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Recipe: Lomo saltado (Peruvian beef stir-fry)
Lomo saltado is one of my favourite Peruvian dishes. It’s a result of the fusion between Cantonese and Peruvian (i.e. Andean and Spanish) cuisines. This traditional dish consists of strips of beef tenderloin or sirloin (“lomo” in Spanish) stir-fried with onion and tomato wedges, soy sauce and vinegar. It is served with rice and potato chips. You can use tenderloin or sirloin, but any stir-fry cut works well as long as you don’t overcook the meat. As with any stir-fry it’s very important that you get your wok or pan super hot before adding the meat. If you don’t eat beef, there are versions of this dish that use chicken…
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Recipe: Tacu tacu (Peruvian rice and beans)
Every developing country has a traditional rice and beans dish. In Perú we call it “tacu tacu” and it involves a little more than just rice plus beans on a plate. If eaten by itself, tacu tacu is gluten-free and vegan. However, tacu tacu is normally eaten as a side dish or with some add-on toppings. Common toppings include a fried egg, a fried egg + fried plantains (“a lo pobre” or poor style), a fried egg + fried plantains + steak, grilled or fried fish, seafood sauce, etc. I prefer to serve it with some protein and a salad and have included a list of traditional topping ideas in…
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Recipe: Easy seco de cordero (Peruvian lamb coriander stew)
Easy seco de cordero is a weeknight-friendly version of the classic Peruvian lamb and coriander stew, which happens to be one of my favourite Peruvian dishes. What makes it easy is the use of ground lamb instead of stew cuts that must be cooked low and slow. This recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free. Seco is traditionally served with rice plus beans, potatoes or yuca (cassava). The starches help soak up the sauce. Feel free to serve it with cauliflower rice or your choice of vegetables and/or salad for a lower-carb version. Top with some salsa criolla for added freshness. If you don’t have ají amarillo paste, you can sub other…
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Recipe: Peruvian-style split peas with ham
Split peas (“arvejitas partidas”) are fairly common legumes in the Peruvian diet. They’re cheap, tasty and very nutritious. Enjoy these Peruvian-style split peas with ham with garlicky rice and a fried egg for a hearty meal. In Perú we mostly use green split peas but feel free to use any kind you can find (i.e. yellow or read). Mum used to cook them with bacon but I used ham in this recipe. You can obviously omit the meat if you’re a vegetarian. If that’s the case, I’d suggest you use smoked salt and/or a pinch of smoked paprika for that smokey flavour you’ll be lacking. Finally, if you don’t have…
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Recipe: Niçoise salad
Niçoise salad, or salade niçoise is a classic French dish quite popular worldwide. It originated in the city of Nice, in the Southeast coast of the country. There are several ways of making niçoise salad and I won’t claim mine is the right one (especially because I’ve never been to France!!). My recipe is simple, cheap, nutritious and delicious. Salade niçoise is naturally gluten-free, dairy-free, high in protein and moderate in carbohydrates. It’s also pretty filling thanks to the protein, fibre and healthy fats including omega-3 from the tuna and monounsaturated fats from the olives and extra virgin olive oil.
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Recipe: Miso bolognese
Miso bolognese is an example of fusion cuisine done well, if I may say so. Miso is just another way of adding umami to the classic pasta sauce. This recipe is gluten-free if you use suitable pasta. I used red miso paste but you can use any colour. I use Feather and Bone’s organic beef mince with organs for added nutrition but plain ground beef, pork, veal, turkey or a combination would work well. You may serve this sauce with your favourite pasta (gluten-free such as this one or this one, or otherwise) or pasta substitute, such as zucchini “noodles” (zoodles), konjac noodles, steamed vegetables, etc.
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Recipe: Escabeche de pollo
Escabeche de pollo belongs to a family of dishes with Spanish influence in which the main ingredient is marinated in acid, usually vinegar. In Perú, escabeche dishes contain thick slices of red onion, vinegar and Peruvian chillies, either amarillo, panca or both. Escabeche de pollo (chicken escabeche) is usually served at room temperature with boiled potatoes or sweet potatoes and/or rice. When I was growing up, it was a common dish to serve at parties (a party in Perú is not a party if there’s no dancing and no food).
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Recipe: Pastel de choclo con polenta
I recently inherited a bag of polenta that I had to put to good use. Instead of going the easy (Italian) route, I decided to see if I could use it to sub fresh Peruvian corn to make our version of cottage pie. Thus, pastel de choclo con polenta was born. The recipe calls for ají amarillo paste and ají panca paste. If you don’t have ají amarillo I would not bother trying to find a substitute as most chilli pastes will add heat rather than flavour. If you don’t have ají panca for the filling, you can use tomato paste instead. This dish is gluten-free and can be made…
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Recipe: Pistachio pesto pasta
I love pesto and basil remains my favourite herb/vegetable base. However, I’m not too strict when it comes to nuts. This recipe for pistachio pesto pasta pairs fragrant basil with sweet pistachios for a delicious alternative to classic pesto. This recipe is vegetarian. It can be made gluten-free and/or low-carb depending on the pasta or pasta substitute you choose. I used Barilla red lentil penne but feel free to use your favourite pasta. As usual, I roast the garlic before mixing it with the rest of ingredients. However, I don’t recommend firing the oven just to roast it. Instead, pop it in the oven while you are roasting other foods…
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Recipe: Pasta alla trapanese
Pasta alla trapanese is a traditional pasta from Sicily that I had never made nor tried before. I decided to make a version of it to pair it with Barilla chickpea casarecce, which is typical in the same region. Of course, you can use any kind of dried pasta. Check my article Which pasta is better? if you want some information before choosing one. This dish takes its name from pesto alla trapanese, a tomato and almond-based pesto from the province of Trapani in Sicily. Unlike the more popular pesto alla genovese, it usually contains very little basil (my recipe has a bit more because I
