(Chicken in Aji Sauce)

This easy-to-prepare dish will impress any dinner guest.

Using nuts as a thickening ingredient, as well as for flavor, is common throughout Latin America. Traditionally this dish would be prepared with yellow potatoes, which are not readily available outside of Peru.

If you can't find a "Yukon gold" potato, a baking potato will do.

1 3 1/2-pound chicken, quartered

6 pieces white bread, crusts removed

1 large onion, diced

3 stalks celery, diced

1 teaspoon minced garlic

6 fresh Aji Amarillo', stems and seeds removed, diced (or substitute red jalapenos)

2 tablespoons margarine

1 cup chopped pecans

1 15-ounce can evaporated milk

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 potatoes, peeled and boiled, cut in wedges

Salt and pepper to taste

2 to 3 hard-cooked eggs, cut in wedges for garnish

Pitted black olives

Cover the chicken with water, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the chicken is tender, skimming off any foam that forms. Remove the chicken and let it cool. Strain and reserve the broth. Remove the bones and skin from the chicken and shred the meat.

Soak the bread in 1/2 cup of the reserved broth and, when soft, mash with a fork to form a thick paste. Sauté the onion, garlic and chilies in the margarine until the onions are golden.

Add 1 cup of the remaining chicken broth and the soaked bread mixture and bring to a boil.

Add the chicken, pecans, milk, and Parmesan cheese, reduce the heat and cook until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, arrange the potatoes on a platter, top with the sauce and garnish with the egg wedges and olives.

Serves: 4 to 6

Heat Scale: Hot

(Noodles with Shells and Aji Sauce)

This is a common dish in the coastal regions of Peru where fresh shells, or pink and white scallops, are readily available. An excellent way to give a unique touch to everyday noodles.

8 ounces dry noodles, such as shells, fettuccine, or egg noodles

1 cup white sauce* See below.

1/2 cup chopped fresh ajis (or substitute serranos or jalapenos)

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

3 dozen scallops, in the shell

1 cup mayonnaise

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees.

Cook the noodles in boiling water until done, drain and place in an ovenproof serving dish. Heat the white sauce and add the chiles, orange juice and cheese, and mix well. Pour the sauce over the noodles, toss to coat, and add the scallops. Spread the mayonnaise over the top of the casserole and bake for 10 minutes.

Serves: 4 to 6

Heat Scale: Hot

*

2 tablespoons butter or margarine

2 tablespoons all purpose flour

1 cup warm milk Salt and pepper to taste

Melt the butter and stir in the flour. Cook over a medium heat, stirring constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the milk and cook, while stirring, until thickened. Season with salt and pepper.

Yield: I cup

(Hot Aji Salsa)

Using saltine crackers to thicken a sauce is unusual but not uncommon in Peru. This all-purpose sauce can be served with potatoes, french fries, corn chips, fried foods, seafood, steaks or anything else imaginable. The more you add, the hotter it gets and the BETTER it tastes!

3 'Aji Mirasol' or diced 'Aji Amarillo', stems removed (or substitute 3 dried red New Mexican chiles)

1 small onion, chopped

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1/4 to 1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup roasted peanuts

8 saltine crackers, crushed

3/4 cup grated mozzarella or Muenster cheese

1 cup evaporated milk

1 teaspoon chopped fresh cilantro

Juice of 1 lemon

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Sauté the chiles, onion and garlic in a tablespoon of the oil until soft. Place in a blender or food processor along with the peanuts, crackers, cheese, milk and cilantro and puree until smooth. Add the lemon juice and, with the machine running, add the oil a little at a time until the sauce is the desired consistency. Heat before serving, and store any extra in the refrigerator.

Yield: 2 cups

Heat Scale: Medium

(Stuffed Rocotos)

This dish may also be prepared with 'Aji Amarillo', and can be baked or fried. Nobody leaves the city of Arequipa without having tried this dish, but once you do, you'll want to stay there forever.

6 fresh rocoto chiles (or substitute jumbo jalapenos)

1/2 pound ground beef

1/2 cup chopped onion

2 teaspoons roasted, ground peanuts

2 teaspoons raisins

1/2cup chopped, cooked carrots

1 hard cooked egg, chopped

1/2 cup cooked peas

A small potatoe, boiled, peeled and diced

1/4 cup milk

3 eggs

1 cup grated mozzarella or Muenster cheese

Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat an oven to 350 degrees. Cut the top off each chile, remove the seeds and membranes and save the tops. Brown the ground beef and onion in a skillet, breaking up any large clumps of beef. Add the peanuts, raisins, carrots, hard-cooked egg and peas and cook for 5 minutes. Season to taste add the salt and pepper. Fill each rocoto with the meat mixture and cover with the rocoto tops.

Place the potatoes in a lightly greased pan and arrange the filled rocotos on top. Beat the milk and eggs in a separate bowl and pour over the rocotos. Sprinkle the cheese around the rocotos and bake for 10 minutes.

Serves: 4 to 6

Heat Scale: Medium

(Olives and Aji Sauce)

A tasty dip for a wide variety of snacks. Serve it with chips, pretzels, breadsticks or vegetable sticks.

1 cup pitted black olives

1 cup grated mozzarella or Muenster cheese

1/4 cup evaporated milk

1/4 cup vegetable oil

6'Aji Panca', stems and seeds removed, chopped (or substitute serranos)

1 cup mayonnaise

Place all the ingredients, except the mayonnaise, in a blender or food processor and process until smooth. Gently mix in the mayonnaise and refrigerate until served.

Yield: 2 cups

Heat Scale: Medium

(Potatoes with Cheese and Aji Sauce)

This popular dish from the mountain town of Huancayo is often served as an entree at social events and parties. These potatoes are traditionally garnished with hard-cooked egg halves, olives and sliced onion rings, but anything goes. Here we have garnished with egg whites, parsley and sliced chiles.

4 small potatoes, peeled 2 hard-cooked eggs, yolks and whites separated

3'Aji Escabeche', stems and seeds removed, (orsubstitutejalapefios) 1 1/2 cups grated mozzarella or Muenster cheese

1/2 cup milk

1/4 cup lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Garnish:

Lettuce leaves

Diced hard-cooked egg whites

Chopped fresh parsley

2 fresh chiles, such as aji or jalapeno, stems and seeds removed, cut into thin strips

Sliced black olives

Boil the potatoes until done, drain and keep warm. If the potatoes are large they may be cut in half.

Put the egg yolks, chile lemon juice, and turmeric in a blender or food processor and puree unfil smooth.

Heat the oil in a skillet, add the cheese sauce, and simmer until the sauce is hot and thickened. The sauce should be thick but pourable. Add more milk to thin, if necessary.

To assemble: Arrange the lettuce on a platter and place the potatoes on top. Pour the sauce over the potatoes and garnish with the egg whites, parsley, chile strips and olives.

Serves: 4 to 6

Heat Scale: Mild