Carapulca

Carapulca has to be the most interesting dish I have had so far from the Peruvian Cuisine. The ingredients in this dish are unique and the flavour combinations are inspired by Africa. What makes Carapulca unique is the use of papa seca (dehydrated potatoes), peanuts and chocolate. The chocolate is reminiscent of ancient Inca cooking. Like most dishes that have a heavy sauce base, Carapulca was much more flavourful when we heated it up the next day. If you want something very different for dinner tonight, give Carapulca a try. I guarantee you will be transported to another place far in the Andes.


CARAPULCA

2 pieces of pork tenderloin, cubed
2 cups of dehydrated potato (papa seca)
2 large red onions, diced
3  to 4 garlic cloves, diced
1 tbsp aji amarillo (spicy yellow pepper paste)
1 tbsp aji colorado (spicy red pepper paste)
2 to 3 bay leaves
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
salt
pepper
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup of chopped peanuts
1/4 cup grated, bitter chocolate
1/2 cup port wine

1. Marinade the pork pieces in the port wine for an hour.

2. In a non-stick pan toast the papa seca for a few minutes. Drain into a colander and place in a warm water for an hour.

3. After the hour is up, you can begin the cooking process.

4. In a deep pan or dutch oven, brown the pork for 15 minutes on medium-high heat. Remove and set aside.

5. In the same pan or pot, saute the onions, garlic, aji amarillo, aji colorado, cumin, cinnamon and bay leaves.

6. Add the papa seca when the onions are softened. Stir and pour in the chicken broth. Let it simmer for 5 minutes.

7. Add the pork pieces back into the pot and stir. Simmer for 15 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

8. Last stir in the peanuts and chocolate. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes.

9. Serve with fried yucca or rice.

Omelet Variations

Good Morning! Since this is an important weekend with people getting together and eating due to the "Big Game" I thought I would share all of my Omelet Variations. Omelets are so versatile and hardy. They are the perfect brunch option on any weekend. My basic omelet recipe consists of 6 eggs, 1 cup of milk, juice of 1/2 a lemon, salt, pepper and oregano. After that anything goes. You want to make it strictly vegetarian. Go right ahead! You want to mix it up? Even better! Here are some suggestions to make the Grey Cup brunch a big hit.

Classic Ham & Cheese Omelet 

Spinach & Feta Omelet

Turkey & Potato Omelet

How ever you decide to build your weekend omelet it will sure be a hit with all. Enjoy!

Classic Ham & Cheese Omelette

Good Morning! I hope this next recipe solves your breakfast or brunch dilemmas as the weekend approaches. My recipe for the Classic Ham & Cheese Omelet is simple and very satisfying. The technique I use to finish off the omelet is something I learnt while watching the Food Network - Drive-ins, Diners and Dives. Once you have the basic omelet ingredients you can add anything else to it to make it your signature breakfast classic.






CLASSIC HAM & CHEESE OMELET

6 eggs
1 cup of milk
100 g of ham, cubed or sliced
100 g of marble cheddar cheese, cubed
juice of 1/2 a lemon
salt
pepper
1/2 tbsp oregano
canola oil

1. In a large bowl beat the eggs, milk, lemon juice, salt, pepper and oregano together.

2. Meanwhile, add ham to preheated oven-proof frying pan. Brown for 3 to 4 minutes.

3. Pour the egg mixture into the pan. Top with the cheese. Allow the egg to settle at the bottom on medium-high heat. Gather the edges of the egg slightly to the centre to create a mote-like edging. This allows the egg mixture from the top to seep onto the bottom without damaging the omelet.

4. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 350F. If you have a convection oven chose that setting. The convection oven makes the omelet fluffy. Place the pan in the oven as it if preheating.

5. Once the oven has reached the desired temperature continue baking for 15 to 20 minutes.

As I mentioned above, you can substitute the ham and cheese for other ingredients. If you want to cut back on your whole egg intake use 4 eggs and 2 cups of egg whites instead.

