Anticuchos:

Anticuchos are basically skewers of beef heart, which I know sounds gross, but I promise you they're really wonderful if you like meat.

Here's what you'll need:

2 veal hearts, cleaned, cubed to 3/4 inch size. 1/4 garlic, blended. 1 Tbsp aji Panca (Peruvian hot peppers, you can get this from a jar or you could try finding them. They're not terribly spicy, don't worry!) 3 tsp cumin seeds, ground 2 Tbsp paprika 2 Tbsp ground black pepper 1/4 cup of red wine vinegar 3 Tbsp of salt 4 Tbsp of cooking oil Metal skewers (please be careful)

Mix the garlic, aji panca, cumin seeds paprika, black pepper, vinegar, and salt into a thick paste. Marinate the beef heart chunks for 4-24 hours. Skewer 4-5 chunks on each skewer and grill on high heat, turning and brushing oil onto them until they're medium rare.

You can serve them with sweet potatoes, corn on the cob, or eat them alone, which is what I do.

Papa a la Huancaina

A potato salad but if you call it that I'll be very sad lmao.

8 med potatoes, boiled, peeled, and sliced thickly. 1 (16oz) container of ricotta cheese or farmer's cheese 2 cloves of garlic, peeled. 1/2 cup of milk 1/4 cup of cooking oil 1 tsp of turmeric 1 Tbsp of Peruvian aji amarillo (yellow pepper paste) 4 hard boiled eggs, peeled, quartered 8 kalamata olives Lettuce leaves, washed and dried Salt, pepper to taste 1/4 cup of sweet pepper of any color, minced. You can also use hot peppers. 2 Tbsp of parsley, finely chopped.

In a small pot, heat the oil and lightly saute the garlic, turmeric and hot pepper paste. Let cool and add to blender along with the cheese, milk, salt, and pepper to taste. This sauce should be thick and smooth, able to coat the back of a spoon. On a serving platter, arrange the boiled potatoes on a bed of lettuce. Pour the sauce over the top and decorate with the eggs, olives, fresh peppers, and parsley.

Peruvian Hot Chocolate

This is fairly similar if not the same as Mexican style hot chocolate, but it's still very good :)

300 grams of unsweetened, chocolate squares 4 cups of sugar 4 qt of water 6 (14-oz) cans of evaporated milk 2 large cinnamon sticks 6 orange rinds in large strips 1/2 cup corn starch mixed in 3/4ths cup of water 1 Tbsp of vanilla extract.

In a large pot, boil chocolate, cinnamon, orange rinds, sugar, water, and the cornstarch slurry, until the chocolate squares are dissolved. Add the evaporated milk and heat well. Add vanilla at the end and stir well. Bomb with cookies, though do be careful with the heat!

Sopa Criolla

This is super easy to make, and it's really, really wonderful on a cold winter's day or if you're sick.

1 1/2 pounds of lean ground beef 1 large onion, finely chopped 1 large tomato, finely chopped 6 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 sm. peeled, cubed carrots 1/2 cup partially thawed, frozen peas 4 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into small chunks 1/4 pound of spaghetti (or angel hair pasta) 6 eggs 2 Tbsp of paprika 1/4 tsp black pepper 1/4 tsp oregano 2 Tbsp of salt (or to taste) 2 Tbsp finely chopped parsley 2 Tbsp cooking oil 4 qts of water 2 cans of whole milk or 1 can of evaporated milk

Heat the oil on high heat, brown the beef, drain the fat and set it aside. In the same pot, saute the onions, garlic, tomatoes, paprika, pepper, oregano, salt, and pepper in the cooking oil. Add water, beef, potatoes, carrots, and cook until the potatoes are soft. Break the spaghetti and cook until done. Add peas and gently break the eggs and drop them into the boiling soup to poach them. DO NOT STIR te soup in order to keep the eggs whole. Cook the eggs for about 4 minutes. Add milk at the end if you want. Sprinkle with parsley or cilantro, hot pepper flakes are also recommended.

Chupe de Camarones (Shrimp Chowder)

This is a very time consuming recipe, and can be kind of expensive if you don't live near the sea or a lake, which is why my family only has it on special occasions. We usually add a white fish to it, as well as scallops, mussels, etc if we're feeling really fancy, but the recipe here just has shrimpe.

