Author: Mucha Ale (page 16 of 19)

November 29, 2016 / 0 Comments

Recipe: Peruvian style beans | Easy to make | Video

How was your week? I hope it was excellent. Mine was great, with a typical Thanksgiving dinner in New York and a visit to my family in New Jersey. So much food inspired me to think of more food, and to bring you this easy to make recipe for preparing Peruvian Style Beans.

Peruvian style beans

When I talk about of Peruvian style beans, I am referring to the yellow beans that are known as “canary” or “Peruvian” beans. Although very popular in Peru, a trivia fact is that these beans are actually from Mexico.

Beans are pretty much a meal on their own, as they contain carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins, minerals, and fiber. If you want to avoid the gassy side effects, don’t forget to soak them and discarding the water in which they were soaked, as it absorbs the properties that causes them.

Another bonus point for beans is that it keeps well in the refrigerator, where it can be stored for up to five days. It also tastes better when it is reheated and refried with rice for a Peruvian Tacu Tacu dish (recipe coming soon).

Ingredientes
2 cups of canary beans
1 red onion – used as ½ whole and ½ finely chopped or liquefied
100 grs. Pork (optional) – can be a slice of bacon
4 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
Oil
Salt to taste

Preparation
Soak the beans in abundant water since the night before. The next day, drain it.

Cook the beans in more abundant water, until the beans are soft. Use a large pot and check constantly so that they are always covered by water, and the beans do not burn.

Cook in abundant water

I recommend adding ½ onion (trick # 01) and a piece of pork (trick # 02) while you cook to give it a rich flavor. The onion will dissolve and you can remove the pork after the beans are cooked.

Depending on the consistency you prefer, you can blend the cooked beans and onions for a mashed style. If you prefer them solids, you can remove the onion and continue cooking them as they are. I really like mashed beans so I always blend them.

Brown the minced onion and garlic in an oiled pot. Add the beans and cook on them low heat for about 30 minutes, adding small amounts of water to avoid drying.

Decorate with minced cilantro leaves, and serve with meat and rice. It is goes very well with Peruvian sauteed chicken or beef.

Garnish with cilantro, and serve with white rice

Serves 4 people.

November 22, 2016 / 0 Comments

Recipe: Peruvian Style Pesto Spaghetti | Easy to Make | Video

In Peru, pesto is traditionally prepared with a soft unaged white cheese known as “queso fresco”. My Peruvian friends would say, “I know what queso fresco is Alessandra”. But I’m really stuck on this ingredient because it’s hard for me to find right now that I’m abroad.

Tallarines verdes de queso parmesano

I was missing my mom’s pesto spaghetti and thinking about making the sauce with feta cheese, which can be roughly described as a white sheep cheese of greek origin, when I was recommended to use Parmesan cheese. It is more common to find parmesan cheese in the part of the world where I am currently so to me this was an excellent idea.

A trivia fact I didn’t know about this green sauce known as “pesto” is that it originates in the Genoa city in Italy, and that traditionally it is made with Parmesan cheese! Among other ingredients, of course. Did you know that the term pesto originates from the Genovese verb “pestâ”, which means to crush or ground? These were times without blenders, when the sauce was prepared in a mortar.

Oh! This sauce keeps well in the refrigerator, preferably if you freeze it after blending it and before cooking it. A useful tip I found online is to freeze the sauce in ice trays so you can access it more easily when needed.

Ingredients
Sauce
2 cups spinach leaves – packed
⅔ cup basil leaves – packed
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup toasted walnuts – can be toasted lightly in a pan without oil before use
½ cup olive oil
½ water, approx.
4 cloves garlic, peeled
Salt and pepper to taste

Pasta
1 lb. / 500 g. pasta – noodles, ravioli, or other.
Bay leaf, oil, and salt to taste – optional

Preparation
Sauce
In a blender, mix everything, helping yourself with the oil and water to achieve a medium consistency. Not too stiff and not too watery.

Cook the sauce briefly in a lightly oiled pot or pan.

Pasta
In a large saucepan, bring water, with a little oil, one bay leaf and salt, to a boil. When the water boils add the pasta and cook for 8 minutes, approx.

Drain and return to the pot for mixing with the sauce.

Colar los fideos y mezclar con la salsa

Serve the pasta mixed with the pesto, and accompany with meat and cooked vegetables. In Peru it is common to use linguini pasta, and serve with a fried beef steak and cooked potatoes slices that have been lightly browned in a pan. We love our carbs.

Serves 4-5 people.

November 14, 2016 / 0 Comments

Recipe: No pasta zucchini lasagna | Video

Its true! You can make lasagna with zucchini instead of pasta. I thought I was happy when I learned to make lasagna with small noodles like fusilli, instead of the rectangular pasta that burn my fingers. Yes, I am aware of the existance of precooked pasta that you just have to wet, but I’m still not convinced by it.

Lasaña sin pasta de zapallito italiano

I’m talking about “zoodles”. You know, zucchini noodles. From my understanding, zoodles are zucchinis that have been cut in the shape of noodles. It seems they are a healthy alternative to gluten-free pasta that may be percieved as over processed. I so agree that there is nothing more natural than a vegetable.

Getting back to this recipe, it was inspired by a post for sausage, cheese and basil lasagna recipe from Epicurious. I made the sauce in the same style I make tomato sauce, using twice as much meat and crushed tomatoes, but with pork instead of beef. For the filling, I followed the instructions, which includes a mixture of cheeses and basil. Of this this filling could also just be a white bechamel sauce. For the pasta, you know, just sliced zucchini.

