Peruvian Persuasion

Persuasion
[pərˈswāZHən] 

Attempt to influence a person’s beliefs, attitudes, intentions or motivations. In cooking, persuasion is a process aimed at changing our hum drum cooking process or habits to fuse other (& many) cultural cuisine influences

 **bonus word of the post**

Fusion
[ˈfyo͞oZHən] 

The process or result of joining two or more things together to form a single (amazingly delicious) entity

On a rare gloomy Los Angeles afternoon, theCULINARYIST made a meal of Peruvian Persuasion to brighten up the day. 

Take a look at our lively experience:

**Don’t you wish you were here…DM me @theCULINARYIST to collaborate**

A little background info of our hosts for this post:

I’ve known Edgardo & Ken since 2008 when I moved to LA from NYC. Even though I was lamenting for the city’s hustle & bustle and cultural fusion, becoming friends with Edgardo & Ken brought fun, excitement, laughter & the beginnings of an extended family into my life. The first dinner party I’ve ever hosted included them and other friends in our under-furnished Santa Monica apartment. Many things have changed, for instance, our current home has actual & better furniture…and some things haven’t, i.e., our fondness for great food & lots of laughter. Our friendship has become stronger through the years withstanding crazy parties, a recession, new jobs, health scares, frustrations & successes.

What better way to thank & pay homage to such great friends than to honor their beautiful culture (both born to & adopted into) of Peru with an inspired meal!

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Baked Prosciutto Wrapped Shrimp with Kimchi Aioli & Sweet Corn Crumble. Garnished with roasted peppers & avocado whipped cream

Ingredients

  • 15-20 pieces Shrimp (peeled fully except for the tail)
    My local store had tiger shrimp but I feel it would be better with large pink shrimp or something that may have more meat

  • Prosciutto
    Packages typically have about 4 oz. I used half of a slice per shrimp

  • Yellow corn (chopped) - 1 can, which is what I used or 1 ear of corn, roasted and cut off the cob

  • 1/4 cup Masa Harina

  • 1/4 cup corn meal

  • Bell peppers (assorted colors) – chopped

  • Kimchi (with juice)

  • 1 medium Avocado

  • Mayonnaise

  • 1 stick of Butter (melted)

  • Heavy Whipping Cream

  • Lime Juice

  • Cilantro (for garnish) – chopped

  • Garlic – minced

  • Red wine vinegar

  • EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)

For wrapped shrimp

  1. Place the peeled shrimp (with tails) into a medium bowl. Season with salt, pepper, minced garlic, EVOO & lime juice. Mix & massage to incorporate. Cover & let rest in the refrigerator for a couple of hours.

  2. Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees F.

  3. On a baking tray/pan, lay out parchment paper. Wrap individual shrimps with prosciutto. I used half of a prosciutto slice for a nice balanced flavor but it depends on your preference.

  4. Bake for 8-10 minutes.

**Remember, shrimp cooks very quickly so don’t over bake…shrimp can get just as rubbery and tough as leather. Yeah, that happened = FAIL #1 for this meal. The next time I make this dish, I will have to try it with a larger type of shrimp and less time in the oven**

For kimchi aioli

  1. Puree kimchi (with juice), mayonnaise, garlic, sesame oil, red wine vinegar in a food processor. If you like your aioli a bit more “chunky”, fold in some finely chopped kimchi.

  2. Cover and refrigerate until you’re ready for plating.

For sweet corn crumble

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees F.

  2. In a medium bowl, combine masa harina, chopped corn and corn meal.

  3. Drizzle in melted butter and a splash of heavy cream. Mix and place onto oiled baking pan and bake for 15-18 minutes until golden brown.

**FAIL #2: Let’s be honest, I’m pathetically lost when it comes to baking. After making my corn meal mix and baking it in a muffin pan, I noticed that my “cakes” were not holding together…so… “the time has come” the walrus said to talk of many things: IMPROVISE, adapt, overcome!! Did you catch my double feature Hollywood quotes moment? Cakes became a crunch crumble topping and VIOLA, a beautiful re-creation. Never be afraid to change your plans at the last minute…better things may come out of it.

Added bonus toppings

  • Roasted peppers – pan roast chopped bell peppers with a little S+P+EVOO for about 3-5 minutes. I like my veggies on the crispier side so it’s on the pan only for about 3 minutes.

  • Whipped avocado cream

    • In a fine metal sieve, gently push a medium avocado through. This will ensure that you don’t get any lumps in the heavy cream mix.

    • Add heavy cream and mix well to have a smooth cream.

    • Pour cream + avocado mixture into a N2O whipped cream canister. Be sure you shake well and shake the mixture to the top (towards the nozzle) before using. The mixture is thicker with the avocado and will need to be forced towards the nozzle to smoothly come out.

  • Chopped cilantro

 

Sous Vide Octopus on Crispy Smashed Potatoes. Drizzled with purple olive aioli

**Before we get started, the octopus will take at least 24 hours to prep before plating. I didn’t know this until after a bit of research but the coloring we see of octopus in restaurants happens from soaking it in red beet or cabbage puree. If you knew, gold star for you. This is a learning kitchen experience for me.** 

Ingredients

  • Octopus (thawed) – frozen is better since it helps soften the meat. If you’re able to get fresh octopus, beat it with a rolling pin or freeze overnight.

  • (1) red beet (puree)

  • Small potatoes

  • Unsalted butter (melted)

  • Purple olives

  • Garlic

  • Lime juice

  • Dijon mustard

  • Whole Thai peppers

  • S+P & EVOO

 For the octopus:

  1. Puree (1) medium red beet in a blender. A little red beet juice goes a long way so be careful how you handle it. Any little splash can dye your light colored clothes, wash clothes, sofa, carpet…a bloody looking mess.

