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A Kiss at a Tavern in Peru

I got kissed the first time I went to Antigua Taberna Queirolo. That’s what happens when people are having a jolly time, well lubricated with Peru’s grape alcohol, pisco.

Queirolo is a large pisco producer, so there is plenty on hand at  this 19th century tavern, said to be the oldest restaurant in Peru. Good bar food too. Very good. So I go there whenever I am in Lima.

About that kiss: It was quite chivalrous, delivered with a charming compliment by a gentleman at the next table who was celebrating rather enthusiastically with friends.

The tavern is charming too, a small corner of Lima’s past in a district called Pueblo Libre. Windows with old fashioned wooden bars are set high in thick walls. Ceiling fans whir when it’s warm, and vintage photos line the rooms.

Serious drinkers order pisco by the bottle along with mixers and ice. This last time, I had a chilcano de pisco, a tall drink of pisco, ginger ale, lime juice and sugar syrup.

Along with classic pisco sours, there is a masco sour made with pisco that has been macerated with Chilean plums.

The food is traditional, like the bar. I usually get a rocoto relleno, a mildly spicy red pepper stuffed with hand-cut beef, olives, raisins, hardboiled egg and melted cheese. Or I’ll have the same filling in a plump golden potato croquette—papa rellena.

There are sandwiches and also tamales, which came to Peru from Mexico. My tamal criollo contained a shred of chicken, an olive and peanut halves in a fine smooth yellow dough, with spicy marinated red onions on the side.

The tavern is at one corner of a large building that houses Queirolo offices and a sales counter for piscos and wines. Around the far corner is El Bolivariano, a  restaurant with a full menu, a bar and, on Sunday, a Creole buffet.

Although the menu there was tempting, all I could manage after lunch at the taberna was coffee and dessert, well, two desserts—the rich custard suspiro limena, topped with whipped cream, a cherry and a cinnamon stick, and arroz zambito, a dusky rice pudding made with chancaca, an unrefined sugar similar to Mexican piloncillo, pecans and a sprinkling of shredded coconut.

Antigua Taberna Queirolo, Avenida San Martin 1090, Pueblo Libre, Lima, Peru. Tel: 460-0441.

El Bolivariano, Pasaje Santa Rosa 291, Pueblo Libre, Lima, Peru. Tel: 463-6333.

Mexican Food to Dream About

A friend from out of town wanted to go to lunch. Nothing unusual about that, except that this friend lives in Singapore, where food is a national passion. Furthermore, she is a celebrated cook, has appeared as a guest chef at the Beard House in New York and represents the Singapore government at food conferences all over the place.

What could I find that would impress her? Not much, I thought. But, well, what about Mexican food, really good Mexican food, the kind that is hard to find even here in Los Angeles? And so we went to La Casita Mexicana in Bell.

There chefs Jaime Martin del Campo and Ramiro Arvizu produce the sort of elegant, imaginative dishes that you might find in high-end restaurants in Mexico City. Their white chocolate, cantaloupe and blackberry moles are better than dreamy—if you are fortunate enough to go on a day when these are on hand.

Their chiles en nogada are as good as any in Puebla, Mexico, where that dish was created. Their handcrafted mole poblano is extraordinary, loaded with layers of flavors and such uncommon things as cacao beans.

And where else you would find Aztec cheese—a grilled banana leaf package that contains four Mexican cheeses--queso fresco, panela, Oaxaca and cotija-- along with  mushrooms, cactus, poblano chile and a little of that powerfully scented Mexican herb, epazote. It’s a wonderful combination to spoon onto La Casita’s handmade tortillas.                                              

Sure we had chiles en nogada and mole poblano, as well as chicken in green and red pipian sauces.  We also ate simple but very tasty cotija cheese enchiladas. And cecina, thin-cut beef  laden with tomatoes and onions in smoky chipotle sauce.

We started with tortilla soup and ended with three desserts. Freshly fried, tender churros contained a surprise, a thin layer of soft, melted cajeta. Yellow guavas were bathed with rompope, the Mexican liqueur that resembles eggnog. And rice pudding arrived in a crisp flour tortilla wrap, surrounded with creamy pecan sauce. No wonder that dessert, envueltos de arroz con leche y crema de nuez, wound up on the cover of Ciudad magazine.

My friend, Violet Oon, was properly impressed. And so was I, but then I’m always impressed when I eat at La Casita Mexicana. 

La Casita Mexicana, 4030 E. Gage Ave., Bell, CA 90201. Tel: (323) 773-1898. 

Pasta: The Less Sauce the Better

“We Italians like to undersauce our pasta. The whole idea is, you want to taste the pasta,” said Piero Selvaggio during a cooking demonstration at his restaurant, Valentino, in Santa Monica.

