Recipes

Peruvian Evangelical Lutheran Church

Peru is a country with a proud heritage. Most of the people who live in the central highlands and valleys of the Andes and in the southern Altiplano are descendants of the Incas. They live on small farms and grow potatoes, beans and corn and herd llamas and sheep, like they have done for centuries. Life is hard for these people. The capital city of Lima is located on the narrow coastal strip. Offshore, the Peru Current in the Pacific Ocean cools the air blowing across it so that rain clouds do not form, so the land is dry. The current also supports fish, including anchovies, which are a major export product for Peru, sold mainly for pig and chicken feed. Peru is the botanical home of the potato, and the potato continues to be an important food for the people. To preserve potatoes, people living in the Andes spread them on the ground to freeze in the night air. The next day, they walk on the potatoes to squeeze the water out of them and leave them to dry in the sun. This process is repeated for four or five days, and the resulting food is called chuño. There are varieties of potatoes in many colors, textures and tastes, that we do not find in our supermarkets here. A good discussion of the potato that can be used with children is found in Seeds of Change: The Story of Cultural Exchange after 1492 (Addison-Wesley, 1992), developed from a project of the Smithsonian Institution and the National Council for Social Studies.

Huancaina-style Potatoes Papas B la Huancaina Serves 4 to 6 10 medium potatoes, cooked and sliced 2 tablespoons evaporated milk 1 small onion, finely chopped 3 tablespoons oil 4 hard-boiled eggs juice of 1/2 lemon 1/2 cup ricotta or cottage cheese, sieved 10 black or green olives 2 teaspoons chili powder handful of fresh parsley, chopped and salt and pepper to taste Boil a little water in a pan and cook the onion in it for a few minutes. Then drain. Take out the yolks from two of the eggs and mash them in a bowl with a fork. Add the cottage cheese and season with chili powder, salt and pepper. Next, stir in the milk and mix well before adding the oil, lemon juice and cooked onion. Arrange the warm potato slices in a dish. Cover them with the cheese sauce and garnish with olives, sliced eggs and parsley. Recipe from The New Internationalist Food Book by Troth Wells, Second Story Press, 1995, p. 47.

Peruvian-style Steak Lomo Salteado - a popular beef dish in Peru Serves 4 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 tablespoon jalapeño pepper, diced 1/2 cup onion, sliced 1/2 pound sirloin steak, sliced thinly 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 tomato, chopped 1/2 cup yellow or red bell pepper, chopped 1 teaspoon oregano 1-1/2 cups potato, cooked and cubed salt and pepper to taste Heat oil in a large, non-sick frying pan and sauté onion, garlic and bell pepper. Add potato and cook, stirring occasionally, until the potato begins to brown. Add jalapeño pepper and steak. Sauté a few more minutes, until the meat is cooked. Stir in tomato, oregano, salt and pepper. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 5 minutes for flavors to blend. This can be served over rice. The recipe was cited as coming from the San José Mercury-News June 14, 1995. The title was given as "Peruvian Lomo Saltado," but since this means "Peruvian missing rib steak" the likely title should be "Peruvian Lomo Salteado" which means "Peruvian sautéed rib steak."