Peruvian recipe 2: Mom's or Grandma's Chicken

Mom's (Grandma's) Chicken

Three medium white onions
One package of chicken thighs (based on 10 lbs. recipe, amount depends on party)
One bottle of ketchup (44 oz)
Oregano
Laurel (3 leaves)
Pimenta gorda (Allspice, five balls)
Garlic


Step 1: Chop 3 medium onions, cut into strips.
Take skin and fat off chicken thighs.

Step 2: In a large heated pot, add onion and two tablespoons of olive oil.

Stir around and move to medium heat. Keep lowering heat as you stir.

Add a teaspoon of salt and a palm full of dried or fresh oregano. Crush in hand if dried. Pour in 3/4 a bottle of ketchup. Add another palm full of oregano.

Singe the edges of the laurel leaves with stove top burner to release flavor. Add to pot along with five pimentas. Add tablespoon of garlic powder and stir well. Take off heat.

Step 3: Add chicken, stir and put on high heat for 10-15 minutes and cover. Monitor heat.

Put on medium low for five minutes.

Poke chicken with wooden stick or fork. Chicken is ready when juices run clear.

Vinaigrette salad dressing

1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup of red wine vinegar
Dash of salt
Dash of garlic
Palm full of oregano

Stir well and serve with mixed green salad.

Peruvian recipe 1: Arroz al Horno

Promised my cousins I would document the steps to three Peruvian dishes I learned this weekend. Here's the first...

Arroz Al Horno
(Rice from the oven)

5 cups of long grain white rice, uncooked
1.5 lbs. carne molida (ground meat)
1 medium red onion, diced
1 medium carrot
1/2 cup corn kernel
1/2 cup peas
7 oz. raisins
garlic powder
pepper
salt
oregano (dried or fresh)
Four eggs
1/2 cup sliced kalamata olives
spaghetti sauce
sesame seeds
Six pimentas gordas (Allspice balls)

Step one: Make Grandma Delia's rice

In rice cooker, add 5 cups of long grain white rice (unwashed). Add a palm full of salt or 1/2 tablespoon. Add a tablespoon of garlic. Add six pimentas gordas. *Use rice cooker instructions to learn water rice ratio. Leave to cook.

Step two: Boil two eggs in small pot to cook while performing step three.

Step three: Add ground meat to hot, large frying pan on high heat. Add 1/2 tablespoon of salt to meat. Use large spoon (wooden if possible) and stir meat. The goal is to remove the fat so do not thoroughly cook the meat. Do not use oil!

Drain fat into container and throw it away.

Take meat off burner. Add diced onion, palm full of oregano (crush in hand if dried). Put frying pan on burner. Add one tablespoon of olive oil. Stir well for several minutes.

Take off heat. Goal is to caramelize onions.

Once caramelized, put frying plan on heat again. Add one cup of spaghetti sauce. Stir well. Add peas and carrots. Stir and lower to medium heat.

Taste for salt. Add as needed (typically half a tablespoon.

Add raisins and a tablespoon of black pepper. Stir and put on low heat. Add olives.

Step four: Coat 13 by 9 inch pan with olive oil. Add a thick layer of cooked rice to pan. With wooden spoon, add layer of meat mixture. Dice hard-boiled egg and sprinkle of top of meat layer.

Taste for salt, add if needed to meat layer.

Add final layer of rice. Sprinkle with salt.

Step five: Beat two egg whites until fluffy. Then add egg yolks and beat again until mixed.

Step six: With spatula, coat top of rice with egg
mixture. Sprinkle thin layer of sesame seeds on top.

Preheat oven to 390 degrees and cook dish for 30 minutes. Remember everything has been pre-cooked so oven doesn't need to be very hot and baking time is minimal.