N&M's Globe » Latino Favourites

Cazuela de Mariscos

Natalie — Sat, 21 Mar 2015 16:04:19 +0000

We loved that dish so much, we ate it two days in a row in Cartagena. Cazuela de Mariscos is so easy to make and yet so delicious. One of our Colombian favorites!

Cazuela de Mariscos

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Serves	1-2
Prep time	20 minutes
Cook time	20 minutes
Total time	40 minutes
Meal type	Main Dish, Starter
Misc	Gourmet, Serve Hot

We love the combination of Seafood and coconut milk, it is absolutely wonderful. This Cazuela de Mariscos is one of our favourite Colombian dishes. And it is super easy to make!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup green peppers (chopped)
1/2 cup red bell pepper (chopped)
1 cup onion (chopped)
2 garlic cloves (chopped)
1 cup carrots (grated)
fish stock
1/4 teaspoon paprika
4 cups heavy cream
1 can coconut milk
1/3 cup white wine
2lb jumbo shrimp (peeled)
12 littleneck clums
2lb swordfish (or other white fish) (cut into 1 inch pieces)
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro (chopped)
1 tablespoon fresh parsley (chopped)
1 tablespoon tomato paste

Directions

Step 1	In a large, saucepan over medium heat, warm the olive oil and butter.
Step 2	Add the onions, red pepper, garlic, green pepper and carrots and sauté, until tender and translucent, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper.
Step 3	Add the cream, fish bouillon, coconut milk; bring to a boil. Add seafood and cover reduce heat and cook about 2 minutes until clams open. Remove from heat; discard any unopened shells.
Step 4	Add the wine and tomato paste, simmer for 20 minutes.
Step 5	Garnish with fresh cilantro and parsley and serve hot.

Jugos, Jugos, Jugos

Natalie — Tue, 17 Mar 2015 16:21:32 +0000

Jugos…. we love them, and we drank them all the time in Colombia, where they were definitely the best in all of South America. Apart from my absolute obvious favorite passion fruit juice, we also learned to love two new fruit juices: lulu and guanabana.

Lulu is also known as ‘Naranjilla’ or ‘little orange’ and grows on a bush. The inside looks like green tomato. The flesh has a pineapple-and-lemon taste and contains small, white edible seeds. It is really refreshing!

Guanabana, or soursop in English, was Mathias favourite juice fruit. The juice tastes better when made with milk instead of water and is so rich it can serve as a meal. Wikipedia describes the flavour as a combination of strawberry and pineapple, with sour citrus flavour notes contrasting with an underlying creamy flavour reminiscent of coconut and banana. I guess that is about right.

Unfortunately, I do not think that lulu or soursop are available in Germany. We will try and look for it though.

Ecuador’s Seco de Chivo

Natalie — Fri, 06 Mar 2015 19:23:01 +0000

This is one of the national dishes in Ecuador and quickly became one of our favourites. Seco de Chivo is a goat stew served with rice, avocado and sweet fried plantain. Here is a recipe we found online.

Seco de Chivo

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Serves	3-4
Prep time	45 minutes
Cook time	3 hours
Total time	3 hours, 45 minutes
Meal type	Main Dish
Misc	Serve Hot
Region	South American

The key to deliciously tender meat in this traditional Ecuadorian stew is an overnight marinade in beer. Then the goat meat is slowly simmered with fresh tomato, onion, bell pepper, and garlic and brightened wtih a bit of spice from aji peruano and citrusy naranjilla.

Ingredients

2lb goat meat (at and veins removed, cleaned under cold water)
1 12oz bottle of beer
1 red onion ((roughly chopped))
1 red bell pepper ((roughly chopped))
3 garlic gloves ((roughly chopped))
1/4 cup fresh cilantro ((roughly chopped))
1/4 cup fresh parsley ((roughly chopped))
3 tablespoons achiote oil
2 plum tomatoes ((roughly chopped))
1 cup frozen naranjilla/lulo pulp ((if not available use passion fruit or orange juice))
1 tablespoon aji peruano powder ((or other hot chile pepper and add a yellow bell pepper for color))
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 pinch cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf
1 cup beef broth

Note

If you cannot find achiote oil, make your own substitute. Mix these together:
1-1/2 tablespoons paprika
1 tablespoon white vinegar
3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 minced garlic clove
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

