Fresh Flavors from Peru

Few things make me as happy as cooking classes where instructors bring their mothers. It seems to happen more with our male instructors, such as the sweet Umesh from Nepal who brought his mother Uma and introduced her by saying, "This is my mother Uma, she taught me how to cook, and I am so proud of her."

So I was delighted when we had a bonus instructor in Hugo Lara's mother Julia, who rolled up her sleeves and got to work chopping and mixing alongside our beloved instructor as we learned to make a couple of Peruvian dishes with Vermont and Peruvian ingredients!

Hugo Lara of A Little Peruvian cooks for a City Market class with his mother, Julia

What made Hugo's class particularly interesting, besides its delightedly multi-generational quality, was his focus on traditional Peruvian cuisine with its unique melting pot of flavors both indigenous and brought in through migration.

Having just returned from a trip to Peru two weeks ago, he was newly energized and spoke passionately about preserving Peru's agricultural heritage in the form of unique chile peppers, multi-colored corn, and myriad varieties of potatoes cultivated for thousands of years in the Andean highlands. He brought a popular yellow chile paste called "aji amarillo" that lends its golden color and hot-sweet flavor to many signature Peruvian dishes (available only through mail order in our area at this time).

At his business at the Burlington Farmer's Market, A Little Peruvian, he cooks a mouth-watering selection of small dishes - Peruvian street food, he calls it - that incorporate farm-fresh local ingredients, like Boucher Family Farm meat. An active member of Slow Food Vermont, he fully embraces the idea that "fast" food can be made slowly, with care, and good ingredients. Now, that's an idea a mother could get behind!

These Peruvian dishes are a perfect picnic or party food for a hot summer day.... and if they whet your appetite, Hugo will be joining us again in the fall for another seasonal Peruvian cooking class.

Pouring delicious queso fresco sauce over yellow potatoes for Papa a la Huancaina

Papa a la Huancaina

The task of cutting squares of Causa falls to Hugo, who has the same look we have when we cut slices of layer cake...

...probably because Causa is like a whipped potato layer cake, only filled with savory fillings like tuna, chicken, or lobster

Causa (Peruvian Whipped Potato Cake)
1 pound potatoes (6 yellow or red potatoes)
Aji amarillo paste
2 limes
1 red onion, diced
Tuna/chicken breast (shredded)/lobster

To garnish:
Parsley sprigs, micro greens, boiled eggs, olive halves

1) Boil the potatoes in salted water until soft. Peel the potatoes and pass them through a potato ricer (or mash them), then set aside.

2) Poach the chicken in water seasoned with salt, pepper.

3) Make the aji/lime mixture.  If using dry aji, remove the seeds from the chili peppers, and sauté them in vegetable oil for a few minutes then. Place them in a food processor or blender, along with the juice of the 3 limes, and salt/pepper to taste. Process until smooth. You can also use aji paste and mix with lime.

4) Stir the aji and lime mixture into the potato mash with your hands. Work it vigorously to get the lime/aji infused into the potatoes.

5) Remove the chicken from boiling water and set aside to cool.  Shred the cooked chicken, and mix with the mayonnaise. Season with salt and pepper to taste.  If short on time you can also use canned tuna and mix it with mayonnaise, and diced small cubes of onions.

6) On a plate, shape half of the mashed potato mixture into a square or rectangle. Cover with the chicken/tuna in a smooth layer. Add another layer of the potato mash on top and smooth with a knife.  Decorate the top with parsley leaves, micro greens and slices of hard-boiled eggs, and olive halves on the sides.  

7) Chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to an hour.  You can chill overnight for up to 12 hours or longer. Keep it sealed with some saran wrap to keep the potato from drying.  

Serves 4

Papa a la Huancaina
2 large potatoes
1 Tbs. Aji amarillo paste
Saltine crackers
evaporated milk
queso fresco
salt
lettuce for garnish
Boiled egg for garnish
Olives for garnish

1) Boil the potatoes in salted water until soft/but firm.  Peel the potatoes and set aside.

2) Mix the aji amarillo paste with 1 can of evaporated milk, saltine crackers, and queso fresco in a blender.  Blend until it has the consistency of a light ranch dressing. You can add more aji for spice or add more crackers to thicken the sauce.  

3) Boil the egg and peel. Cut the egg into thin slices. 

4) Place two leaves of lettuce or similar greens.  Cut the potato in half and place one half on top of lettuce.  Cover the potato with the creamy sauce.  Garnish with a slice of egg and olive.  Repeat plating for each dish.

Serves 4