Peruvian Potato Salad (Papas, la Huancaina)
1 small onion, thinly sliced and separated into rings
3 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 1/2 pounds new potatoes
6 ounces cream cheese, softened and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 cup half-and-half
2 small serrano chiles, seeded and finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
Bibb lettuce leaves
12 Greek olives
3 hardboiled eggs, peeled and cut into quarters
Mix onion, lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt and the red pepper; cover and reserve.
Heat 1 inch salted water to boiling. Add potatoes. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and cook until tender, 20 to 25 minutes; drain and cool. Pare potatoes; cut into quarters.
Heat cream cheese, half-and-half, chiles, 1/4 teaspoon salt and the turmeric over low heat, stirring frequently, until mixture is smooth, 10 to 12 minutes. Arrange potatoes on lettuce leaves. Spoon cheese mixture over potatoes. Drain onion; arrange on cheese and potatoes. Garnish with olives and eggs.
Yields 6 servings.
Pebre (Chilean Hot Pepper Sauce)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 to 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh cilantro (coriander)
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
1 to 6 fresh hot green chile peppers,
seeded and finely chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt, to taste
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and allow to sit at room temperature for at least 1 hour.
Makes about 1 cup.
Paraguayan Corn Bread (Sopa Paraguaya)
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons butter or margarine, softened
3 eggs, separated
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1 (8 ounce) can whole-kernel corn, drained
1 cup shredded Monterey jack cheese (4 ounces)
1 small onion, chopped
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Stir boiling water into cornmeal in a large bowl; continue stirring until smooth. Blend in butter and egg yolks. Stir in remaining ingredients except egg whites.
Beat egg whites just until soft peaks form; fold into batter. Pour into greased 2-quart casserole. Bake until knife inserted near the center comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes.
Yields 9 to 12 servings.
Pan de Banano (Guatemalan Banana Bread)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 to 3 large, ripe bananas, mashed
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 egg, well beaten
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Add the mashed bananas, lemon juice, salt, cinnamon, and egg and mix well.
Sift together the flour and baking powder and fold into the banana mixture. Pour into a greased 9 x 5-inch loaf pan and bake in a preheated 350 degrees F oven for 1 hour, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
Makes one loaf.
Almond Cookies (Alfafores de Almendras - Argentina)
1 3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
3/4 cup finely ground blanched almonds
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
1 tablespoon cognac
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
4 tablespoons heavy cream
3/4 cup slivered almonds
Mix thoroughly the flour, ground almonds, baking powder and salt in a medium size mixing bowl.
Cream butter and sugar in a large mixing bowl. Add egg, cognac and almond extract; beat until light and fluffy. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients and mix well to make a smooth dough. Gather the cookie dough into a ball, wrap it in plastic, and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours or overnight.
Roll the dough out to a thickness of 1/8 inch, working with one third of it at a time, on a lightly floured surface. Cut the dough with fancy cookie cutters. Carefully transfer the cookies to buttered cookie sheets. Brush lightly with cream and put a few slivered almonds on top of each.
Bake the cookies on the upper rack of a preheated 350 degree F oven for 6 to 8 minutes, or until they are golden brown. Gently remove the cookies with a spatula to wire racks to cool.
Serve the almond cookies, or store them, once they are completely cooled, in an airtight tin at room temperature for up to 1 week.
Makes about 3 dozen 2 1/2 to 3-inch cookies.