After a very long weekend (5 days!) for Chilean Independence holidays, I am getting ready to head north for my third tour in Texas at Central Market’s cooking school in early October. Since many of you reside in the Lone Star state, I wanted to share the low down on the classes, which will focus on Peru’s dynamic, flavorful cuisine, paired with South American wines, of course.
Besides lots of cooking fun with demos, I will be putting together a virtual tour of Peru since its varied geography and cultural “density” are so intimately tied with these traditional recipes. You’ll come away with an appreciation of the country’s culinary heritage, roots, and hopefully a healthy itch to want to explore first-hand in Peru.
Here’s a preview of the menu we’ll be making. I will leave the wine pairings as a surprise for class. While Peru does have a small wine valley near Ica in the desert South, I have not been overwhelmed (in a good way) by those wines, nor have I seen them in the US. We’ll stick to Chile & Argentina, Peru’s South American wine producing cousins.
- Classic Lima-style Ceviche & Tiradito
- Fava Bean “Solterito” Salad with queso fresco
- Creamy Peruvian Shrimp Chowder
- “Ají de Gallina”, Shredded Chicken in Creamy Walnut Sauce
- “Lomo Saltado”, Peruvian Stir-Fried Beef
Here’s the lowdown on the three classes, all in the evening, this October. Sign-ups are on-line.
Monday, October 8: Houston (Westheimer)
As always, I love meeting you guys and connecting in person so please come join me. I promise it will be lots of energy, great food, wines, and fun. Please feel free to bring your friends and help spread the word. Peru is, after all, becoming the USA’s next big ethnic food trend.
See y’all in Texas!!