Selvaggio is from Sicily, but that didn’t stop him from participating in a promotion of pasta from Naples. Who would not support a pasta-making tradition that is five centuries old and has given birth to more than 140 shapes, both short and long? These, furthermore, are made with water and wheat that are superior to what is available in other parts of Italy, according to the Neapolitans.

Selvaggio chose spaghetti for a dish that shows how good pasta can be with very little sauce. If you like easy recipes, this is one of the best. There’s nothing in it but tomatoes, a garlic clove and a basil sprig.

Because they are the main ingredient, the tomatoes have to be very, very flavorful. Selvaggio recommends farmers market heirloom tomatoes at peak season.

I use canned San Marzano tomatoes, which happen to be from Naples. Their brilliant flavor makes this dish so good I serve it with nothing more than grilled zucchini, lightly seasoned with olive oil, salt and pepper; a salad and red wine.

SPAGHETTI AL POMODORO E BASILICO
Spaghetti with Tomato and Basil Sauce

3 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
1 (14.28-ounce) can Italian chopped tomatoes in tomato puree
1 large sprig basil (6 or 7 large leaves)
½ teaspoon salt or to taste
Few grinds black pepper
8 ounces spaghetti
½ cup freshly grated Pecorino cheese

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add the garlic and cook gently 1 minute. Do not allow to brown. 

Add the undrained tomatoes, basil, salt and pepper and stir. Cover and cook gently 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the basil sprig and discard.  Keep the sauce warm.

Cook the spaghetti in boiling salted water according to package instructions until al dente. Drain.

Return the spaghetti to the pot, and add the tomato sauce. Toss until combined. Drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and toss. Serve at once with grated Pecorino on the side to add as desired. 

Makes 4 servings.

Oztia: Sacred Food in Peru

I felt like getting on my knees as I walked into Oztia. According to the sign outside, this restaurant is devoted to sagrada cocina (sacred cookery). Inside, the temple was empty. Serious dining in Lima begins well after 9 p.m. And I was an hour early. That meant plenty of attention as I pondered what to order.

The pisco sour was definitely profane, made with coca leaves steeped in pisco. Yes, the very same leaves that are processed for cocaine. Not to worry. Coca leaves in small quantities are quite innocent. You can even buy coca leaf teabags at supermarkets in Lima.

At any rate, the leaves gave a faint herbal flavor to the pisco sour, making it the most interesting version that I had this trip.

While I sipped, the waiter brought a plate artfully drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, splashed with balsamic vinegar and ornamented with a red pool of tiny sauco fruit (elderberries) to go with my bread.

Next came cubes of ricotta wrapped in grilled eggplant slices with a red pepper sauce. And I hadn’t even ordered yet.

I decided on a fusion dish, langostinos (large shrimp), in a mango curry sauce braised in mint oil and accompanied by Thai rice.  I liked the shrimp very much. The sauce was slightly sweet and slighty spicy with an almost caramel flavor.

What made the rice Thai, I have no idea.  Bits of peach were mixed in, and a trace of green appeared at the bottom. That must have been the mint oil. The top was sprinkled with crisp white noodles and black sesame seeds. I have never seen anything like it in a Thai restaurant, but that’s what fusion is about.

Dessert had its own appetizer course, guargueros rellenos con manjar blanco, or tiny pastry cones filled with milk caramel and sprinkled with cocoa powder. This wasn’t fusion, but a traditional Peruvian pastry in miniature.

Then came  the holy part of the meal, lucuma tiramisu, on a plate reverently decorated with a  spider-thin cross made of powdered cinnamon.

Paola Cubas is Oztia’s chef and, it appears, a woman of faith as well as an accomplished cook.

Oztia, Bolognesi 143, Miraflores, Lima, Peru. Tel: 243-6513.   

A Great Dish--Chiles en Nogada

Rush to La Casita Mexicana while pomegranates are in season in order to taste the restaurant’s glorious chiles en nogada (stuffed chiles in nut sauce).

This historic dish from Puebla, Mexico, was created to celebrate Mexico’s independence from Spain. The green chile, white nut sauce and sprinkle of red pomegranate seeds on top represent the three colors of the Mexican flag.

I’ve never had a better version than that at La Casita. There, fat poblano chiles are stuffed with ground pork, chopped pecans, biznaga, (candied cactus), raisins, plantains and fresh and dried pears and apples.

The creamy sauce combines thick Mexican crema, queso fresco (fresh cheese), pecans and enough sugar to make it delicately sweet. The restaurant freezes pomegranate seeds in order to serve the dish all year, but it is at its best with the fresh seeds. In California, the pomegranate season runs from September through January.

Chiles en nogada are $11.95 for one or $15.95 for two, accompanied by soup and rice, at La Casita Mexicana, 4030 E. Gage Ave., Bell, CA 90201. Tel: (323) 773-1898.

