Tasting Notes

Peruvian food is amazing – a great amalgam of different flavours and textures. The recipes are for a Peruvian dinner for four consisting of a salad, chicken, potatoes and squash, a total flavour explosion.

Peruvian chicken, Pollo a la Brasa, Peru’s most favourite dish, is an out-of-world chicken marinated in amazing spices and herbs and then roasted so that it’s crispy and golden.

And to top it off you serve with a killer sauce – green sauce, Aji verde.

Given all the different recipes for this dinner we have organized everything in recipe blocks and in such a manner so that hopefully it will be easier to cook and in sequence starting off with the salad, followed by the chicken, squash and the potatoes.

That also allows you to cook just one of the recipes or however many you like. The set up is versatile.

What You Need

For The Salad Dressing

• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 teaspoon jalapeño pepper
• 1 teaspoon salt
• Pepper to taste
• The Salad
• 1 medium-sized English cucumbers peeled or unpeeled, thinly sliced
• 1 small red onion thinly sliced
• 1 small jalapeno diced – seeds removed for less heat
• 1 handful fresh cilantro chopped
• 3 tablespoons feta crumbled

Equipment

1 medium bowl

Method

Add your salad dressing into the bowl and then gently add the salad ingredients on top. Don’t mix the salad until you are close to serving dinner, this way everything stays fresh, instead of soggy salad.

For The Chicken Dish

10 skin on, bone in chicken thighs.

For The Chicken Marinade

1. 3 garlic cloves, finely grated or minced
2. 3 tablespoons soy sauce
3. 1 tablespoon paprika
4. 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
5. teaspoon ground cumin
6. 2 tablespoons olive oil.

Equipment

1 large Ziploc bag

Method

Put everything into your Ziploc bag and swoosh it around to mix it well. Then add your chicken, seal the bag and move the chicken around, ensuring all the chicken is coated with the marinade. Place in your fridge for up to 12 hours but make sure you swoosh the chicken around a few times, ensuring that all of it is marinated evenly.

Take your chicken out of the fridge at least an hour before cooking.

Green Sauce For The Chicken

1. 1 cup cilantro leaves and tender stems
2. 1 medium jalapeño seeded and diced – if you don’t like heat don’t use the seeds from the jalapeño. We only use a few
3. 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
4. 1 medium garlic clove, chopped
5. 1½ tablespoons lime juice, and more to taste for later
6. 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano or basil
7. ¾ teaspoon fine sea salt, more to taste.
8. ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
9. ½ tablespoon Sriracha, a hot sauce.
10. 1/2 teaspoon honey
11. 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
12. ½ cup extra-virgin olive oil.

Equipment

1 electric blender

1 small bowl.

Method

Using the blender add all the ingredients to it and blend till you have a smooth sauce. Set aside and place in a bowl for serving purposes.

For The Squash

1 medium-sized butternut squash.

A small amount of butter, heated in the microwave for about one minute till it’s liquid

2 tablespoons honey

Equipment

1 large, sharp, knife

1 pastry brush

Method

Cut the squash in half, scoop out all the seeds.

Brush both insides of the squash

Then drizzle the honey over the squash

Set aside

For The Potatoes

1. 3 large potatoes
2. ¹⁄₂ cup olive oil
3. 1 tablespoon Mexican oregano or regular oregano
4. 1 tablespoon  garlic, minced.
5. Salt and pepper to taste.
6. 1 tablespoon fresh cilantro 

Equipment

1 large bowl

1 small sharp knife

Method

Cut up the potatoes into small chunks and add to the bowl

Add all the ingredients into the bowl.

Mix everything well and set aside

You Are Now Ready To Start Cooking

Equipment

2 large sheet pans

Get enough parchment paper to cover the sheet pans. Then take your parchment paper and crumble it up in your hands – this will make it easier to cover the sheet pans

Method

Pre-heat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.

Take the chicken out of the Ziploc.

Divide the chicken, the potatoes, the squash, between the two sheet pans

With your chicken make sure that for the first half of the cooking time (15 to 17 minutes) the thighs are cooking upside down and then turn them over so that the skin becomes nice and crispy and even a bit charred.

Everything will be ready to serve within 30 to 35 minutes.

You are now ready to plate – making sure you spoon some of the green sauce over the chicken.

Enjoy – it’s Delicioso