Oca du Pérou
Traditionally cultivated throughout the Andes (Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Venezuela), oca (Oxalis tuberosa) is an annual plant that overwinters as underground stem tubers.
Unlike potatoes, oca can be eaten raw with a carrot-like crunch (try them with salt, chili powder and lime), but are more commonly bolied or roasted, with a familiar, potato-like texture. Due to its tolerance for for poor soil, high altitude and harsh climates, oca is hugely important as a staple crop in the Andean highlands.
In this preparation, oca are parboiled in lightly salted mineral water, then drained and sauteed in cumin oil with Aji Amarillo (a medium-hot, orange-colored chile with a light citrus/apricot flavor), purple garlic and shallots. Finished with sea salt, freshly-ground pepper, cilantro and a squeeze of lime, oca make a distinctly delicious side dish..
Oca du Pérou
Oca du Pérou (ratios given here are for 2 servings)
8-12 oca
mineral water
2 cloves purple garlic, slivered
2 shallots, slivered
1/2 whole mild grilling pepper, julienned
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon Aji Amarillo chile powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon clarified butter (increase olive oil & omit butter for vegan use)
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, torn
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Scrub and trim the ends from a dozen similarly-sized variously-colored oca and plunge into a pot of rapidly-boiling mineral water (substitute plain, filtered water) along with a good pinch of sea salt. Allow the tubers to cook until almost, but not quite tender, about 10 minutes. Drain oca and allow to cool.
Meanwhile, heat oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat and sauté cumin seeds until fragrant and lightly toasted. Add butter and potatoes and cook, turning often until slightly crisp and browned, about 7 minutes.
Add garlic, shallots, grilling pepper and Aji Amarillo and cook until peppers are soft, about two minutes. Remove pan from heat and add torn cilantro. Season with salt and pepper, toss and serve hot with a wedge of fresh lime on the side.
This post is part of Real Food Wednesday!
- The New Staples | Aji Amarillo, Buckwheat, Aloe (tmagazine.blogs.nytimes.com)
(Vegan) Crispy Curry-Fried Chickpeas
Here’s an insanely delicious snack that’s packed full of protein and really easy to make..
Crispy Curry-Fried Chickpeas
1 15oz can BPA-free organic chickpeas
1/4 cup besan (substitute non-GMO corn starch)
2 teaspoons Madras curry powder
1 scant teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup peanut oil
2 cloves fresh garlic, smashed
1/2 small yellow onion, peeled
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped
Drain and rinse chickpeas and spread out on a tea towel to dry.
Heat ghee or peanut oil until shimmering in a heavy skillet over medium heat to a depth of about 1/4 inch. Add garlic and onion and cook until golden brown and fragrant.
Combine besan (chickpea flour), curry powder (turmeric, coriander, cumin, cloves, cinnamon, bay leaves, fenugreek, allspice, black pepper, and curry leaves), chili powder and salt in a bowl or zipper bag. Add chickpeas and toss to coat evenly.
Shake off excess flour and carefully add coated chickpeas to the hot oil and fry, shaking the pan often until crisp and golden brown, about 8-10 minutes. Add chopped cilantro and fry 2 seconds.
Use a slotted spoon to transfer chickpeas to a clean towel to drain briefly before serving hot, perhaps with an ice-cold IPA.
Grilled Lamb Sausages with Madras Curry Paste and Sprouted Wheat Naan
Local, pastured lamb is ground with garlic, cumin, sea salt and black pepper, stuffed in a casing and refrigerated overnight before being grilled with yellow onions and green chiles. Dressed with Madras curry paste with nigella and fresh cilantro, then rolled in sprouted wheat naan..
Grilled Lamb Sausages with Madras Curry Paste
For the Sausage
1 pound freshly ground lamb shoulder, about 75% lean, cubed
2-3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
about 5 feet lamb casing
Combine lamb, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper together in a bowl. Wrap tightly and refrigerate overnight. Thoroughly wash and drain casing, then place it onto the sausage maker attachment of a stand mixer. Grind the meat mixture into the casing, twisting individual sausages off at about 4 inches. Refrigerate until ready to use.
For the Curry Paste
1/4 cup coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon nigella
1 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
1 teaspoon ground mustard seeds
1 teaspoon chili powder
2 tablespoons ghee
1 tablespoon freshly-grated ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon vinegar
1/4 heavy coconut milk
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, torn
Toast the coriander in a dry skillet, allow to cool, then combine with mustard and chili powder.
Heat ghee in a heavy skillet over medium heat, then fry spice mixture until the butter oil separates, about 5 minutes. Add vinegar, ginger and garlic and cook 2 minutes.
Add coconut milk and nigella and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in cilantro and remove from heat.
For the Naan
2 cups sprouted wheat flour
1/2 cup organic all-purpose flour
1/4 cup fresh whole milk
3/4 cup plain, whole milk yogurt
1 package yeast
1 teaspoon non-refined sugar
1/4 teaspoon aluminum-free baking powder
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
2 tablespoons ghee, melted
Warm the milk in a saucepan, then pour into a bowl and stir in the yeast. Allow to stand until frothy, about 10 minutes.
Sift flours, sugar, baking powder and salt into a bowl and form a well in the center. Slowly add ghee, yogurt and milk and knead until soft and pliable, about 10 minutes. Cover the dough and allow to stand in a warm place until doubled in size, about 2 hours.
