Last night, I had the pleasure of dining on home-cooked Peruvian food. I’ve neither cooked nor tasted Peruvian food before, and I didn’t cook it last night – I left the hard labor to the expert, my Peruvian friend who has been occupying a lot of my time lately. Let me tell you something – having a man cook for me was delightful, and what made it more awesome is that the kid’s a great cook!
He lured me in with Lomo Saltado, a Peruvian dish consisting of sliced steak, tomatoes and onions marinated in vinegar and spices, then stir fried with a splash of soy sauce and topped with cilantro. It is served over rice and fried potatoes, and he made a spicy Aji sauce to accompany the rice. Holy Mary Mother of God! This homemade hot sauce is quite possibly the best thing to ever happen to me, and I cannot wait to make my own. I need to learn the proportions, but he told me that it’s easy to make and consists of habanero peppers, garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper.
Letting someone else take control and do the work in the kitchen is one of the most difficult things I’ve ever done:
“Can I help with anything?” “No.”
“Can I at least do some dishes?” “No.”
“Really?” “Really.”
“Are you sure?” “Yes!”
I literally had to go stand in the other room and watch from afar; standing in a kitchen and doing nothing felt far too odd and awkward. I thought to myself, “This must be how goalies feel when the puck’s on the other side of the ice.” I was fidgeting the entire time he cooked the stir fry. I was relieved once the food was ready, because now I could do something with it, even if that something was simply shoveling it into my mouth.
Along with our dinner, we shared a bottle of Rioja, which I tried for the first time last night. I smelled and sipped the wine before I began eating so that the wine's flavor would be pure and would not have to compete with the flavors in the food. My first thought? The Rioja smelled exactly like Chianti. I sipped; it tasted very similar to Chianti as well. Definitely a variety I’d buy again. Finally, it was time to taste the food.
Each bite of Lomo Saltado was better than the last, and I wanted to savor each and every mouthful of the Aji-kissed rice. I did – I painstakingly scooped up every last grain of rice with my fork until not one remained on my plate. The meat was well-flavored and tender, the onions retained a slight crunch, and the tomatoes were bursting with flavor. He topped the dish with cilantro, which was the perfect foil for the spicy Aji sauce, and the Rioja was a great match for the dish as it was full-bodied enough to stand up to the bold flavors of Lomo Saltado. When I commented that I thought the Aji sauce would be great on grilled tuna, he countered with, “It’s great on everything.” I believe that.
This is definitely a recipe I’ll have to try on my own, but I’d be just as happy hopping in a cab and letting him wear the Chef hat! I insist that you order this dish if you find it on a menu. It’s a superstar!
No comments:
Post a Comment