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Papa a la Huancaína
This is a popular appetizer,
native to the city of Huancayo (capital of the Junín
region, central Peruvian Andes). A Creole dish, It combines
dairy products introduced by the Spanish with 2 of the
most Andean ingredients: potatoes and ajíes.
Ingredients:
- 10 medium white potatoes
- ½ lb (¼ kg) of fresh white cheese
(ricotta or feta are ok)
- 5 fresh yellow chilli-peppers (ají amarillo)
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- ½ cup chopped onion
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 5-6 saltine crackers
- salt and pepper
- lettuce
- 3 hard cooked eggs
- black olives
Preparation:
Cook and peel potatoes and allow to cool.
Remove seeds and veins from the ajíes, wash
well with water, and chop finely. In a medium skillet
with hot oil, sauté the ajíes, onions,
and garlic until tender.
Put this mix in a blender with the cheese, milk, crackers,
salt and pepper. Pour the oil slowly until you get the
characteristic smooth-creamy consistency of the sauce
(you can add more crackers or some more milk for increasing/reducing
thickness). Adjust to taste with salt and pepper if
necessary, and let cool at room temperature.
Lay a bed of lettuce in a dish and place the potatoes
on top. Cover with the sauce, and serve with hard boiled
eggs (in halves) and black olives.
Makes 6 servings.
A recipe by the
Wikimedia
Cookbook.
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