Travel With Betsy

Cooking With Gas……in Cusco……

We finally had a “free” day when we hit Cusco. So, Jody and I decided that we would take a cooking class.   I love to cook…..Jody doesn’t. But, she likes to eat. So, she was more than happy to come along for the ride. And, what a ride it was!

As it turns out, the class was much more than just cooking. Jose, at the Marcello Battati restaurant, was our guide as we tasted our way through the yummy foods of Peru….. right there in his own kitchen. And, to top it off, we were in the class with Wade and his daughter, Natasha. They are from California…..San Diego and San Francisco respectively. We all exchanged information about what we did and where and then got down to the business of cooking! What a fun pair! Together we learned about, cooked, and sampled the foods of Peru! It was definitely a highlight of the trip for me so far!

We started in the bar area where we donned our aprons and toques (this was a sight to behold)

and then got some instruction on the ground rules in the kitchen……you know….washing of hands, bathrooms, how not to cut your fingers off with the knives…….

After we got all of that business over with, Jose introduced us to the fruits of Peru.

We tasted about 10 different fruits. Jody and I had seen some of them in the markets that we visited along the way. But, of course, couldn’t taste them because of sanitation issues. So, it was fun to be able to try them rather than just look at them. The flavors were all over the board and ranged from sweet to tangy and something in between. The textures were also varied from soft to runny and seedy and finally to firm. We learned that the Peruvians like things very sweet, so the sweeter fruits were the favorites of the locals. But, I honestly preferred the more tart fruits. Wakes up the taste buds!

We were then given several small appetizer that had been prepared in the kitchen of the restaurant.

It was at this point that we could see the real passion that Jose has for food! He talked to us about the flavors of the appetizers and the textures of the food and how important it is to mix these things together when eating. He was right. The combination of sweet, salty, crunchy, and smooth all in one bite was delicious and very satisfying! What a great lesson!

After these initial treats, we moved into another room where a small “market” had been set up that was reminiscent of our visits to the street markets along our journey. Although, it was set up solely for instructional purposes, it was quite impressive.

As I looked around the room, I saw bins of all types of vegetables and grains that are used in Peruvian cooking. Then, we became educated on the most important foods….potatoes, peppers, quinoa and corn.

The Peruvians don’t eat a lot of meat, so the diet is focused primarily on these grains and vegetables as well as fish and some chicken.

Qunioa is used often as a source of protein. Although it doesn’t have as much protein as meat, it is more efficiently and more easily processed in the body. So, it is a very good protein source that is actually better for us than meat. We looked at about 4 different kinds of quinoa that is grown and processed in Peru…fun colors, too! When I get back to cooking in my own kitchen, I am going to do more with quinoa. We have had it here in all kinds of dishes, both savory and sweet. We even had quinoa strudel on the train to Machu Picchu. It wasn’t my favorite, but I applaud the Peruvians for their creativity an healthy choices.

Here’s a fun fact for you. There are about 3500 different types of potatoes being grown in Peru!

We, of course, have not had all of them in the short time we have been gone, but we made a good dent. Potatoes are served at every meal here in Peru, often in addition to rice or quinoa. So, the meals are a bit “carb” heavy as compared to the American diet. We viewed about 12 varieties of potatoes here in Jose’s “market”.

We also surveyed all of the different kinds of corn. I forget now how many different kinds there are, but there are all shapes and sizes of kernels, as well as a rainbow of colors. Some corn is grown to feed the animals, but much of it is used for “people” food. I think my favorite preparation has been the roasted kernels that I mention above that are served in the bar…..crunchy and salty…..my favorite combination!

And, of course, there were the peppers ranging from the sweet bell peppers that we all know, to the more spicy kind that will make your eyes and nose run. Again, quite a range of flavors…..and colors. My favorite!

Now, down to business. We moved to the kitchen for our first cooking experience. We made “ceviche”, probably the most popular and known dish here in Peru.

I am not a big fan of raw fish. I find it to be smelly and “fishy” tasting and I don’t care for the texture. But, here, with a milder type of fish (we used Mahi-Mahi) and a quick “cook” in key lime juice, I thought it was fantastic! The combination of flavors and spices in the sauce were very complimentary and I loved the texture. We plated it up with some sweet potato cubes and some of the crunchy roasted corn that we have had as a snack in all of the bars along the way. Of course, we mixed all of this together on our forks to get the benefit of all of the flavors and textures. Just great!

This was followed by an education on the famed “Pisco” and a hands on tutorial on how to make a Pisco Sour, the national drink.

The official version has 3 shots of “Pisco” in it (YIKES!) and is shaken with 6, count ‘em, 6 ice cubes, some lime juice, simple syrup and raw egg white that adds a little fizz to the final product. We combined the whole mess in a metal “shaker” like you would use for a martini and shook until our arms just about dropped off.   But, we shook with a smile…

….one of the requirements of making this yummy drink! A finish of bitters and this little gem was ready…..and delectable!

All liquored up, we were now ready to make the main course, Lomo Saltados, the 2^nd most important dish in Peru. It’s kind of a stir-fry, made in a “wok” of all things, with fresh vegetables, soy sauce and, of course, a little “Pisco”…..to add a spot of flame action….

We used Alpaca meat for those of us who eat meat. The others used shrimp. You can also use chicken. The process on making this dish moves very quickly. Jose lit up the gas burners where we would cook our meals. He stood in the middle of our group and shouted directions. We quickly and chaotically added ingredients to the “woks” and shook and stirred until we thought our arms would fall off. At one point, we were swirling the “woks”, that were flat against the burner, to the right in a circular motion and swirling our hips in the other direction to create some momentum in the “wok”. If you think this didn’t send me into a laughing fit, you would be mistaken. I could barely contain myself as I did this and watched the technique of the others.

Once we completed the cooking, we had to let the dish “rest” for a few minutes while we feverishly plated the rest of our meal. As Jose shouted directions, we measured the rice, French fries and then finally topped the dish with the stir-fry. I felt like I was in that Gordon Ramsey show for amateur cooks!

Afterwards, we all sat down together to try our creations! Delicious!

As we came to the end of our time together, Wade looked at me and said, “I feel like I have met you before. What is the name of the winery where you work?”

As it turns out, I served him at “Talley” at the end of the summer when I was working behind the tasting bar. Now, that’s what we call a small world!

I just love travel! I get to meet people from all over the world and some from my own stomping grounds as well!

All in all, it was a hot time in Cusco cooking with gas……and Picso……and some new friends!

Salut!

This entry was posted on September 23, 2016 at 2:30 am and is filed under Group Travel, South America, Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.