Recipe: Rocoto relleno (Stuffed hot peppers)

Hot, delicious and very unique. One of the most well known rocoto dishes in Peru is the rocoto relleno. This is a traditional entree from the Andean city of Arequipa, made with rocoto (chili pepper). Besides the meat, it can be stuffed with many another ingredients. As for the ideal stuffing, this beef mix contains beef, pork, onion, garlics, margarine (or butter), cream, peacans and it will be a heaven meal.

Ingredients:


• 7 rocotos with a wide base
• 3/4 cup of red vinegar
• 200 g (1/2 lb) of ground beef
• 100 g (1/4 lb) of ground pork
• 3 tablespoons of olive oil
• 3 tablespoons of tomato sauce
• 1/2 glass of dry white wine
• 2 tablespoons of cream
• 1/4 cup of ground peacans
• 1/2 cup of beef stock
• 1 tablespoon of aji panca paste
• 6 small potatoes, cooked and peeled
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, ground
• 1/4 cup or margarine or butter
• 1/2 tablespoon of flour
• 3/4 cup of mozzarella cheese
• 1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons of chopped garlic


Preparation:

The Rocotos (Chili Pepper): In the first place, cut the upper part of 7 rocotos as a lid. It's extremely important to take out all the seeds and to clean it. Cook in water with salt and vinegar. Repeat this process four times.

Prepare the stuffing: Make a seasoning in a frying pan with the margarine, the ground garlics and onion. Once you do this, add the aji panca paste.

Then, you must season the meats with salt and pepper and add them to the seasoning. Mix good. Chop the remaining rocoto (in very small pieces) and add it with the peacans and the flour. Mix again. Wait some moments and add the stock and cream. Mix and take out from the flame. Using hot oil, fry the chopped garlic in olive oil, add the tomato sauce and the wine. Let it cook for 5 minutes.

Now, stuff the rocotos with the meat mix. It's mandatory to be gentle in order to keep the rocotos intact.

Spread tomato sauce on a tray and place the stuffed rocotos and the potatoes. Cover them with parmesan and mozzarella cheese.

You are almost done! Bake to 350º F (150º C) until the cheeses get melt. Serve immediately with white baked potatos and salad if you feel like.

Recipe: Pisco Sour

The famous Pisco sour, invented in Peru around 1900, is made with Pisco (a very classy grape brandy from the Andean country) and has a bit of bite of secret ingredients to create the balance in this creamy, frothy, limey drink.

Ingredients:

• 3 cups of pisco
• 1 ½ cup of sugar
• 2 cups of lemon juice
• 1 egg's white
• Ice flakes
• Add drops of Amargo Angostura

Preparation:
First, prepare the PISCO SOUR only in a blender. Place the egg white and blend for a few seconds. Add the ice only until it reaches the middle of glass (this is the secret to get that the drink has a very heavy texture) move it and add all the ingredients but the Angostura. Mix it all.

It might be necessary to add some ice water and rectify the quality of a great PISCO SOUR. Enjoy.

Thai Winter Rolls

Thai Spring Rolls are refreshing bundles of vegetables. As the name suggests I feel these are best enjoyed in the Spring, when we can relish in the glorious new veggies nature has in store for us. But, what shall we do when there is snow on the ground and Spring seems months away... Thai Winter Rolls.

The innards of the Thai Winter Roll is a simple salad that I created years ago as a lil' node to the Raw Food Movement, Winter veggies and one of my favorite vegetable juice combinations: Beets, Ginger, Garlic, Orange, and sometimes carrots. I am also a huge fan of raw Sweet Potatoes-- often prefer them over carrot sticks.

To shred up my Raw Beets and Sweet Potatoes I use a food processor, but I have also used a simple handheld or box grater when making small batches. Feel free to make the Beet & Sweet Potato Slaw without the Rice Papers, as it is one of my favorite side dishes. I only decided to bundle up this slaw when I was asked to cater an event at Golden's Urban Escape Day Spa in January. These little guys were a smash hit!

Please let me know your experience with making these rolls.... and if you come up with any other creative ways to pack up a Thai Roll, please let me know too!

Sweet Potato & Beet Slaw

(aka... the "salad filling")

Serves 4-6

1 sweet potato, peeled

1 beet, peeled

1 orange, zest and juice

1 clove garlic, minced

1 inch ginger, grated/minced

3 tbls olive oil

1 tsp cumin

1 tsp coriander

1 tsp salt and pepper

½ cup cilantro, leaves picked from the stems & left whole

Shred the sweet potatoes and beets with a box grater or cut them into large chunks and grate in a food processor (quick & easy!). Make a dressing with the orange juice and zest, garlic, ginger, and whisk in the olive oil. Add the cumin, coriander, salt and pepper to your desired taste. Set aside to allow the flavors to meld. Add in the shredded vegetables. Toss until well coated.

