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Quinoa
Quinoa is a cereal grain from the Andes of Peru and South America, closely related to the amaranth. Quinoa´s origins are ancient and was one of the three staple foods, along with corn and potatoes, used by the Inca civilization. Each year the Inca planted the first quinoa seeds of the season with a gold type of hoe and at the solstice the priests bearing gold vessels filled with quinoa made offerings to their god Inti (Sun god).
This grain grows
at high altitudes of approximately 9,000 to 13,000 feet above sea level.
Quinoa (pronounced kee-noo-ah) contains more protein than any other grain;
on an average of 16.2 percent, compared with 7.5 percent for rice, 9.9
percent for millet, and 14 percent for wheat. Its protein is of an unusually
high quality, with an essential amino acid balance similar to milk. Quinoa
when
combined with other grains or soy will boost its protein value. It also provides
starch, sugars, oil (high in essential linoleic acid), fiber, minerals and
vitamins.
Quinoa is easy on the stomach and is tasty, light and easy to digest and
is
delicious and extremely versatile grain. You can also find it in natural
food stores in the US as well as in many grocery stores. It
may be used in place of almost any other grain, including rice, to make everything
from appetizers to desserts. It only takes 15 minutes to prepare and is great
in the summer and winter. Quinoa´s
lightness makes it great to combine in cold dishes like salads and is an
ideal source of good nutrition in the summer and in winter eat it hot combined
with meats or vegetables.
Lucuma
Lucuma is an exotic and Peruvian fruit. The Lucumo is a tree with rough bark and thick green leaves which grows naturally in the Andean valleys. Its fruit has a greenish/brown skin with yellow/orange flesh, soft and sweet.
It is processed like flour (lucuma flour)
to satisfy the populations needs during the seasons when it is not available
as a fresh fruit. As flour, it is easily canned and exported and is mainly
used to make ice creams, shakes, desserts and
combined with milk.
Lucuma has a high content of vitamin B1, Tiamine and Niacine.
AJI (Andean-Style Chile Paste) makes 1/2 cup
Chile pastes, made with fresh or dried chiles, are used in soups, stews,
and sauces. Many Andean cooks keep containers of different aji pastes
on hand in the refrigerator or freezer.
Ingredients:
1 to 3 fresh or dried aji rocoto or 6 fresh or dried aji amarillo or
rojo, aji mirasol, or aji ponca
3 to 4 tablespoons mild salad oil (canola or corn) or water
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
If you are using fresh chiles, peel them (if desired), seed them, and
remove the ribs. You may either blanch the chiles in boiling water
or roast them
for easier peeling. Coarsely chop the fresh chiles. Combine the chopped
chiles, oil, and salt in a blender, and puree. If you have chosen not
to peel the
chiles, press the mixture through a medium-mesh sieve into a bowl for
a smoother paste.
lf you are using dried chiles, soak them in hot water to cover
for 30 minutes. Then drain, peel (if desired), seed them, and
remove the
ribs.
Coarsely chop
the reconstituted chiles. Combine the chopped chiles, oil,
and salt in a blender, and puree. If you have chosen not to
peel the chiles,
press
the
mixture through a medium-mesh sieve into a bowl for a smoother
paste. The paste may be stored in a tightly covered container
in the refrigerator for 1 week, or in the freezer for several
months.
NOTES: If none of these chiles, or their substitutes, is available,
we suggest using Asian chile-garlic sauce, which you can
find in jars in
the specialty
food section of most supermarkets, as a substitute for
the red or yellow aji paste or sauce. The sauce contains garlic,
so you may want to reduce
the amount of garlic called for in the recipe. Some brands
are very hot, so proceed with caution. The commercially available
ground aji powder-such as ground aji mirasol-is convenient, but it tends
to be hotter than
the paste because the chiles
are often ground with the seeds and ribs intact. lf a recipe
calls for 3 tablespoons
of aji paste, substitute 1 1/2, to 3 teaspoons powder,
depending on the heat of the particular chile.
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