I hope you like it!

Ingredients
Sauce
1 kilo of ground pork or beef
6-8 peeled tomatoes and liquefied
12 oz. / 340 gr. Tomato paste
2-3 bay leaves
3-4 dried mushrooms
1 carrot, peeled and grated
Salt and pepper
Oil

Filling
½ cup packed of basil leaves
15 oz. ricotta cheese (about 1.8 cups)
½ cup grated mozzarella cheese (about 6 oz.)
¾ cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 oz.)
1 egg
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground pepper

Zucchini
3-4 large zucchini

Assembly
1 ball of mozzarella cheese, grated
Grated Parmesan cheese

Preparation
Sauce
Salt and pepper the meat, and cook in hot oil. Set it aside.

Fry the onion and garlic, and add the crushed tomatoes.

Add the tomato paste, followed by the grated carrot.

Add bay leaves and mushrooms, and then the meat.

Cook at medium temperature for 60 minutes.

Filling
Blend the basil leaves with ricotta, mozzarella, and parmesan cheese.

Add the egg. Don’t forget the salt and pepper.

Set it aside.

The Zucchini
Peel the zucchinis. Cut them into very thin slices. I used the veggie peeler for this.

Add salt and pepper, and set this aside in a colander.

Assembly
Grease a dish and preheat the oven.

Cover the dish with a layer of meat sauce. Cover it with a layer of zucchini.

Add a layer of filling. Cover it with parmesan and mozzarella cheese.

Repeat layer of sauce, zucchini, filling and cheese. Cover your last layer with the remaining cheese.

Terminar con una última capa de quesos

Cook the lasagna for 40 minutes at 375°F. Let it cool off before serving. This will allow the sauces and cheese to have a more solid consistancy and not bee too liquid.

You can garnish the lasagna with parmesan cheese and serve it with greens.

Serves 8 large square pieces using a rectangular 3 qt. 8.9” x 13.2” dish.

November 7, 2016 / 0 Comments

Recipe: Tomato sauce with ground beef | Video

In my experience, spaghetti brings families together. It has been a while since I shared my first recipe for tomato sauce with ground beef, but the memory of my grandmother Juanita watching over me as I made it still makes me smile. I hope you try this recipe and video for how I’m making spaghetti sauce nowadays, and that you can share it with your loved ones.

Mmm… Salsa de Tomates con Carne Molida

I am still using the same ingredients, but I am mixing them in in a slightly different way. Also, I favor using tomato paste instead of tomato sauce. The paste seems to gives it a better consistency. How do you like your spaghetti?

Ingredients
1 lb / ½ kilo of ground beef
½ onion, minced or ground
2 cloves of garlic
4-5 peeled and blended tomatoes
1-2 bay leaves
1-2 dried mushrooms, as preferred
Wine, as preferred (optional)
6 oz./170 grams of tomato paste, approx.
1 carrot, peeled and grated
Salt and pepper
Oil
Parmesan cheese

Preparation
Salt and pepper the beef. Cook it in a pot with hot oil. Set it aside.

Fry the onion and the garlic. Pour the blended tomatoes.

Add the bay leaves, dried mushrooms, and wine.

Add the tomato paste, followed by the grated carrot.

Add the ground meat and cook for about 40 to 60 minutes.

Serve the sauce over pasta, with Parmesan cheese.

Serves 4 people.

November 1, 2016 / 0 Comments

Recipe: Peruvian dried potato and meat stew | Video

Criollo Halloween is here! This is Halloween + Creole Song Day (Aka Día de la Canción Criolla), which also falls on October 31 and is a Peruvian holiday to celebrate our Creole culture. This is why this week’s recipe is dedicated to Carapulcra, a stew of dried potatoes and meat, heavily seasoned with chilies and spices. A trivia fact about Carapulcra, did you know it is the oldest Peruvian dish in history?

Carapulcra de tres carnes

Because this is a typical and traditional dish it has many recipe versions and secrets. Let’s call this is a basic recipe, for beginners like me. You can also make it with a single type of meat. If you are in the United States or another location outside of Peru, you may find these ingredients in a Latin supermarket.

Ingredients
½ kilo of boneless pork and diced
½ kilo of boneless beef and cubed
½ kilo of boneless chicken breast and diced
15 oz. / 425 gr. dried potatoes
½ cup finely minced onion
2 cloves garlic, peeled
Peruvian yellow pepper, to taste – I used one whole, gutless and boiled twice in water
¼ teaspoon Peruvian panca pepper
2-4 cups of chicken broth – I recommend you make 2 liters
¼ teaspoon of ground cloves
½ cup toasted and ground peanuts – you can ground them quickly in the blender
½ cup of sweet wine – I used dry wine
Salt, ground pepper, and cumin, to taste
Oil

Preparation
Toast the dried potato lightly in a pan without oil. Then soak in water for 30 min.

Cook the pork meat in hot oil. Set it meat aside.Repeat this for the beef and chicken.

Fry the onion and garlic in the same oil. Add the Peruvian yellow and panca peppers. Spice with salt, pepper, and cumin.

Add 2 cups of broth. Then add all the meats. Following that add the drained potatoes.

Cook this for about 20 minutes, adding broth or water if it dries. When the potatoes are cooked add the clove, peanuts, and wine.

Garnish with cilantro and serve with white rice. Traditionally, Carapulcra is also served with cooked yucas.

Serves 8 to 10 people.