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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: 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 <3 basil). This recipe…
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Recipe: Pasta puttanesca
Even though I don’t eat much pasta these days, pasta puttanesca is still one of my favourites when I partake in carb loading. The key ingredients (anchovies, tomatoes and olives) dial up the umami level of the sauce, making it impossible to resist. I used Barilla red lentil penne but you can use any pasta you like. Check my article Which pasta is better? if you want some information before choosing a vessel for the sauce. This recipe is not vegan but it is dairy-free. It can be made gluten-free and/or low-carb depending on the pasta or pasta substitute you choose. Finally, I served the pasta with sardines for extra…
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Recipe: Spiced roasted pumpkin and zucchini soup
Pumpkin is one of my favourite ingredients for soup because it’s versatile, cheap and easy to work with. This spiced roasted pumpkin and zucchini soup is a perfect example of a simple and economical dinner you can make on a weeknight. This soup is naturally gluten-free and can be made vegan if you use dairy-free yoghurt and vegetable stock. Add a source of protein (e.g. boiled eggs, lentils or chickpeas) to round off the meal.
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Recipe: Menestrón (Peruvian minestrone)
Menestrón is the Peruvian version of minestrone soup, brought to the country by Italian migrants. What makes this soup Peruvian is the addition of native ingredients, such as potato and cassava. This is a pesto-based version of minestrone (as opposed to tomato-based). In addition to the traditional basil and Parmesan, this pesto features spinach and feta cheese . There are no rules as to which beans and legumes are included in menestrón. However, butter beans and broad beans are very common ingredients. As for the pasta, tradition calls for penne. I recommend using San Remo pulse pasta for a gluten-free, high protein, high fibre alternative.
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Recipe: My mum’s tuna croquettes
Another mum recipe! Tuna croquettes (“croquetas de atún”) was a weeknight dish that was on a semi-regular rotation at our house. I always looked forward to the next time we’d have them. Mum served the croquettes with a lot of rice and some veggies: green beans, peas and carrots that were first blanched in water and then fried in butter. I would always add a big dollop of tomato sauce on my rice. No wonder I was a fat kid! I’m not complaining but this was the hardest mum’s recipe for me to re-create because she did not give me even a remote approximation of quantities. I do know she…
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Recipe: My mum’s arroz chaufa (Peruvian fried rice)
Chaufa comes from chao fan, which apparently means “fried rice” in Chinese (not sure if in Mandarin, Cantonese or both). So yeah, arroz chaufa = “fried rice rice”. Arroz chaufa in Perú is very popular (as we have a large Cantonese community) and it comes in many varieties: chicken, pork, chicken + pork, chicken + pork + prawns (a.k.a. “special”) and I’m guessing nowadays also vegetarian/vegan. My mum’s version of arroz chaufa had chicken and egg omelette. Although I didn’t realise this at the time, this was one of my favourite weeknight meals. I would eat an entire serving out of the pot before it even left the kitchen. Mum…
