Dairy-free
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Recipe: Mum’s burgers
Last time I went home I asked mum for recipes of meals I really miss. Her burgers, a simple weeknight meal, were on the list. She used to serve them with rice (otherwise it’s not a meal, according to many Peruvians) and occasionally a little salad. I used to pour tomato sauce all over the rice; these days I prefer serving the burgers with salad (coleslaw is my personal fave) and some good mustard.
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Recipe: Ground beef and cabbage
Ground beef and cabbage is a simple nutritious recipe you can make on a week night using ingredients that are easy to come by. This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free and low-carb. You can substitute the beef mince for any other kind of mince, including plant-based alternatives. You can also use pre-shredded cabbage or a coleslaw mix instead of shredding your own cabbage.
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Recipe: Ground beef and green beans
Ground beef and green beans is a simple nutritious recipe you can make on a week night using ingredients that are easy to come by. This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free and low-carb. You can substitute the beef mince for any other kind of mince, including plant-based alternatives. Feel free to use other vegetables (e.g. broccolini, broccoli or Asian greens) instead of the green beans.
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Recipe: Christmas sides
If you feel like trying different sides this Christmas, give these a go. They make an appearance every single year at my family table on Christmas Eve dinner but I don’t think they are very popular on this side of the world (particularly our take on Russian-style salad!). This year I dry-brined a small turkey following Serious Eats’ Quick and Dirty Guide to Brining Chicken or Turkey. I seasoned it with a Peruvian-style marinade featuring ají panca, garlic, vinegar, spices and brown ale. The recipes below pair well with turkey, pork and chicken. Enjoy!
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Recipe: Dry-brined pork chops with roasted vegetables
In this recipe for dry-brined pork chops with roasted vegetables we make use of science to achieve tender and delicious meat. Dry brining is an alternative to traditional brining (i.e. submerging a piece of meat in salty water) with the goal of keeping the meat moist via osmosis. Dry brining involves covering the meat directly with salt (and optional spices), which initially draws water out of the meat. However, given enough time, the water is reabsorbed by the meat, which tenderises in the process and remains moist. This works better with thicker chops (steaks, etc.). This recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free and low-carb. If you don’t eat pork, you can use…
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Recipe: Ensalada de palmitos y palta (hearts of palm and avocado salad)
I make variations of this ensalada de palmitos y palta every time I cook a Peruvian-themed meal. What makes it Peruvian? The avocado, palmitos, botija olives and the fact that is seasoned with lime juice and olive oil. Serve as a side for pretty much anything.
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Recipe: Peruvian ceviche
Classic Peruvian ceviche (cebiche or seviche are the proper spellings that nobody uses anymore) consists of 4 ingredients: fish, lime juice, onions and chillies. It is normally served with sweet potato and choclo (Peruvian white corn). Less common accompaniments include potato, yuca (cassava), yuyo (seaweed), rice (!). Cancha is normally served as a snack, although some restaurants serve some as part of the dish. Buen provecho!
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Product review: Macro Natural Nut Mix
Woolies has recently launched a snack pack called Macro Natural Nut Mix. The bag contains 5 single-serve packs 5 and costs $3.99, making a convenient and reasonably-priced snack. Sadly, convenience also means extra packaging. Each pack contains 30g of nuts (almonds, blanched peanuts, walnuts and cashews), which is the recommended serving size in the Australian Dietary Guidelines. Note that the nuts are either raw or blanched and unsalted, making them healthier than the roasted and/or flavoured varieties. Nuts contain healthy fats (mainly monounsaturated and some polyunsaturated fatty acids), as well as some protein and fibre. They also contain appreciable amounts of micronutrients such as vitamin E, folate, magnesium, calcium, and…
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Product review: Huon Salmon to Go Deli Bites
Huon, the well-known Tasmanian salmon producer, has launched a new line of ready-to-eat products called Salmon to Go. I bought a bag of Deli Bites, hot smoked natural flavour, which only contains salmon, salt and natural wood smoke. Other hot smoked options are blackened spice, lemon pepper and sweet chilli, and there is also a cold smoked one. The product’s selling point is convenience, as it can be easily added to pastas, salads or pizza, as suggested on the package. The bag contains 250g of salmon, which at $6 is significantly cheaper than other smoked salmon products. In my opinion, this is a clever way of using those bits and…
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Recipe: Pescado sudado (Peruvian steamed fish)
Pescado sudado is another Peruvian classic dish, very easy to make and very comforting. “Sudar” means to sweat, the name reflects the fact that the fish is cooked by the steam produced by the liquid at the bottom of the pan. The recipe calls for a couple of Peruvian ingredients (ají panca and chicha de jora), which can be found in a few stores in Sydney (contact me if you’re interested), but can be substituted if needed. While this dish is mainly made with fish only, my mum makes a killer version with fish and scallops, and a friend makes one with mussels.
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