To Make the Rolls, you will need:

1 package of Sping Rolls Skins- about 15-20 (found in the Asian Section of many grocery stores)

shallow bowl (big enough to hold the wrapper) full of warm water

2 dinner plates (if you have an assistant!)

After the salad is prepared, place a Rice Wrapper in the shallow bowl of warm water for about 2-6 seconds, until it becomes flexible. Lay the wrapper down on the dinner plate and place 2-5 pieces of the cilantro in the center. With a fork, scoop up about 1/2 cup of the salad filling-- the fork will allow excess dressing to drip off.

Next fold the two edges until they almost meet in the center.















Bring the bottom of the wrap up and tuck in the salad filling, tucking the edge insde. Continue to roll in the same direction, until the roll looks like.....















This-- Tada! You now have created a Thai Winter Roll














Please let me know if you have any other favorite variations on the Spring Roll!

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Peanut Sauce-- Quick & Easy

Peanut Sauce can be used to dip raw veggies, drizzled on a salad, or added to a saute of colorful vegetables. The ease of making peanut sauce is soooo simple and it lasts at least a week or more also. This is also an excellant dipping sauce for my Thai Winter Rolls.

Let me know your favorite way to use peanut sauce!

Peanut Sauce

1/2 cup peanut butter

½ cup coconut milkor try coconut juice

1 tbls soy sauce (wheat free if avoiding gluten)

1 tbls rice wine vinegar

2 tsp fresh minced ginger

1 garlic cloves, minced

2 tbls sweet pepper sauce (optional- if you like it spicier)

2 tbls cilantro, minced

Whisk together all of the ingredients. Adjust the seasonings to your prefered taste and add more peanut butter or coconut milk/juice depending on how thick you like it.

Enjoy!

Pumpkin Roll with Crunchy Peanut Butter Cream

"This pumpkin roll is filled with a creamy peanut butter spread, and is topped with a caramel sauce before serving."

INGREDIENTS (Nutrition)
Cake:
Crisco® Flour No-Stick Spray
1/4 cup powdered sugar
3 large eggs
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
3/4 cup Pillsbury BEST® All Purpose Flour, or Unbleached Flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
Filling:
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup Jif® Extra Crunchy Peanut Butter
1 teaspoon almond extract
Topping:
Smucker's® Caramel Sundae Syrups Ice Cream Topping
3 tablespoons cocktail peanuts, chopped
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DIRECTIONS
Cake: Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Sift powdered sugar generously over a 12 x 17-inch area of a clean thin kitchen towel. Spray a 10 x 15-inch jelly roll pan with a no-stick spray with flour; line with waxed or parchment paper. Spray wax paper with no-stick spray with flour.
Beat eggs in mixing bowl with electric mixer, gradually beat in sugar, pumpkin, spices, baking powder, soda and flour, scraping bowl between additions. Spread batter evenly into pan. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes or until toothpick is clean.
Loosen the cake edges immediately and invert cake onto the prepared towel. Carefully remove paper. Roll the cake beginning at the narrow end. Cool on wire rack for 45 minutes.
Filling: Beat cream cheese, powdered sugar, peanut butter, and extract in a medium bowl until well combined.
Unroll cake; spread peanut butter cream evenly to edges of cake. Roll cake; wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate several hours before serving.
Before serving, drizzle with caramel syrup and chopped peanuts.

Recipe: Tiradito

The tiradito is the brother of ceviche. However, we could say that this dish has a japanese greatgrandfather. Indeed, the influence of the many Japanese immigrants who came to South America in the nineteenth century is apparent in the way the fish is sliced rather than chopped, and ginger, soy, and other Japanese ingredients often find their way into the delicious Tiradito.

Ingredients

1 1/4 lb flounder fillet (almost any fresh fish or shellfish will do)
4 tbsp of aji amarillo paste
2 aji limo, seeded, deveined cut into brunoise
2 tbsp cilantro in chiffonade
1 tsp minced garlic
2 tbsp of vegetable oil
4 tbsp key lime juice
salt and white pepper

Garnish:
Cooked kernels from one fresh ear of peruvian choclo (corn)
Fresh parsley chiffonade

Preparation

Use a clean big bowl to whisk together the key lime juice, salt, pepper, crushed garlic, aji limo, chopped culantro, aji amarillo paste, and vegetable oil. Keep chilled.

Now cut the fish meat fillet into thin slices on the diagonal as for sashimi and flatten.
spread out on a flat serving platter and sprinkle with salt.

Pour enough Criollo cream over the fish slices to just cover them and serve immediately, garnished with the small corn kernels.

Merry Christmas to all