Arroz con Leche

And last but on least the dessert. As some of you may already know I am not much of a baker. The baker in the family is my sister, Efi. She is a genius when it comes to everything dessert. I have been successful on occasion with desserts but I have to really work at getting perfect product. This weekend, I am hosting our Book Club's meeting. We are going to enjoy a Peruvian lunch of Aji De Gallina Empanadas, Causa, Lomos Saltado and to finish off the meal a comforting Arroz con Leche. It's been a long while since I made this simple dessert and I am pleased to report that I have made a successful rice pudding.



ARROZ CON LECHE

6 cups of water
2 cups of arborio rice
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 cup of maple syrup
4 cups of milk
1 cup of raisins

1. Bring water to a boil and add rice. Stir often and boil for 15 minutes. This is a good time to add the cinnamon stick. Make sure to lower the heat so the rice doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.

2. Add the milk and maple syrup. Lower heat again and stir often until thick; about 12 minutes.

3. Add the raisins and stir. Set aside.

Causa

I remember eating this dish for the first time at the Plaitis/Berru Christmas Eve Dinner the first year Rafael and I were together. Since then it has become one of my favourite Peruvian dishes. The way I like to describe Causa to my non-Peruvian friends is that it is a potato and tuna trifle. Traditionally Causa is made in a rectangular Pyrex and it is layered. To serve, you have to use a spatula and it can get messy. In the end, although you have a delicious dish the presentation gets lost in the serving. Seeing how I'm serving Causa as one of the appetisers for tomorrow's Book Club meeting I had to think of a creative way to present and serve this dish. In the cookbook my Father-in-Law sent for me it suggests to roll the Causa. I wasn't too confident that I would be able to reproduce what is in the cookbook, so I took the basic elements and layered them in a muffin pan. To my delight not only did my Causa turn out to be delicious but also presentable.

CAUSA

8 yellow potatoes
3 cans of solid white tuna, strained
1/2 lemon
1/2 lime
1 cup milk
1 tbsp canola oil
1 tbsp cilantro paste
salt
pepper
2 ripe avocados
1/2 lime
2 tbsp mayonnaise
4 eggs, hard boiled
2 muffin pans
24 muffin cups
24 pimento olives

1. In a large stock pot boil the potatoes for 30 minutes. Set aside and cool.

2. In a small mixing bowl combine the tuna, lemon and lime juice and cilantro. Mix well.

3. In a food processor combine the avocado, mayonnaise, lime juice, salt and pepper until smooth.

4. Boil the eggs for 8 to 10 minutes. Set aside and cool.

5. Peel the boiled potatoes and mash. Add the milk and canola oil to get a smooth consistency.

6. Line the muffin pan with the cups. Add 1/2 tbsp of the mash potato at the bottom and pat it down.

7.Then add 1 tsp of the avocado mayo on each and spread over the mash.

8. Then add 1 tsp of the tuna mixture to the avocado mayo and pat down.

9. Add a slice of hard boiled egg.

10. Last add another 1/2 tbsp of mash and pat it down well to close up the layers.

11. Place in the fridge until ready to serve. Put a pimento olive onto of each piece.

Lomos Saltado

I was introduced to the dish when Rafael took me to El Plebeyo on Bathurst and St.Clair. It was the first time I had eaten at a Peruvian Restaurant and I will never forget the flavourful meal. Since then I have made Lomos Saltado once before and my Mother-in-Law made it too when she was visiting us in the summer. Tomorrow, I am hosting the next "The Swap" Book Club meeting at the condo. I have rented the Lounge Room and I am providing lunch for all our book club members - A la Peruana. Lomos Saltado is going to be our main dish.




LOMOS SALTADO

2 flank steaks, cut into thin strips
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp garlic powder
1/2 tbsp cumin
1 yellow, orange and red pepper, thinly sliced
1 red onion, thinly sliced
3 to 4 garlic cloves, thinly chopped
3 to 4 field tomato, quartered
1/2 cup red vinegar
1/2 cup soya sauce
cilantro paste or fresh cilantro
salt
pepper
6 yellow potatoes, cut into strips
1 cup basalt rice
2 cups water

1. Marinade the steak strips in the soy sauce, garlic powder and cumin for a day. This is to tenderise the meat naturally.

