Fun with Food

While in Peru we enjoyed delicious meals prepared in restaurants and homes. Since our apartment only had a hotplate, we did not try out many recipes. Our plan was to try them out this summer. Not always sure how fresh the fish is here in Vermont, we will not try our favorite: Ceviche.

We brought home a cookbook with most of our favorites dishes described and illustrated, The Art of Peruvian Cuisine by Tony Custer. So far, the Causa a la Limena, Pisco Sours and a Quinoa Tabouleh have turned out well.

I used quinoa instead of bulgar for the taboule and lime juice instead of lemon juice. The other ingredients were the same: parsley, mint, olive oil, chopped green onion, chopped red pepper and feta cheese. We took a container of taboule with us for our picnic last night in Chester where we listened to blues singer Chris Kleeman.

Causa is a cold dish made with mashed potato flavored with lime juice, ground yellow ahi pepper, oil and seasonings. I had brought the ahi pepper paste with me, but you could blend up yellow pepper and some jalapeno to get the color and the heat. The potato is then layered with a choice of ingredients. I used tuna and mayonaise and egg salad mixed with some tomato and herbs. I recommend sliced avocado and chicken salad, too.
It is pressed into an oiled mold so that it can be turned out and sliced.

The Pisco Sours are made with a Peruvian brandy called Pisco. The fresh lime juice is important to the flavor, but the sugar syrup is a standard. We blended the mixture with ice cubes and an egg white until it was white and fluffy. We topped it off with a drop of Angostura Bitters and then gathered around with our son Joe and his girlfriend Virginia to toast the stormy evening outside our cozy house.