Divide the dough into lemon-sized balls, then roll and stretch into the shape of a 1/4 inch-thick teardrop. Place naan on a large, flat griddle and bake in a 475 degree oven until puffy and slightly crisp, about 2-3 minutes on the 1st side and 1-2 minutes on the 2nd side.
To Assemble
Grill or pan fry sausages until crisp and brown and the juices run clear, about 15 minutes depending on heat source. Cook onions and chiles in similar fashion.
Place a sausage into the middle of a small naan and top with curry paste, onions and vegetables. Roll and eat hot dog-style.
Fideo con Pollo
Fideo con Pollo (Sopa de Fideo con Pollo) is a traditional, Spanish soup made with roasted chicken, fresh tomatoes, stock, garlic, onions and cumin with fat-fried vermicelli..
Fideo con Pollo
half of a small roasted chicken
3-4 cups homemade chicken stock
2 tablespoons rendered chicken fat
3-4 fresh tomatoes, cored and chopped
1 Spanish onion, chopped
4-6 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 cup straight fideo (vermicelli) or 2-3 vermicelli nests
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 fresh jalapeño, diced (optional)
1 tablespoon safflower flowers (optional)
1 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper
sea salt
queso Oaxaca or other soft, melting cheese
fresh cilantro
Roast a chicken in the usual fashion and allow to cool enough to handle. Pull the meat and skin from 1/2 of the bird and tear or chop into largish pieces. Set aside.
Heat chicken fat in a heavy skillet over medium heat. Add onions, garlic and vermicelli and sauté until the pasta is brown and somewhat crisp. Add tomatoes and cook another 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add chicken, stock, tomato paste, safflower, jalapeño and black pepper, reduce heat and simmer until pasta is done. Adjust for salt, then ladle soup into individual cazuelas or soup bowls and serve piping hot with queso Oaxaca and torn cilantro.
This post is part of the Food Renegade’s Fight Back Friday!
Chili Mac for Grownups (and adventurous kids)
Chunks of local, pastured ground beef fried with yellow onions and cumin and simmered with dried chilies, garlic, Mexican oregano, halved grape tomatoes and jalapeños. Tossed with gluten-free corn macaroni and topped with shredded cheddar, crushed yellow corn chips and fresh cilantro..
Chili Mac for Grownups (and adventurous kids)
3-4 ancho chilies, split, stemmed, seeded and toasted
2-3 New Mexico chilies, split, stemmed, seeded and toasted
filtered water as needed
1 tablespoon beef tallow or bacon drippings
1/2 pound local, pastured ground beef or bison
1/2 yellow onion cut into large dice
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
sea salt & freshly-ground black pepper
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 fresh jalapeño, diced
1 1/2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
1 cup corn macaroni, cooked and drained
yellow corn chips, crushed
sharp cheddar cheese, grated
fresh cilantro, torn
Toast the split chilies on a dry comal or skillet over medium heat for 20 seconds on each side. Take care not to let them scorch, or they will be bitter. Allow to cool slightly, then place in a food processor or blender and crush into a fine powder. With the motor running, slowly add cool, filtered water until a thin paste is formed. Pour into a clean container and set aside.
Pinch off 1 1/2 inch pieces of ground beef, compress lightly and season with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper. Allow to stand 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the tallow or bacon fat in a heavy skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the chunks of ground beef to the hot fat, taking care not to crowd the pan. Allow to form a crisp crust on one side, then turn over and add the onions. Continue to cook until the onions are translucent, about 3 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the meat and onions to a plate, leaving as much fat as possible behind.
Add the tomatoes to the pan and cook until they begin to fall apart, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and jalapeño and sauté briefly. Add pureed chilies, oregano, browned meat and onions, reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes. Adjust consistency with a little water if needed, then fold in cooked macaroni and stir to combine. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper. Correct bitterness if present with a tiny bit of honey.
Spoon mixture into individual serving dishes, and top with shredded cheese, crushed corn chips and torn, fresh cilantro.
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Pan-Seared, Pole-Caught Maguro with Habanero Mango Sauce
Pole-and-line-caught US Atlantic yellowfin tuna is quickly seared in ginger and lemongrass-infused coconut oil and served with a fresh habanero mango sauce..
Pan-Seared, Pole-Caught Maguro with Habanero Mango Sauce
Infused oil
3 tablespoons virgin coconut oil
1 tablespoon freshly-grated ginger
1 6″ piece fresh lemongrass, split
2-3 sprigs fresh cilantro
1/2 fresh habanero, stemmed and seeded
Melt coconut oil over medium heat until very hot but not smoking . Add ginger, lemongrass, cilantro and chile, remove from heat and allow to steep 20 minutes. Discard lemongrass.
Mango Sauce
1 fresh mango, peeled and cut into chunks
2 tablespoons freshly-squeezed Mayer lemon juice
1 tablespoon black sesame seeds
the ginger, cilantro and chile from above recipe
1 tablespoon infused oil from above recipe
filtered water
sea salt
Add all ingredients to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until smooth, adding water as needed to achieve a spoon-able consistency. Adjust for salt and chill until ready to serve.
Seared Tuna
very fresh tuna steaks, about 1 inch thick
2 tablespoons infused oil from above recipe
sea salt
freshly-ground red and black peppercorns
Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat for 10 minutes. Coat tuna with infused oil and season with salt and pepper. Sear about 1 minute per side for rare, then transfer to a cutting board and allow to rest 5 minutes before carving into 3/8 inch thick slices. Spoon mango sauce into the center of a plate and arrange tuna on top. Garnish as you like.
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