Recipe 2: CHOROS A LA CHALACA / Chalaca Style Mussels

CHOROS A LA CHALACA / Chalaca Style Mussels

 Ingredients:

• 12 mussels, firmly closed  
  
• 2 medium onions, finely peeled
• Juice from 3 to 4 lemons
• 1 tablespoon of yellow chili sauce
• ½ of a rocoto red pepper, cleaned, without veins and seeds, well washed and finely sliced.
• 1 ½ tablespoons of finely chopped parsley
• ¾ cups of corn, boiled and threshed.
• ½ cup of tomatoes, peeled, remove the seeds and dice them (cut into squares).
• 1 tablespoon of oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 lemon cut into 4 to serve

Preparation:

Clean the mussels, removing the beards and algae. Next, Wash them and, finally, clean them with a brush.

Eliminate any mussel that is not firmly closed.

Cook the mussels in boiled water and remove them as they open to avoid overcooking them. Eliminate the ones that do not open. Leave them cooling.

Open the mussels and place half of them in a plate or a serving food source.

Mix in a separate bowl the onions, rocoto red pepper, tomatoes, parsley, threshed corn, lemon juice, yellow chili, oil, salt and pepper. Leave the mix resting for about 5 to 10 minutes.

Place approximately 1 tablespoon of this mix over each mussel.

Serve with lemon cut in half.

3 to 4 Servings

Enjoy!

Introduction to Peruvian Cuisine

Dear Readers:

Welcome to the extraordinary world of Peruvian cuisine! This blog is intended to share different information of the Peruvian gastronomy. I will keep updating this site on a daily basis with new recipes, pictures, videos and articles related to Peruvian dishes, chefs and different historical information that will enrich your lives and impress your family, friends and acquaintances.

Peruvian cuisine is considered to be one of the most diverse and richest gastronomies in the world. Their food is a combination of influences between the Inca Empire; Spanish; African; Chinese-Cantonese; Japanese and Italian people. There are an uncountable number of dishes that the Peruvian people were able to create; only as an example, there are more than 2000 different soups in the Coastline of Peru.

As I continue posting different messages in this blog, I encourage everyone to participate and exchange different feelings and opinions towards these recipes and demonstrations. I thank you all for joining me in this delicious journey and making me that person who brings a little bit of taste in your lives. Enjoy!


Sincerely,

Cesar Sotolongo

Recipe 1: LOMO SALTADO/Sautéed Beef Tenderloin

LOMO SALTADO/Sautéed Beef Tenderloin

Ingredients:

• 
  
  2.2 lbs of beef tenderloin
  
  
  
• 3 medium peeled onions cut into 8 pieces
• 2.2 lbs of white potatoes, peeled and chopped for French fries
• 4 yellow chilies cut into thin strips or 1 teaspoon of concentrated yellow chili sauce
• 4 tomatoes cut into 8 pieces
• 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons of soy sauce
• 1 ¼ cups of oil
• ½ teaspoon of lemon juice
• Salt
• Pepper
• Rice for 6 servings 

Preparation:

Heat in a frying pan with half a cup of very hot oil, the beef tenderloin diced or chopped into strips. Remove the meat.

Gild with the same oil the onions cut into long and thick strips with the tomatoes in segments for about 2 minutes.

Add the chopped parsley, salt and pepper, chilies in long strips, soy sauce, vinegar and tomatoes. Cook until the tomatoes have softened for about 2 minutes.

Add the meat and lemon juice. Mix well. Optional: When the preparation is boiling, sprinkle ¼ cups of pisco (liquor distilled from grapes) and immediately turn on the liquor with a matchstick. This will give the dish a special taste. Reserve the meal covered.

Fry the chopped potatoes in ¾ cups of very hot oil until they are cocked and golden. Drain in paper towel. 

Unmold the rice in the center of the serving dish; putting at one side the French fries and at the other side the sauté.

Sprinkle the dish with chopped parsley.

6 Servings

Enjoy!