It is always a pleasure to visit Peru and experience the food from the highlands and the Andes and also the dishes from the lowlands and tropical coastal regions.
Many of the dishes the students tried are very unique to Peru, because they are prepared the exact way the Incas prepared them hundreds of years ago. It is difficult to believe this small country gave the world corn, potatoes, chilli peppers, and other vegetables and grains.
During their placement at the Marriott Hotel, the students discovered some very unusual root vegetables such as olluco, camote, zapallo and yuca, as the executive chef at the Marriott included many of these while preparing traditional dishes from the Andes.
Many of the dishes in Peru are picante (spicy), as they use a great variety of hot peppers. It is quite common to be served a salsa de aji (chilli salsa) as a condiment with a meal. The salsa basically consists of chopped chilli pepper, onion and a little salt.
The more adventurous students tried charqui, which is dried strips of llama meat, grilled guinea pig, the national dish of Peru and a dish called Anticuchos, chunks of beef heart marinated in a mixture of vinegar, chillies and cilantro and then skewered and grilled. Anticuchos is quite tender and delicious and you wouldn’t know you were eating beef heart unless someone told you.
But I think of all the dishes they tried, the seafood dishes were the students’ favourites because they were inexpensive and made with fresh seafood from Peru’s huge coastline.
The dish I have chosen this week is a modern Peruvian dish using quinoa and crayfish tails, which could easily be substituted with shrimps in a Thunder Bay kitchen.
The dish I have chosen this week is a modern Peruvian dish using quinoa and crayfish tails, which could easily be substituted with shrimps in a Thunder Bay kitchen.
Quinotto
Ingredients:
¾ lb quinoa
5 tbsp achiote oil (chilli oil)
1 lrg red onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ lb bacon
¾ cup white wine
½ cup fish stock
4 tbsp heavy cream
½ lb mushrooms, sliced paper thin
Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt
5 tbsp achiote oil (chilli oil)
1 lrg red onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
¼ lb bacon
¾ cup white wine
½ cup fish stock
4 tbsp heavy cream
½ lb mushrooms, sliced paper thin
Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt
For the sauce:
2 doz fresh crayfish or shrimp tails
1 ½ cup heavy cream
Butter
Salt
1 ½ cup heavy cream
Butter
Salt
Method:
Wash the quinoa in several changes of running water until the water runs clear. Boil for seven to 10 minutes. Be careful not to overcook, the grains should be al dente.
Drain the quinoa well. Spread out on a baking sheet and leave to dry.
In a large skillet, heat the achiote oil and sauté onion, garlic and mushrooms over medium heat until soft, about three minutes.
Add cooked quinoa grains to the skillet with wine, stock and cream. Stir and cook for five more minutes.
Just before serving, stir in parmesan cheese and season with salt.
In a separate skillet, sauté shrimp or crayfish tails in a little butter and then add to the sauce.
Season and spoon over quinotto.
