Peruvian Purple Corn

The other day I stumbled across some Peruvian purple corn in a local, ethnic market and had to share it with you guys. I nabbed a big stash of it, since it’s dried and will last for a minute in my pantry. Peruvian purple corn is a variety grown in the Andes and is used to make a popular drink called chicha morada and a dessert called mazamorra morada, both of which I had in Peru a few years back.

I’ll start with the fact that there are a bunch of studies that show that purple corn has incredible health benefits. Rich in antioxidants and with anti-inflammatory properties, it’s thought to treat everything from high blood pressure to obesity. Doesn’t it always seem like foods some cultures have been consuming for years for its health properties we are just discovering?

Now, mazamorra morada is a sweet corn pudding, thickened with potato or cornstarch and scented with spices like cinnamon and clove. But my favorite way to use this is chicha morada, which is a great warm or cold weather drink. It’s extremely easy to make, and you really don’t need much of a recipe. You basically want to steep the dried corn in water with a few sticks of cinnamon, some allspice berries, a few cloves, a bit of apple or quince, maybe some dried cherries, and pineapple rind. Let that simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, sweeten with sugar or honey, add a bit of (key) lime juice and that’s it!

It’s served cold, and in many places, chopped fruit is added at the end, much like sangria. A big secret is to let it stand in the fridge for a few days. That fermented taste is signature to a great chicha morada. Enjoy!

Peruvian-Style Roast Chicken

A few weeks back on Facebook, I asked people to share their favorite family dishes – authentic, traditional food they love to eat at home. As you know, I love to take old world flavors and traditions and reinvent them in ways that we can use in our every day cooking. One dish that came up was aji de gallina, a typical Peruvian dish. Chicken is cooked and topped with a rich creamy sauce that includes walnuts, garlic, breadcrumbs, and parmesan and is spiced with the yellow aji amarillo pepper. The sauce is incredibly addictive and the aji lends such distinctive flavor and just the right amount of heat.

I had a craving the other night for roast chicken, which I think is the ULTIMATE in winter, comfort food. Roast chicken is also a complete blank canvas, and, like everyone else, I’m constantly searching for ways to take it to the next level. When I looked at the components of the Peruvian sauce, the ingredients called to mind a tasty stuffing, so I decided to convert aji de gallina into a roast chicken spiced with aji amarillo and filled with a beautiful, nutty, cheesy stuffing.

If you can get past the whole trussing part, roast chicken is extraordinarily easy and satisfying to make. This recipe creates a gorgeous result – golden brown, tender and juicy, and snap-crispy skin. The aji and cumin butter rub is what gives the skin that great texture. The stuffing – bacon, onion, garlic, spices, walnuts, parm – creates the moisture inside the chicken. I always make a little more stuffing than what fits in the bird and throw it into some ramekins because stuffing always goes quickly! Enjoy!

Ingredients

Stuffing:*

2 slices thick-cut bacon, cut into small dice

1 medium onion, diced

1 ½ tsps ground aji amarillo

½ tsp ground cumin

3 or 4 garlic cloves, minced

½ cup white wine

¼ cup chicken stock

¼ cup heavy cream

5 slices white Pullman bread, cubed

½ cup raw walnut halves, toasted and crushed

1/3 cup ground parmesan

1 egg, beaten

Chicken:

5 tbsp unsalted butter, room temperature

1 ½ tsps ground aji amarillo

½ tsp ground cumin

1 4 – 5 lb roasting chicken

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Procedure

Before I start, there are a few keys to a crispy, succulent roast chicken. First, the chicken must be completely dry. After removing the covering and rinsing and drying the inside of the chicken, I like to place it, uncovered, on a rack on a baking sheet on a low shelf in the fridge (not touching anything!). I leave it there for a couple of hours or even up to a day. The air circulates and dries out the chicken from all sides. Second, the chicken has to be at room temperature before putting it in the oven. Take it out of the fridge at least an hour before you plan to cook. The next things are a hot starting temperature and lots of salt! Which we’ll get to…

Preheat the oven to 475° F.

For the stuffing, in a medium skillet on medium heat, add the diced bacon. Cook for a few minutes until browned and crispy, remove using a slotted spoon to a paper towel-lined plate, and set aside. Add the diced onion, aji, and cumin back into the pan with the bacon fat (should be enough but add a little oil or butter if not). Cook for 3 to 5 minutes until the onions are translucent, add the minced garlic and cook for another minute. Add the white wine and let reduce, stirring, until it’s almost all evaporated. Add in the chicken stock and cream and reduce the heat, simmering for another 2 to 3 minutes until thickened. Remove from heat and let mixture cool.

In a large bowl, add the bread cubes, crushed walnuts, parmesan, egg, bacon and onion mixture. Stir to evenly distribute. (Don’t do this until you are ready to stuff the chicken, so the stuffing doesn’t get soggy.)

For the chicken, combine softened butter with aji and cumin. Massage butter all over the outside and inside of the bird. Season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper, and stuff with the stuffing.

At this point, you want to truss the bird for even cooking. Here’s a great video (http://ruhlman.com/2010/07/how-to-truss-a-chicken.html) .