A Good Wine

Santa Barbara Winery Grenache/Syrah 2005. This lively Rhone blend (64% Grenache, 36% Syrah) is new from Santa Barbara Winery. It’s good with anything from cheese plates to light pasta dishes, chicken cacciatore and even the holiday roast turkey. Suggested retail is $22.

For more information, go to http://www.sbwinery.com/wines.html

What People Say About Food

“Pasta is the blue jeans of food. After the pasta, you can dress it up with anything you want.”
      --Piero Selvaggio, Valentino restaurant, Santa Monica, California.

As Easy As--Chilcano

I was so taken with the fish soup at Segundo Muelle in Lima that I had to have it again. The problem was, I was back in  Los Angeles. The only option was  to make the soup myself.  Although I've never climbed Machu Picchu, I can certainly forge through a soup recipe, and this one turned into a peak experience--delicious and unbelievably easy.

The recipe calls for light stock, but I have also used water, which is probably what a Peruvian fisherman would do. And I add tomato for color, which makes sense, because tomatoes are native to Peru.

Getting the right balance of salt and tangy lime juice is crucial, so taste and adjust as necessary.

A salad and some crusty bread are the only accompaniments you'll need.

CHILCANO DE PESCADO
(Peruvian Fish Soup)

1 quart fish broth, vegetable broth or water
¾ pound white fish fillets, cut in chunks
1 loosely packed cup cilantro leaves, finely chopped
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 tomato, seeded and diced
½ to 1 jalapeno chile, seeded and minced
1 large clove garlic, chopped
Salt
10 black peppercorns
1/3 cup lime juice or more to taste

Place the broth in a large saucepan. Add the fish, cilantro, onion, tomato and jalapeno chile, adjusting the amount of chile to taste. Mash the garlic to a paste in 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and add along with the peppercorns.

Bring the soup to a boil, then lower the heat and boil gently for 15 minutes. Add the lime juice and cook a few moments longer. Taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt and lime juice if needed. 

Makes 4 servings.

A Sunny Day at Segundo Muelle

It was cold, dank and gloomy in Lima this spring. By spring I mean October, because the seasons there are the opposite of those in the northern hemisphere.

One day, the sun peeked dimly through the overcast, and that brought throngs of strollers to the park that lines the bluffs overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Some even stripped down to thin shirts to catch the rare warmth.

Others braved the open air section of Segundo Muelle, the seafood restaurant where I had managed to snag a window table on the second floor, high enough to look out toward the ocean even though I couldn’t really see it.

Despite the sun, it was cool enough to start with a bracing hot soup, chilcano de corvina. This was as simple as if a fisherman had put it together for lunch on his boat--just very fresh fish in well-seasoned broth laced with chopped cilantro. And yet it couldn't have been more delicious. 

Segundo Muelle’s house special ceviche, chinguirito mixto, is in the style of Chiclayo in the north and very different from the average Lima ceviche. The spicy mixture combined chewy strips of dried guitarra fish, sliced octopus and black-shelled scallops—I had seen those at a seafood counter in the San Isidro Municipal Market and was anxious to try them.

Instead of the usual sweet potatoes, this ceviche came garnished with sticks of bland, pale yuca, corn kernels and chifles, which are thin-cut banana chips.

Ordering is easy at Segundo Muelle. All you have to do is study the glossy picture menus.  The dessert photos are especially impressive. I picked out crocante de lucuma, a tart similar to pumpkin pie only made with the local fruit lucuma. The crust was crunchy and sweet, and on top were chopped toasted nuts, a thin layer of chocolate and whipped cream.

Even if the sun had not come out, this luscious dessert would have brightened my day.

Segundo Muelle, Avenida Malecon Cisneros 156, Miraflores, Lima, Peru. Tel: 241-5040.

Lima's Best Ceviche? Maybe Not

Alfredo Aramburu Picasso is one of Lima’s star chefs, and so I expected a lot from his restaurant Alfresco, especially because its ceviche had been named the best in Lima (the menu didn’t say when or by whom).

A mixture of shrimp and sole in a pale orange sauce with a nice tang and a hint of spiciness, the ceviche was good but no better than others I tasted, and it was skimpy on the sweet potato and corn kernels that traditionally accompany this dish in Peru.   

Aramburu’s book, “Alfredo Aramburu,” published by the newspaper El Comercio as part of its great chefs series, contains a recipe for cebiche de camarones al wok (wok-cooked shrimp ceviche) that sounded so interesting I went back to try it, but the dish fell short. The sauce lacked character, and the tiny shrimp did not resemble the photo in the book.

Furthermore, the two small slices of French bread that I was given were dry, as if they  had been sitting out for hours. And the coffee shop-style plastic butter container didn’t suit a restaurant of this level.

Still, the pisco sours were good, the glass-enclosed dining room is attractive, and the wait staff is pleasant. The restaurant just needs more attention from Aramburu.

Alfresco, Malecon Balta 790, Miraflores, Lima, Peru. Tel: 242-8960.