Directions

Step 1	The night before, rinse the goat meat well and place in a medium bowl. Pour the beer over the goat, cover the bowl, and marinate in the refrigerator overnight.
Step 2	Remove the goat from the beer and dry the pieces with a paper towel. Reserve the marinade.
Step 3	In a blender or food processor puree the red onion, red bell pepper, garlic cloves, cilantro, and parsley. Set aside (do not wash the blender).
Step 4	Heat the achiote oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or heavy bottomed pot. Add the goat meat and cook, turning, until browned on all sides, about 2 to 3 minutes. Remove meat and reserve in a bowl.
Step 5	Add the pureed vegetables to the pot and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, add the plum tomatoes and thawed naranjilla/lulo pulp to the blender and puree until smooth.
Step 6	Add the tomato mixture to the pot with the vegetables along with the reserved beer marinade and stir to combine. Then add the aji peruano, cumin, cayenne, bay leaf, salt and pepper.
Step 7	Add back in the seared goat meat and beef broth, stir and bring to a boil. Then lower to a simmer and cook, partially covered, until the meat is very tender and falling off the bone, 2 to 3 hours.
Step 8	Before serving, taste and adjust with additional salt and pepper. Serve with yellow rice, avocado slices, and fried sweet plantain.

Nikkei Ceviche

Natalie — Thu, 12 Feb 2015 19:24:24 +0000

This dish is competing with the ‚Lemongras Chicken‘ from Laos for best dish on the whole world trip. We had this Nikkei Ceviche in the amazing restaurant La Mar in Lima. To be honest, the fish is so raw it probably should be called a shusimi rather than a ceviche. It is however a creation of chef Gaston Acurio, the owner of La Mar restaurant, and apparently the best chef in Peru at the moment. This also means, I could not find the recipe online anywhere, but have only what it said on the card. So this how the creation is described:

Nikkei Ceviche

ahi (yellowfin) tuna made with sweet tamarind, leche de tigre, cucumber, daikon, sesame oil and nori, accompanied by avocado.

Now it is up to us to do trial and error at home to make it ourselves and get the recipe right .

Lucuma Sandwich

Natalie — Sun, 08 Feb 2015 04:04:14 +0000

Now this sandwich is our own creation, that we invented the evening we tried Lucuma for the first time. Lucuma is actually a new tropical fruit we discovered in Peru. We thought we knew them all by now since a lot of them can be found in Europe and Asia as well, but this one was a big surprise to us. It has a texture similar to an avocado and a slightly nutty taste to it. It delicious and full of Vitamin Bs. Wikipedia describes the taste as a combination of maple and sweet potato, and I think this is about right. We found it goes perfectly with white cheese and avocado. Our new favourite sandwich!

Peruvian Lomo Saltado

Natalie — Sun, 08 Feb 2015 04:03:30 +0000

‚Lomo Saltado‘ is another national dish from Peru. It doesn’t look so spectacular actually, but tastes define if made perfectly. ‚Lomo‘ means ‚filet‘ and ‚Saltado‘ stands for ‚stir fry‘. It is the perfectly cooked meat and juice that makes this dish so delicious. We had the best of it in the restaurant ‚La Cusqueñita‘ in Cusco. Here is a recipe that our cooking school gave us.

Lomo Saltado

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Serves	4
Prep time	30 minutes
Cook time	30 minutes
Total time	1 hour
Meal type	Main Dish
Misc	Serve Hot

Ingredients

1lb beef (tenderloin if possible) (sliced ⅛ to ¼ inch not thin strips ( thin will be dry))
2 red onions (peeled and sliced into thick stripes)
2 tomatoes (sliced in thick stripes)
1 or 2 yellow chili pepper (Peruvian aji amarillo) (cuin thin stripes)
garlic paste
Soy sauce
vinegar
beef broth
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Salt
pepper
cumin
dried oregano
1/2 cup pisco or brandy
1 pack french fries

Directions

Step 1	Prepare French Fries and set them aside.
Step 2	In a bowl marinate the meat with salt, pepper and little cumin. Add the soy sauce. Set aside for 5 minutes.
Step 3	Heat 2 tabelspoons of oil in a frying pan (medium-high heat). Add a spoonful of garlic. Cook for 1 minute. Add a portion of meat (we will cook per portion).
Step 4	Fry meat until juices begin to release. Continuosly move the pan(Sautee technique).
Step 5	Add a portion of onions until they are halfway transparent. Stir in the tomatoes and the yellow pepper. Cook until the tomatoes soften. Pour in a spoonful of soy sauce and ½ ounce of brandy.
Step 6	Cover and cook until beef is done. If preparation is too dry add 1 spoonful of vinegar or 2 spoons of beef broth. Season to taste with salt , pepper and cumin. Sprinkle with chopped parsley to serve.
Step 7	Repeat process for each other portion. Serve with white rice or quinoa. Put the French Fries next to the meat (you can also mix them with the meat while finishing cooking it).

Maracuya Sour

Natalie — Thu, 29 Jan 2015 20:08:48 +0000

Yes, Peruvian`s Pisco Sour is the best and tastes delicious. My favourite however was the local favourite version of Arequipa, which is the Maracuya Sour. This is how you make it. Enjoy!

