Tag: iPhone 8

Lomo saltado (Peru)

Hi !

As I’m about to leave the gastronomic hotspot of South America, I think I should share the recipe of the lomo saltado, a Peruvian beef stir-fry. Ingredient, cooking and taste wise, you are not going for a lot of trouble, except of course for vegans, as animals will be armed in the making of this fine dish the rest of us should enjoy very easily.

Ingredients (for two):

  • 300gr of beef, the filet, cut in 2x2x1cm dice
  • 2 plum tomatoes, the core, liquid and seed removed, cut in 1cm wide strips
  • 1 large red onion, cut grossly in 8 half quarters (remove the center part)
  • Soy sauce
  • Red wine vinegar or pisco
  • Cilantro
  • 2 green onion (the light green part)
  • Sal and pepper
  • 2 potatoes (for the French fries)
  • Rice

The recipe is actually requiring three parallel operation: cooking the rice, frying the French fries and cooking the beef stir-fry. As the two first one are a no-brainer, I’ll focus on the last one. Maybe just a comment on the fries, which should be large, and preferably with the skin if the potatoes allow it.

So, let’s go with cooking the lomo saltado:

  1. Add salt and pepper on the beef.
  2. Warm up the wok on high heat, add the vegetal oil (from the side).
  3. When the oil is ready, add the beef and stir-fry to your liking.
  4. When the beef is cooked, reserve it. Then add the red onion and stir-fry.
  5. When the onion start to get translucent, add the tomatoes and stir-fry.
  6. Before the tomatoes get to soft, add the pisco (or red wine vinegar) and the soy sauce and stir, to get all the juices off the wok. Reduce to medium eat and add back the beef.
  7. When the sauce is a getting thick, add the cilantro and the green onion, stir a little bit more and serve with the rice and the french fries.

If you are familiar with any asian stir-fry, then this is about the same process. The key is to keep the vegetable firm. For the presentation, use a glass to shape the rice in a dome like form. I like to serve the beef over the French fries, as they’ll just absorb some of the sauce… yummy !!!

Enjoy (or not) and stay tuned !

Arequipa (Peru)

Hi !

I’m minutes away to leave Arequipa for Cusco and I must say it was quite a nice pleasant stop. From nice visits to specular food, Arequipa has been the tourist heaven I was looking for.

As you can see the city itself is surrounded by beautiful volcanos. It is not the same as Huaraz, but since it is less a mess than Huaraz, I feel a lot more relaxed.

I had to say, the must see is the Monasterio de Santa Catalina (with an official guide). There are a couple of beautiful churches, and the only disappointment was been blocked from entering the cathedral in shorts…

Cusco should be another awesome stop (for two weeks before doing the Inca trek), with the possibility to live there, trying to cook some of these Peruvian meal I’ve been enjoying the past weeks, learning some Spanish and possibly doing some rafting.

Enjoy (or not) and stay tuned !

Ceviche in Lima (Peru)

Hi !

It’s not really possible to leave Lima (which is what I’m about to do) without a reference to the most exquisite of all dishes: the ceviche (classico, with sea bass been my favorite).

First, about the recipe: marinate the freshest pieces (cubes of 1cm3) of sea bass fillet (or Atlantic cod, tuna, salmon, …) in lime and coriander, add some choclo and some cold (but cooked) sweet potatoes. You can of course spice it a little bit, but definitely using Peruvian peppers, which burn reasonably the mouth and not the stomach.

If the fish is insanely fresh, marinate only for a few minutes. The center should remain raw, while a nice white thin layer of cooked fish should form in contact of the lime. If the fish is less fresh, then marinate it longer.

When traveling the Peru, you should really only trust it on the coast, in restaurant. On the beach it is risky, the quality of the fish is not good. La Mar in Lima (or Astrid y Gaston) is your safest bet, they just get the freshest fish.

There’s a vegetal version which is more popular on the mountain, but nothing beats the fish one.

Enjoy (or not) and stay tuned !

Grey winter in Lima (Peru)

Hi !

Nothing really to add to the already well documented grey winter of Lima. It certainly isn’t as bad as the grey fall and winters of Paris.

More interesting are the burrows of Miraflores and Barranco, settled above the south cliffs of Lima, and the malecón which offers a nice walk with great parks and plenty of life.

I should make the same photo this summer, with a nice blue sky !

Enjoy (or not) and stay tuned !