Coming back from holidays and for a new year, I don’t think its possible to start with anything else rather that what did I ate during holidays… 🙂
Well, it wasn’t Greek and you to excuse me for that… I am planning to visit my country again this year during Easter to taste roasted lamb and magiritsa from the hands of the one that is approving every recipe that is on this blog….my mother.
This year I spent my Christmas holidays travelling in Peru and tasting the local delicacies around Machu Pichu, just to have an idea of what the Inca’s were eating at their time. Together with my friend after doing extensive research in all the local restaurants, trying the best and the worst plates we came to the following result. Ceviche and the chupe de camarones are the best dishes you can have.
Well, Lomo saltado was pretty cool also buuuuuuuuuuuut anyway….i promised to write only for two..
Ceviche is being offered almost in all the restaurants of Peru and its fair to say that with the addition of roasted guinea pig, it’s the national food of Peru. From the little I managed to learn with my… non existent Spanish… Ceviche is closely related with Japanese cuisine but also due to the fact that peru… well, its full of the pacific ocean.
Ok, but what does it contain?
Ceviche
- 1 pound raw shrimp (unpeeled)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons butter
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons jarred aji amarillo paste (or 1 aji amarillo pepper, seeded and minced)
- 1 tablespoon aji panca paste
- 2 tomatoes, seeded and diced
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano, or 1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano
- 1 packet of Goya seasoning with achiote
- 3 cups seafood or chicken stock
- 1 1/2 pounds medium yellow potatoes
- 1 1/2 cups frozen peas
- 3 ears of fresh corn, or 2 cups frozen corn kernels
- 1 12-ounce can of evaporated milk
- 1 cup crumbled queso fresco cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
You know its like eating sushi… but really spiced up! The sauce from the lemon and lime, I have to admit was magnificent. I don’t think I will be able to ever make it here in London but I think I’ll try at some point. However, I have already promised myself that I will cook at some point the next dish. It was one of the traditional dishes in the city of Arequipa that you must try. I was foolish enough to think it was just a starter that I order another one… but I ate both of them nonetheless.
Chupa de Camarones is a soup that is originally made with crayfish although you can see it also with shrimps. As you can see in the picture with crayfish, it’s enormous and together with all the other ingredients it becomes a mouth-watering dish. As far as I saw you need to have the following ingredients.
Chupa de Camarones
- 1 lbs crayfish (or shrimps)
- 3 eggs, cracked and beaten in a bowl
- 1 lb potato, peeled and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
- 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup long-grain white rice
- 2 ears of corn, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 4 cups water
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 1 garlic clove, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon oregano
- 1 teaspoon salt
- few drops of hot sauce
Well…. Don’t know if the ingredients are correct but will test them at some point. Peru was a fantastic place to visit and strongly recommended for holidays. Greek Food is really good, but its always good to have an open mind (and stomach) for anything else 🙂