Despite the expense, chupe is deliciously decadent and I would 100% recommend you make it one day.

1 1/2 pounds of shelled, deveined shrimp. SAVE THE SHELLS. 2 qts of water 1/3 cup of onions, finely chopped. 2-3 Tbsp of cooking oil 2 T garlic, blended or minced 1/3 cup of tomatoes, seeded and minced. 3 medium potatoes, cut into chunks 1/2 cup of squash, cubed 2 corns on the cobs, cut into five chunks each 3/4 cups of white rice 4 qts of water (includes shrimp broth) 5 eggs 1 (14 oz) can evaporated milk 4 oz mozzerella cheese, cut into medium cubes 3 Tbsp parsley, finely chopped 1/2 cup of frozen peas 3 Tbsp of paprika 1 Tbsp of aji amarillo 1 tsp of oregano leaves 1/4 tsp of thyme 1/4th tsp of crushed rosemary Salt and pepper to taste

Use shrimp shells to make a broth by boiling them in 2 qts of water for 30 minutes on low heat. Sieve off the shells afterwards (duh). Saute onions, garlic, tomatoes, paprika, hot pepper, oregano, thyme, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Add water and broth, rice, potatoes (yeah, we're doing two starches babeeeey, yeehaww), squash, corn, and cook until the rice is soft. Add peas. Drop the eggs in and poach them. Don't stir for around 4 minutes. Add shrimp and cook for 3 minutes. Add cheese, evaporated milk. Stir, DON'T let it boil or it will all curdle. Sprinkle with parsley.

Serve with good, crusty bread if you wanna really pile on the starches, which I recommend bc life is short.

Causa de Papas con Atun: AKA the only real way to eat tuna salad.

Bonus points if you layer it with sweet potatoes too!

3 pounds of potatoes, peeled, and boiled 1/4 cup of fresh, lemon juice. 2-3 Tbsp of olive oil 2 Tbsp of aji amarillo paste or finely minced jalapeno peppers. 1 1/2 tsp turmeric. 1 tsp salt Black or white pepper to taste! 2 (12 oz) cans of tuna in water, drained or cooked in chicken or turkey. 1/2 small onion, minced. Minced jalapeno or any other kind of sweet pepper. 3/4 cup of mayonnaise Garnish: lettuce leaves, hard boiled eggs, quartered kalamata olives, minced parsley or cilantro

Saute the turmeric and aji to release their color. Mash the potatoes with lemon juice, olive oil, aji amarillo, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Knead the potatoes until they have a smooth, dough-like consistency. In a small bowl, shred the tuna with a fork, and mix in the onion, pepper, and mayo. Line a pretty casserole dish with the lettuce leaves and layer 1/2 the potato mixture. Add the tuna in a layer, and top with the rest of the potato mixture. Garnish with the olives, eggs, and parsley.

If you use yams or sweet potatoes, I'd say cook them the same way you did with the regular potatoes, but honestly, feel free to play around!

Tallarines Verdes (Green Noodles)

This is just pesto, but it has a special place in my heart. It's best served with chicken cutlets, or pollo milanesa.

1 pound of spaghetti (or any other pasta) 1/2 cup milk 8 oz frozen spinach, chopped 6 oz ricotta cheese or farmer's cheese 3 Tbsp dried basil, soaked (or 1 cup fresh basil leaves) 2 cloves garlic 1/4 cup of grated parm olive oil salt and pepper

Soak dried basil in about 1/4 cup of very hot water for about 10-15 minutes until well hydrated and soft. Use all of it for flavor. Cook spinach in 1/2 cup of water for about 8 minutes until completely thawed. Drain the water completely from the spinach, then, blend the spinach, basil, garlic, cheese, 1/4th cup of olive oil, and milk until creamy, in a blender. Add more milk, oil, or ricotta to adjust to your desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper. Heat up the sauce on low, but don't let it boil or it'll curdle. If it does curdle, blend the sauce again. Cook the pasta al dente and drain the water, add some sauce or sprinkle with olive oil to keep it moist. Mix the spaghetti with the sauce and add as much parmesan as you want.