Salad
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Recipe: Salpicón de pollo (Peruvian chicken salad)
Salpicón de pollo is a salad with chicken, cooked vegetables and mayonnaise commonly found in many Latin American countries. In Perú it’s often served as an entrée but it makes a wonderful main meal particularly during warmer months. This recipe is gluten-free and dairy-free. It keeps well in the fridge for a few days, especially if you dress it just before eating. On that note, I recommend you make your own mayonnaise (it’s super easy!) because most commercial ones are made with less-than-ideal ingredients.
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Recipe: Fig salad with goat’s cheese and prosciutto
Figs are in season! They are great as dessert or snacks, however I think they really shine in salads. Similar to last week’s recipe, you can enjoy this fig salad with goat’s cheese and prosciutto as a summertime lunch or serve it to share in your next dinner party. The saltiness in the goat’s cheese and prosciutto will bring out the sweetness of the figs. If you can find smoked almonds, they will add overall complexity of flavour, however they are not essential and you can use dry roasted almonds. This recipe is gluten-free but there’s no point in trying to make it dairy-free or vegan, sorry!
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Recipe: Fig salad with broad beans and Pecorino
Figs are in season! This fig salad with broad beans and Pecorino brings the best of the Mediterranean cuisine to your table. Perfect for a summer lunch or BBQ. Some notes on ingredients: you can find fresh broad beans in some markets but it’s easier to find them in the frozen section of your supermarket. Pecorino is an Italian sheep milk cheese that I love due to its sharp, salty taste. You can substitute Parmesan if you prefer. This recipe is gluten-free and can be made vegan if you omit the cheese. However, I think the Pecorino really complements the flavour of ripe figs. Serve this salad as a side…
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Recipe: Roasted beetroot, goat’s cheese and pistachio salad
Call it classic or call it cliche, beetroot and goat’s cheese are meant to be together. This roasted beetroot, goat’s cheese and pistachio salad is great for sharing or eaten as a main meal with a little extra protein. Good options include eggs (your way), lentils, tuna, salmon (smoked or canned) and grilled chicken. If you don’t have the time or patience to roast the beetroot, you can use the pre-packed cooked variety.
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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: Egg & olive salad
More egg salad madness! This variation includes olive oil mayonnaise and olives, a combo that is very familiar for Peruvians. If this variation doesn’t appeal to you, try the egg & cucumber or egg pesto recipes.
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Recipe: Egg pesto salad
Another egg salad recipe. I told you there were more variations coming! (see the egg & cucumber variation here). This version includes two of my favourite sauces (pesto and mayo), which for some reason I never thought about mixing together.
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Recipe: Egg & cucumber salad
We’re not big on egg salads in Perú. Yes, we have “huevos a la Rusa” (Russian-style eggs, a spin of the classic Olivier salad) but not the typical chopped egg salad as it’s known in the anglo world. Now that I’m doing the AltShift experiment, egg salad has entered my breakfast menu. I made the mayonnaise with organic avocado oil, which gave it a very cool green colour as you can see in the photo below. This is a basic recipe with cucumber. There are infinite variations to this recipe; I’ll be posting more in the future.