Maracuya Sour

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The Pisco sour is one of the most widely known Cocktail drinks of Peru and its national drink. The Maracuja Sour is the local version in Arequipa. Here is a simple recipe that will help you prepare this delicious drink.

Ingredients

3fl oz Pisco ((depends how strong you like it))
1fl oz Goma Syrup ((or simple syrup))
1/4fl oz Fresh Lemon Juice
2fl oz passion fruit nectar
a few drops of Angostura bitters
1 fresh egg white
5-7 ice cubes

Directions

Step 1	Mix the pisco with the syrup in a blender.
Step 2	Add the lime and passion fruit juice.
Step 3	Add the crushed ice. Add the egg whites at the end.
Step 4	Blend until the texture is smooth and even and the ice disolved. The egg white should be foamy.
Step 5	Serve in small glasses. Add a few drops of angostura bitter .

Peruvian Ceviche

Natalie — Thu, 29 Jan 2015 20:05:51 +0000

In our cooking class in Arequipa we learned how to make the famous and delicious Peruvian ceviche. It was already a favourite of ours before we even got to Peru, so we were delighted to learn how to do it. Here is the recipe from the cooking class.

Peruvian Ceviche

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Prep time	30 minutes
Cook time	20 minutes
Total time	50 minutes
Allergy	Fish
Meal type	Appetizer, Lunch, Main Dish
Misc	Serve Cold
Region	South American

This Peruvian dish involves immersing raw fish in citrus juice to slowly “cook” it. The most important ingredient is a firm, white fish. Oily fishes are not recommended.

Ingredients

1lb white boneless sea bass ((or any white fish, fresh and thick; for example: sole))
2 Medium onions cut julianne style ((thin stripes cut vertically))
Juice of 8 – 10 limes ((“sutil” limes if you can find them))
2 aji limo chili peppers chopped (hot peppers)
1 1/2 tablespoon chopped cilantro
2 cloves of garlic
1 boiled sweet potato, cut into slices
2 ears of corn (remove the kernels)
salt
anise seeds
3 lettuce leaves (- for decoration)

Directions

Step 1	Boil the corn with some anise seeds (if you want, you can remove the kernels after cooking).
Step 2	In another pot, cook the sweet potatoes, peel them and cut in slices, 2 cm width.
Step 3	Wash and clean the fish with water and season with salt. Be sure to wash well as the fish will not be cooked. Cut it in pieces of about 2x3cm. How big you cut it depends on the type of fish you have. If the fish is breaking off into smaller pieces, you will need to cut it into bigger pieces. Remember, these pieces need to be small enough to swallow, so not too big.
Step 4	Rub crushed garlic clove in a non-metal dish; then add the fish and some onion. Add a good amount of salt. Add the chopped limo chili/pepper, the cilantro and then squeeze the limes over the dish. There should be enough juice to dampen all the fish.
Step 5	Let the fish rest for 10 minutes or until meat looks whiter and cooked. Do not "overcook" the fish.
Step 6	Taste to make sure it’s to your liking. Add the rest of the onions over the fish.
Step 7	Decorate with the corn, the sweet potatoes and the lettuce leaves.

Tierras Altas Rose

Natalie — Wed, 14 Jan 2015 00:22:39 +0000

This was anothor surprise wine for us in Argentina. We tried several Malbec, however always red wines. Discovering this lovely tasting Rose was thus a real surprise. We found it in the vineyards of Tierras Altas, where we also had the very interesting wine tasting tour. Here is a link to their website. They unfortunately do not export to Europe, but to the USA.

http://bodega.familiavargasarizu.com/

Azul Extra Brut

Natalie — Sat, 10 Jan 2015 02:27:56 +0000

This was a big discovery and a favourite for us during our wine tasting in Mendoza. The vineyard ‚Bodega La Azul‘ is a small family estate that was recommended to us by a young Swiss couple we met on our wine tasting tour in Chile before. And what a lovely family atmosphere and garden it was. The wines were all exquisite, but we liked this one best. Maybe because we did not expect a refreshing Sparkling from them or maybe it was because they only produce 2000 bottles each year of the Extra Brut for the sole purpose of selling it in their restaurant on the vineyard only. It became our engagement celebration wine and it was just perfect for that!

If you ever stop by near Mendoza, this should be a must-do visit! The vineyard only produces 13000 litres of wine a year, which is nothing compared to 300000 litres of a big vineyard in Argentina. But what they do, they make fantasticly. And it is still all Argentinian owned. Unfortunately the restaurant was booked out, but it smelled amazing and we heard only good things about it. Here is a link to their website:

http://www.bodegalaazul.com