told me all about her childhood and growing up in Cusco - I'll have to save that story for another post, but she is truly an outstanding woman. After 3.5 hours...we finally got to indulge in this amazing masterpiece.
The recipe starts off con agua que está hirviendo (water that is boiling) for the pollo (chicken) to go in. While the pollo is cooking, I started making the breadcrumbs - soup crackers mashed up with crema (cream) y agua. While I was prepping this, Carmela was cooking the pimientos rojos (red peppers), un poco de sopa de pollo (a little bit of chicken broth), y cebollo (onion). This gets a nice red color but eventually dulls out to a yellow color once the breadcrumbs have been added to it. Once the pollo is all cooked, it is added to the breadcrumb/pimiento mixture (this portion is finally done).
The water that the pollo was cooking in is used for the soup now - just add some sopa de pollo (chicken broth) and sémola (I haven't ever heard of this...but it's like a grain type thing?).
Toppings: one of the most important parts of this dish!!! Debajo (under) the pollo mixture a leaf of lechuga (lettuce) is added...Arriba (on top): dos "tunas" (aka kalamata olive? Weird, I know), dos papas (potato), y un huevo (egg).
So you can imagine that my first experience cooking all of this stuff was a bit eye-opening...so many different types of foods but oh my gosh. Carmela always looks at my star-struck face as if I've just tasted food for the first time after being stranded in the desert "¿Te gusta?" ... "MUCHO!" through a stuffed mouthful :D
Lenteja & Arroz
Prior to coming to Peru I had never tried lentils...but, wow! It looks a bit like throw up but I quickly got over that once I tasted it. I have no idea how Carmela made this, but many recipes I've been finding are very intricate...this was VERY plain and tasted so fantastic - you don't need all the extra goodies!
Causa
I'm calling this one ensalada de pollo y papa (chicken and potato salad)...sooooo good! If you enjoy both of these, try this awesome Peruvian dish with a little bit of a kick to it. Carmela used pollo (chicken), papas (potatoes), cebolla (onion), and of course orégano - if I haven't mentioned...oregano goes on EVERYTHING here.
Mazamorra Morada
AKA Purple Corn Pudding - AKA Peru's finest and most delicious/spectacular/one-of-a-kind dessert!!!
This pudding can be served either warm or cold - I tried both and I personally prefer the warm one. Basically any type of fruit you want can be added to it; once again though, purple corn is only found in Peru :( It has some amazing health benefits (check out my other food post for more info on purple corn).
Cañihua
Pronounced: Kah-Knee-Wah. Hopefully you're still with me, because this is about to get real good. For all of you in the health kick (quinoa, etc.) check this superfood out. It goes by a lot of different names (chenopodium pallidicaule, kaniwa, etc.) The only problem is...it is SUPER rare; it is grown in the high altitudes of the Andes where most food struggles to survive. In fact, it can only be found in Puno, Peru...luckily I am headed there in 2 weeks and ready to bring back a couple pounds worth of this crazy goodness!
This grain is very closely related to quinoa but has even more health benefits (think higher levels of protein, calcium, magnesium, AND iron). I had this served as a drink - water, milk, and cañihua, but it can be incorporated in with bread, fruit...basically anything you want to put it with. My host dad, Guillermo, said I would sleep like a baby thanks to this awesome grain - I'll let you know how that goes for me!
Good news for me, it costs 5 soles here for a large bag (aka less than 2 US Dollars).
Bad news for all of us in the states, it costs about $25 online, not counting the absurd shipping rate I was too fearful to check.
MORAL OF THE STORY, if you ever find yourself in Puno, Peru - leave some room for this in your luggage!
En el Futuro
HEADED TO MACHU PICCHU TOMORROW...(aka in 4 hours - we leave at 4am) Many panoramic and GoPro pictures to come :D
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