Place the stuffed, trussed chicken on a rack in a roasting pan, breast-side up, and into the oven. Cook for 25 minutes and reduce the heat to 375° F. Cook for another 45 minutes or so. The safe internal temperature of cooked chicken is 165° F. I check the temperature with a thermometer inserted into the thigh joint and actually take mine out of the oven around 155° F. I then rest it on a cutting board for 15 minutes to finish cooking.

Slice (the juices should run clear) and serve!

*For this dish I create more stuffing than I can fit in the bird because I don’t think what can fit inside is enough for a side dish! I like to take the leftover stuffing and throw it into buttered ramekins or a small, greased baking dish. For the last 25 minutes of cooking, I throw the excess stuffing into the oven and let it get browned and crispy.

Spicy Seafood Gumbo Pot Pie

Pot pie is one of those winter comfort foods that is really unmatched. A warm, creamy, thick (typically, chicken) soup-like interior with delicious vegetables topped or, better, encased in crusty, buttery pastry dough. It really wasn’t something I ate regularly growing up and always felt like such a treat.

I was trying to come up with a way to get the soul satisfaction of a pot pie but with a little more kick to it. I didn’t feel like going WAY spiced – say, with a Thai or Indian base – and yet I wanted something more. Gumbo immediately popped into mind, and that was it! All of those Creole spices, that rich thickness…gumbo pot pie was born.

I decided to go with all seafood because I actually created this recipe for some pescatarian friends of mine, but feel free to add some andouille (yum!) or whatever you like in there. I also cook the roux for this to a milk chocolate color (time saving…) though I know people who cook their roux for at least an hour and a half to get that super dark chocolate look. Finally, I make these individual-sized for fun and only put the pastry on top to keep it easy and, perhaps, slightly healthier. The gumbo is rich, spicy, hearty and has some heat to it (depending on your hot sauce and cayenne doses) and tastes amazing with bites of the pastry dough…Enjoy!

Ingredients

Yields 12 8–ounce round ramekins

1 stick unsalted butter

¾ cup all-purpose flour

2 tbsps butter

3 cups chopped onion, small dice (approximately 2 medium onions)

1 cup chopped bell or small sweet pepper, small dice (approximately 4 or 5 small sweet peppers)

¾ cup chopped celery

Creole seasoning (recipe follows, a little over 4 tbsps)*

4 or 5 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup sliced okra

½ cup peas

6 cups of chicken, seafood or vegetable stock

a few dashes of Worcestershire

a few dashes of hot sauce

2 bay leaves

½ cup sliced green onion

small handful of cilantro, finely chopped

small handful of parsley, finely chopped

½ cup heavy cream

1 ¾ lbs mixed seafood (lump crab, rock or small shrimp, bay or small scallops, shelled lobster)**

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

lemon juice to taste

1 egg (beaten with a bit of cream or water)

2 sheets of puff pastry, thawed according to package directions

Procedure

Preheat oven to 400° F.

I like to start by making the roux since it takes some time to develop color. That is, melt butter in a heavy bottomed cast-iron pan (large enough) or dutch oven over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk. Continue to whisk at very frequent intervals (semi-constantly) for 15 to 20 minutes until the mixture has turned a deep chocolate brown. Be careful not to burn.

In a separate skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat and add onions and a bit of salt (to draw out the moisture). Cook for about 2 minutes and add peppers, celery and creole seasoning. Cook for another 5 minutes, add minced garlic and let cook for about 30 seconds to a minute until fragrant. Remove from heat, and, if the roux is ready (good timing!), add directly to the roux.

To the cooked roux, add the onion mixture as discussed, okra, peas, stock, Worcestershire, hot sauce and bay leaves. Make sure none of the roux is stuck to the bottom or in the crevices of the pot. Bring mixture up to a boil and lower to a simmer for 20 minutes. You want it to thicken up, so leave it uncovered.

On a floured surface, roll out the puff pastry to about 1/8th of an inch thick. Using pastry cutters or a glass that’s larger than the diameter of your ramekins, cut out 12 circles. I like to poke holes now while it’s on a flat surface, so use a fork to poke little holes or a knife to make a few slits in each circle.

To the gumbo, add the green onions, chopped herbs, seafood and heavy cream. Adjust seasonings at this point, adding salt, pepper and a shot or two of lemon juice, if needed. Ladle gumbo evenly into ramekins.

Brush the tops of the ramekins on the outside with the beaten egg. Place puff pastry circles on top, crimp to your desired effect, and brush entirely with the egg wash. Place ramekins on baking sheets and bake for 20 to 25 minutes until the top is brown and crusty.

*Creole Seasoning:

1 ½ tsps onion powder

1 ½ tsps garlic powder

1 ½ tsps dried oregano leaves

1 tsp dried sweet basil

1 ½ tsps dried thyme leaves

½ tsp black pepper

½ tsp white pepper

¼ – ½ tsp cayenne pepper (whatever you can stand!)

½ tsp celery seed

1 tbsp sweet paprika

½ tsp ground mustard

**For the seafood, I like to use small pieces for a few reasons. (1) The seafood has to fit into the ramekins with room for all of the other great stuff, and (2) I only put the seafood in right before it goes into the oven – small pieces will cook perfectly (without overcooking) and pre-cooked items, like crab, don’t turn to mush. If you are using larger shrimp or decide to do this in a casserole dish rather than individual ramekins, adjust your cooking time accordingly.

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