  2. Place the thawed octopus into a large bowl and pour the beet juice in. Massage to ensure all parts of the octopus is covered.

  3. Plastic wrap the bowl and refrigerate for 12-24 hours.

  4. Rinse the dyed octopus with water and place into a sous vide bag (or ziplock bag).

  5. Add minced garlic, S+P+EVOO, lime (juice and whole slices) and Thai peppers (for a little heat) to the bag. Massage to get all the ingredients incorporated with the octopus. Close & seal.

  6. Set your sous vide at 175 degree F for 4-6 hours.

  7. When the octopus is ready, pre-heat a cast iron griddle on high head.

  8. Take the octopus out of the bag and slice off the tentacles. Quickly sear the octopus on the griddle. It’s already cooked so it doesn’t need to be on the griddle long…just for the char.

For the purple olive aioli:

  1. In a food processor, blend purple olives, Dijon mustard, garlic, S+P+EVOO.

  2. Cover and refrigerate until you’re ready for plating.

For the potatoes:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F.

  2. In a medium pot, boil potatoes (with skin) in water for 20-25 minutes.

  3. Drain potatoes and place into a large cast iron skillet. Smash each with fork or masher. The thinner you smash down the potatoes, the crispier it will be…your call.

  4. Let it sit & steam dry for about 5-8 minutes.

  5. Combine the melted butter with EVOO and drizzle onto the smashed potatoes. Add a sprinkle of S+P

  6. Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden & crispy.

  7. Pull out of the oven with a heavy duty oven glove. Top with the seared octopus. Drizzle purple olive aioli with finishing sprinkle of chopped parsley.

 

Suspiro de Limeño with rum infused whipped cream & cocoa powder

Ingredients:

  • 1 can evaporated milk

  • 1 can condense milk

  • 2 egg yolks (room temperature)

  • 1/2 cup sugar

  • 2 tsp port

  • Vanilla extract (I prefer vanilla bean paste which gives it a nice peppered look)

  • Cocoa powder

  • Heavy cream (chilled)

  • Rum (chilled)

  1.  Place egg yolk in a small bowl.

  2. Combine evaporated milk and condensed milk into a large shallow pan. Boil on low heat for 10-20 minutes or until thick.

  3. Remove from heat and ladle about ¼” cup of milk mix into a small bowl. Whisk in egg yolks & vanilla. Combine to the full milk mix and cook on medium heat for another 10-20 minutes until texture is of thick caramel. Essentially making a dulce de leche.

  4. Carefully pour into small ramekin bowls and refrigerate for at least 3 hours.

  5. Pour heavy cream & rum (quantity is up to you on how strong you like it) into a N2O whipped cream canister. Shake and top onto the chilled Suspiro de Limeño. Finishing sprinkle of cocoa powder.

 **Fail #3 (?) with a happy surprise: Although the dulce de leche/caramel came out thicker than I would like, the rum infused whipped cream paired very well to soften the texture AND tone down the super sweet taste. Not-so-secret fact about me is that I have a heavy hand when pouring liquor.

 

Also on the table (by Chef Ken B):

  • Papa a la Huancaina – amazing Peruvian appetizer of boiled yellow potatoes in a spicy, creamy cheese sauce. Paired with boiled egg slices & purple olives. Carb & cheese heaven!!

  • Seco de Chancho con Salsa Criolla – very popular Peruvian cilantro beef stew with pickled red onion relish/salsa. Great example of regional comfort food and cultural fusion (Arabic, African, Spanish influences)

Our meal was inspired by Peru’s rich multi-culture background and it’s many natural resources. Geographically flanked by mountains (providing livestock), farmlands (bountiful fruits & veggies) & an expansive coastline (fresh fish!!), the Peruvians – natives & immigrants – took full advantage of what is readily available, adapting with new cooking techniques & ingredients. Their long history dating back to the Incas & pre-Incas to foreign conquests & slave trade then later with migrant influences from Asia & Europe; combining flavors of four continents. This resulted in one of the MANY great outcomes of migration…culinary fusion.

With the eclectic variety of traditional dishes & so many cultural influences, the Peruvian culinary scene is in a constant state of evolution. We are the lucky ones to get the opportunity to be exposed to the deliciousness. It’s only a matter of being open & willing to explore, experiment & feast. We live in an age of complete accessibility to information & ability to travel to meet different people & places. Do a quick search of any place in the world and you can learn all about its history. As Anthony Bourdain tried so hard to teach us, there’s no better way to get to know someone or some place than through food.

As our little group sat down at the table & devoured the amazing Peruvian inspired dishes, I got to hear stories of Edgardo + Ken’s life & travels to home in Lima, Peru. They told us tales of the intoxicating smell of fresh fruit in the market place, comforting home cooked meals & Peru’s ever changing and awe inspiring restaurant scene. Some of the most renowned chefs in the world are conquering the delicate balance of fulfilling the demanding palates of the new world and still honoring the history & tradition of its culture.

We enjoyed a little piece of Peruvian heaven this day and I got to know already great friends even better through food & conversation.  Thank you so much to Edgardo & Ken for opening up their home & collaborating to create an amazingly inspired meal.

And a special shout out to myCREW:

RJ @eatthebus for your skills, your eye and your ability to capture the fun & yumminess
Teri my biggest supporter, my editor, creative soundboard and ever amazing sous chef

Onward, fellow foodies, to our next culinary(-ist) adventure,

theCULINARY·IST

blissful moments…Contrary to my face, i’m very happy in this picture. I need to work on my RBF (resting b*tch face)

blissful moments…Contrary to my face, i’m very happy in this picture. I need to work on my RBF (resting b*tch face)