2. Marinade the peppers, onions and tomatoes in the vinegar, soy sauce and cilantro while you are stir frying the steak.

2. In a large wok, stir fry the steak strips. Once they are cooked through remove and set aside in a bowl.

3. Stir fry the veggies until nearly softened. Add the steak back into the wok covering the veggies.

4. Meanwhile put the basmati rice in a rice cooker and fry the potatoes.

5. Once the liquid from the saltado has almost evaporated add the fried potatoes and mix gently. Make sure not to break the potatoes. There should be some sauce at the bottom of the wok.

6. Serve on a bed of basmati rice.

Aji De Gallina Empanadas

 As you all may already know, I am in love with everything empanada. Since meeting Rafael and being introduced to the many delicioso dishes of Peru and Latin America, I have discovered "The Empanada!" Empanadas are so scrumptious and very versatile. You can put anything into empanada shells. You can have savoury empanadas or sweet empanadas. You can have them for breakfast, lunch or dinner. The first time I ate an empanada was in Kensington Market in Downtown Toronto at the Jumbo Empanada. Of all the places I have eaten empanadas since, they truly make the best empanada. They have two kinds of empanada; the classic with beef and more popular chicken empanada. In the past three years I have experimented with my own concoctions of "The Empanada" and although I am of Greek descent I have been given complements from my Prima Gilda who is Rafael cousin. I have once been told that the secret to the perfect empanada is the dough. Perhaps this person was right. I have tried many brands of empanada shells and I have even tried to make my own dough but I will have to argue with my Primo Rodrigo. I say that it's all in the filling. You can have the most delicate, buttery tasting dough but if what is inside that dough is bland, forget about it. You might as well fold up the shell, oil it well and bake them like that. To this date I have made empanadas six different ways: Classic, Chicken, Shrimp, Sausage & Egg, Canadiana (turkey) and Nutella. Today I am adding one more to my repertoire Aji De Gallina Empanada.

AJI DE GALLINA EMPANADA

6 six breasts; skin and bone on
2 large onion
5 to 8 garlic cloves
salt
pepper
canola oil
2 tbsp turmeric
1 tbsp cumin
1 tsbp aji paste
2 cups of milk
1 cup bread crumbs
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 package of small empanada shells (10 to 12 in a pack)
1/2 cup olive oil

1. Boil chicken breasts in water adding 1 onion, 3 garlic cloves, salt and pepper to create the broth. Boil for 30 to 40 minutes. Once the chicken is boiled remove chicken from the pot and reserve broth.

2. When the chicken has cooled down shred well and place in bowl.

3. In a dutch oven brown the diced onions and garlic in canola oil. Saute until onions are soft.

4. Add the tumeric, cumin, aji paste and bread crumbs to create a rue.

5. Slowly add the milk and broth. Stir until combined.

6. Add the shredded chicken and stir well. Simmer for 10 minutes on low heat.

7. Lastly add the pecan and Parmesan cheese.

If you don't want to make the Aji de Gallina into empanadas you may want to add more milk or broth to make it creamier. However, if you are going to be using the Aji de Gallina as a stuffing for your empanadas the ingredients listed above are just enough for the right consistency of liquid to chicken.

8. Preheat oven to 400F. If you have a convection oven even better. They puff up nicely.

9. In the centre of each empanada shell place 1 tbsp of Aji De Gallina. Be carefully not to over stuff the shells otherwise you will get leakage and possibly explosions.

10. Fold over into a half moon. Crimp and pinch dough around the edges to seal the shells.

11. Poke small holes on the top of each empanada to create a vent for the steam and brush with olive oil.

12. Bake for 20 minutes or until golden brown.

Every few months "The Swap" Book Club gets together to swap books, catch up and eat. This time I am hosting and since I've been going on about how yummy Peruvian food is to my friends, I decided to treat them to lunch - A la Peruana. These rico Aji De Gallina Empanadas are on the menu.